Beryl Eugenia McBurnie (2 November 1913 - 3 March 2000) was a Trinidadian dancer. She founded Little Carib Theater, and promoted the culture and art of Trinidad and Tobago as her life's work. He helped promote the legitimacy of Trinidad and Tobago culture that would ultimately arm its people to handle psychological and healthy independence. McBurnie dedicates his life to dancing, becoming one of the greatest influences on modern Trinidad's pop culture.
Early life
At the age of eight he was invited to recite "Sycamore Tree" for a charity concert in the district. Soon after that he began collecting children from the neighborhood to form a group, which will present the concert. The first concert planned was not happening, but he and his friends tried again, borrowed a seat from the neighbors. This time his performance was well rewarded and this successful endeavor prompted him to continue.
Beryl McBurnie started dancing from childhood, performing regularly in dance and playing at Tranquility Girls' School, Port of Spain. In his youth he performed Scottish scrolls, jigs, and other British folk dances that the teacher taught. Though she appreciates their beauty, she wants more. In his teenage years, he decided to focus on promoting "people's emotions, and which in some cases gave insight into the history and way of life of ordinary people."
Video Beryl McBurnie
Rise to fame
After leaving Tranquility Girls School, McBurnie became a teacher and used this opportunity to engage in extracurricular activities around preparations for school concerts, production play and operetta. She dances at every opportunity that comes to her, at the same time being quite successful at the piano and in the use of sound.
He trained at Mausica Teachers' College and began his teaching career in Port-of-Spain. He instead decided to pursue his dream career in folk dance after a tour of the country with Trinidad's leading folklorist Andrew Carr. Many of the melodies and folk dances that would be lost to Trinidad and Tobago were rescued by McBurnie and promoted in his dance. In 1938, he enrolled at Columbia University in New York and studied dance with pioneer Martha Graham. McBurnie also worked with American modern dancer and choreographer Charles Weidman, African-American choreographer Katharine Dunham, and studied eurhythmics with Elisa Findlay - an Emile Jacques Dalcroze student. McBurnie also teaches Trinidadian dance at New Dance Group
Beryl McBurnie was the first to promote primitive dance and Caribbean. In 1938 when Katherine Dunham arrived in New York from Chicago, McBurnie taught her personally the rhythms and dances of the West Indies. During this session he teaches Dunham ritual chants and from Shango Trinidad and dances such as Bongo - a dance performed at wakes - and Kalinda, a dance between two opponents using a stick in a mock battle.
In 1940, McBurnie enjoyed a brief return to Trinidad. He presented Tropical Journey at the Empire Theater, Port of Spain. McBurnie combines Caribbean and Brazilian dance with the interpretation of New York and modern dance, performed with Wagner, Beethoven and Bach music, to crowded audiences. His performance was sold out.
He returned to New York in 1941 and lived until 1945. During that time he began to teach classes in Western Indian dance and he arranged material in an interesting yet educational package he used in a series of lecture and lecture recital lectures. She also danced and sang with Sam Manning and her ensemble, in the production of the only calypso known "soundies," a movie clip made for movie jukeboxes located in restaurants and bars. He became a popular teacher at the New Dance Group, where in 1942 Pearl Primus was a student. Primus, like Katherine Dunham, studied West Indian dance from McBurnie and joined the group, which appeared in various places in New York.
In 1941 McBurnie assumed the pseudonym "La Bella Rosette" and performed professionally under the stage's name. He was booked to perform at a "coffee concert" at the Museum of Modern Art by philanthropist Louise Crane, then a young theater agent. Poet Hilda Doolittle wrote very positive reviews about her "coffee concert" show. After his "coffee concert" show, "La Belle Rosette" performed at the Brooklyn Music Academy and 92nd Street Y with American dancers Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham. In June 1942 McBurnie replaced Carmen Miranda in Broadway hit Broadway musical hit Sons o 'Fun at the Winter Garden Theater. A review of his performance in New York People's voice, a reporter wrote "Belle Rosette the talented Trinidadian player scheduled to take on the role of Carmen Miranda in Son O'Fun's hit show... proved enough for an enthusiastic audience at the YMHA on Sunday night, that she has 'what it takes' -in Broadway. "Between 1942 and 1945, McBurnie made several appearances in places such as Hunter College, Henry Street Settlement Playhouse in New York, Madison Square Gardens, The Village Gate, and New York City College. During that time, he also completed two periods of advanced study at Columbia, where he studied Dramatic Arts, Painting, Music, and other Creative Arts courses which he considered important for his work.
The following year, he made a movie appearance with Trinidadian vocalist Sam Manning on Quarry Road.
Maps Beryl McBurnie
Little Carib Theater Creation
McBurnie left the United States in 1945 at the height of his popularity in New York to become a dance instructor with the Department of Education of the Trinidad and Tobago government in 1945. In 1948 he founded the first permanent permanent dance company and theater in Trinidad. The first show was the pronounced Belgian breeze (pronounced Bay-lay) pre-1948 at the newly opened Little Carib Theater in Woodbrook, Port of Spain. Paul Robeson laid the foundation of the building during the Caribbean tour in 1948. Among the many highlights of his work from this period were Talking Drums ; Bele Carnival , in which j'ouvert ballet dances to a steel band; Sugar Ballet ; Caribbean Cruise ; and Parang . He is regarded as one of the ancestors of Parang music.
In the 1960s, the Little Carib Dance Company was recognized and celebrated overseas, performing at events such as the Caribbean Arts Festival in Puerto Rico in 1952, Jamaica Tercentenary Celebrations in 1955 and the opening of the Federal Parliament of Toronto in April 1958. In fact, the celebration in Canada in 1958 will affect the way Caribbean culture is understood in Canada. Her performance in Canada helped pave the way for Canada's Caribana festival in the 1960s. In 1965, the Little Carib building, no longer safe in Port-of-Spain, had to be closed and rebuilt in three years. But the permanent dance troupe has disbanded and McBurnie has instead focused his energies on teaching children.
Introduction and passing
In 1950 McBurnie was appointed director of dance at the Department of Education. British Council sent him to a dance tour in England and Europe. In 1959 he was appointed OBE, and in 1969 he presented the Hummingbird Gold Medal of Trinidad and Tobago. In 1976, the University of the West Indies conferred a Doctor of Law degree and in America in 1978 he was honored along with Katharine Dunham and Pearl Primus at the Twelve Theater Gala Alvin Ailey Theater. In 1989, McBurnie received Trinity Cross, the highest national award in Trinidad and Tobago later, for Art Promotion. He died on March 30, 2000.
References
External links
- Judy Raymond, "Beryl McBurnie: The First Lady of Dance", Caribbean Beat , Issue 20, July/August - 1996.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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