The school continues to strive for a high standard and can boast of having "given birth" to many world-class dancers who have performed or are still performing in all corners of the globe. Past students have performed in Trinidad and Tobago, the wider Caribbean, North and South America and Europe with distinction. Many have achieved soloist status in their respective dance companies. These include Roger Shim – Royal Winnipeg Ballet (Canada) and later the Geneva Ballet (Switzerland); Rachel Ganteaume – Joffrey Ballet (New York); Paul Dennis – The Limón Dance Company (New York); Celisse Johnson – Brooklyn Dance Company (New York); Natalie Rogers – The Garth Fagan Dance Company (New York); Peter London – The Martha Graham Company (New York); Solange Sandy – The Alvin Ailey Dance Company (New York), Nadine Mose – Ballet Hispanico and Elisa Monte Dance Company (New York), Ronald Taylor - Dance Theater of Harlem (New York), Terry Springer – Coreoarte (Venezuela). Many of these graduates return to conduct master classes for current students.
In addition, Caribbean School has spawned several prominent dance teachers and choreographers on the local and international scene. These include Carol Yip Choy, Roxanne Fung, Jeffrey Carter, David Byer, Cathy-Ann Gibbon, Penelope Kalloo, Christel de Souza, Noble Douglas, Michelle Mose, Claudia Applewhaite, Esther Villaroel, Ann Paula Bovell-Bibby, Nancy Herrera, Sonja Dumas and Heather Henderson-Gordon. In all, some fifty-nine students who had their first formal training at the Caribbean School of Dancing have gone professional in their dance careers.
The Caribbean School has always held the dual philosophy of training students at the highest levels of ballet and of exposing the students to the wider world of the arts in Trinidad and Tobago. As a result, collaborations between artists have been an ongoing exercise for a number of years. In the early days, there was a close association with Carlisle Chang, The Light Operatic Society, The Trinidad Dramatic Club and Dimanche Gras under the direction of Errol Hill. Additionally, the school has worked with 1992 Nobel Laureate for Literature Derek Walcott, as well as with artist Henri Telfer, leading choreographers Astor Johnson and Noble Douglas, Caribbean music legend André Tanker, master Carnival designer Peter Minshall, impresario Aubrey Adams, composer Roger Israel and designers John Christopher, Margaret Sheppard and Robert Las Heras. Students from the Caribbean School of Dancing are also featured in performances under the direction of Pat Bishop with the Lydian Singers.
The school continues to encourage students to perform for their academic schools, places of worship and other groups to which they belong, in order to broaden their performance skills and to continue to bring dance to the wider community. In 1994, the school dance company was revived with the name Metamorphosis. In 1995, the newly revived company gave its first full-length performance at Queen’s Hall.
The school offers classes in Ballet (Royal Academy of Dancing syllabus), Modern, Tap and Jazz (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance syllabus), and Graham technique, and continues to collaborate with a diverse group of artists for workshops and special projects.
In 2006, the school began it celebrations of its 50th anniversary year with a school show in November. In 2007 Metamorphosis celebrated the school with its 2007 season called Tribute in July, and a joyous gala event with visiting alumni from all over the world was held at the historic Little Carib Theatre in December 2007. Click here for the landmark Tribute brochure.
Contact information:
Address: 2A Dere Street
Port of Spain
Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
The Caribbean
Phone/Fax: 868-625-3225
E-mail: csd@metamorphosisdance.com
