How It All Started
You could say that dance is a way of life in Jamaica. The island has a rhythm of its own and its people move with grace and strength. I grew up dancing and performing, and for that I am grateful. I was lucky to be able to try lots of different forms of dance. To me, dance is a lifeline.
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It relaxes me and my mind, body and soul. It enables me to connect with myself and others – and just how much this means became abundantly clear during the COVID-19 related closures. All my dance and musical theatre just stopped. I transitioned to online classes and performances all the while hoping to be able to dance in person again. There is something about preparing for and presenting shows that is inexplicable and priceless. It requires a balance of teamwork and individual challenge and a union of – you guessed it – mind, body and soul.
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About Us
Come Mek Wi Dance was born out of my return to dance when I began to help teach classes to young dancers aged 4-6 every weekend starting in 2021– masked at first. The innocent joy of their movement shone through the masks and I looked forward to the sessions so much. The dance instructor who led the sessions told me she was also teaching classes to young girls in state care and they did not have proper dance attire, such as leotards and tights. I knew this meant their experience with dance would lose some of the power to be found in the joy of movement. When I then helped with a summer camp that included dancers who did and did not have access to the leotards and leggings I reached out to my dancer friends who willingly donated the items. Watching their faces light up when they put them reinforced for me just how important these simple things are to boosting confidence and self-esteem.
I also started to explore the practice of Dance Therapy taking some online classes, and when performing restarted I had the wonderful opportunity to perform with my high school troupe alongside the magnificent L'Acadco: A United Caribbean Dance Force, as part of Jamaica's 60th Independence Celebrations at the National Arena and realised I received a costume I may never actually wear again. I made a commitment then and there to do what I could to spread the joy of dance sustainably.
Our Aims
1 / Collection & Redistribution
To collect and redistribute dance attire such as tights, costumes, leotards, and shoes to those in need by working with dance troupes/schools across Jamaica.
2 / Dance Therapy
To promote greater awareness of dance therapy in Jamaica to support mental health and promote alternative methods of conflict resolution in schools and communities. We have curated resources and disseminated them to schools through the education ministry's Guidance Unit and also developed programmes that incorporate elements of dance therapy in summer dance camps and in partnership with the Kingston Creative Artwalk, the Leh Wi Dance Company and Di Cawna Library.
