Meet Roshini Boodhoo… Guyana’s dancing icon at CARIFESTA XII
WHEN German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzche said, “For every day we have not danced at least once, we should consider it a lost one”, he certainly shared the sentiments of local iconic dance figure Roshini Boodhoo.
The 27-year-old former Miss Guyana-India is yet again representing Guyana in Haiti at the 12th staging of the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA), which runs until August 30.
No stranger to the spotlight, the leading local dancer and choreographer has mastered the art form through her exposure to dancing at the tender age of five. She has won several local awards, including the award for the student who contributed most to cultural activities at the University of Guyana (UG). This feat was accomplished in 2011.
Aiding in her artistic field is her energetic and bubbly personality, which is routinely manifested through her performances.
According to Boodhoo, CARIFESTA XII has been a highly anticipated event, given its impact within and beyond the regional space. And with Guyana excelling in all areas of art form, she believes that the performing arts are a critical component of Guyana’s culture, through which traditions can re-emerge.
As it relates to the contingent listed to participate in cultural dances during the 10 days of CARIFESTA, a keen Roshini said, “The contingent has worked tremendously (hard) to ensure that Guyana is well represented and that Haiti has the best CARIFESTA to date.”
A transparent process of auditioning the dancers at home caused the best of the lot to be selected. In fact, Roshini pointed out that each dancer currently serving Guyana as an ambassador in Haiti brought her own personality and dance style to each choreography, which fused distinct styles of dancing into a single routine. This, she noted, resulted in the representation of a multicultural and multi-ethnic unit representing the land of many waters.
“We have held heads together to depict dance through folklore: traditional, interpretive, masquerade, chutney, Indian, African and celebrative dance styles,” she said, adding that the level of performance by the Guyanese representatives has exceeded that of previous years.
“The energy has surpassed our usual. Every time I had to perform so far, I felt I’ve danced a level higher. We know that we are around the other Caribbean countries and we know that they’ve brought their A game,” Boodhoo said.
Refusing to discount the invaluable contribution of her team, Boodhoo seized the opportunity to express her recognition of the entire dance faction from Guyana, which she described as a supportive body.
According to her, during a day last week, she overheard a Guyanese official discussing how nicely the dance team has “gelled.” The idea of group effort, she said, is to recognise differences, appreciate them, and collectively pool efforts.
It is for this reason, she explained, that the team, since their arrival in Haiti almost two weeks ago, have been able to share moments together, in which they sometimes “assemble bare feet in the corridor or one of the dancer’s rooms, plait our feet and sit flat on the floor and share tennis rolls and cheese.”
But dedication and hard work remain the hallmarks of the dancers, Boodhoo said, adding that, “They are always willing and ready… the energy and spirit to perform, to dance, to represent, is incomparable.”
Noting that the delegation could not have had a better team of dancers, Boodhoo related that sentiments already expressed indicate that the team has already made exceedingly proud its other choreographers, including Teacher Viviane, Mr Clive Prowell and Teacher Linda, who is in Haiti.
Not limiting her sentiments to those individuals, the dancer also has expressed sincere appreciation to Dr. Rose, Mr. Canterbury, Mrs. Ogle, Mrs. Lorraine, Mr. Creighton, Mrs. Margaret – all of whom she said have supported the entire Guyanese delegation and have made Guyana proud.
The dancers that had represented Guyana at CARIFESTA XII (which ends today) include Marissa Primo, Tonya Singh, Chevon Seaton, Padmattie Sikander, Raynicka Griffith, Adrian Ramlochan, Kijana Lewis, Jamal Stewart, Mikel Andrews, Dominic Alleyne, Jemal Ellis and Keon Warren.
By Ravin Singh in Haiti
