Syracuse University Professor to Host Caribbean Dance Workshops

Tuesday, October 28, 2014, By Sarah Scalese

Sydney Hutchinson, an assistant professor in the Department of Art and Music Histories in the College of Arts and Sciences, is teaming up with Wacheva Cultural Arts to host a pair of Caribbean dance workshops on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and Wednesday, Nov. 19. Both workshops, which are open to the public, will be held at One Village, 117 Harvard Place, from 7:30-9 p.m.

Sydney Hutchinson

Sydney Hutchinson

The Nov. 5 workshop will feature Candace Thompson, a professional dancer and fitness instructor based in New York City, who hails from Trinidad. She holds a B.F.A. from Adelphi University, where she received the Ruth St. Denis Award for Excellence. Thompson’s performing experience ranges from Afro-Caribbean to modern, jazz and West African. She currently performs and teaches with Elle NYTT Dance Company in New York and Trinidad. Thompson’s workshop will explore the Trinidadian soca, a popular carnival dance.

On Nov. 19, participants will learn the Jamaican dancehall, one of the hemisphere’s most popular dances, from Telese Forbes, who has been performing Caribbean dance in New England for more than a decade. Currently, she teaches Jamaican dance at Worcester State College in Springfield, Mass. Forbes also dances and creates choreographies for the Island Extravaganza dance troupe, EnMotion Dance Theater, and Caribbean American Dance Company. Forbes’ dance training runs from Jamaican traditional and contemporary forms to step, jazz and African.

“This is a fantastic one-time opportunity for students and the Syracuse community to learn from these talented guest artists,” says Hutchinson, who earlier this year coordinated the successful Cuban Dance Weekend, a series of workshops and lectures that explored Cuban dance, both social and sacred. “Thompson and Forbes are two renowned dance performers, artists and educators, and I am thrilled to welcome them to Syracuse.”

Pricing is as follows:

  • Students: $9 at the door, $7 in advance, or $12 for both workshops (if paid in advance)
  • General public: $18 at the door, $15 in advance, or $25 for both workshops (if paid in advance)

To pre-register and save your spot at the discounted price, or for more information, visit http://wacheva.com, call 315.396.0748, or email salsasydney@gmail.com.