New Revelations Dance Theatre – a cultural innovation

By Natasha Waldron Anthony 

Dance is her passion! And beyond that, Guyanese-born Sandra Primus is more than grateful for the training shereceived in Guyana during her time at the National Dance Company, since, she says, it is the foundation of her sustenance here in the U.S.

Primus founded the New Revelations Dance Theater in Brooklyn, New York five years ago. There she teaches dance in various forms, fused with modern, jazz, Indian, African and ballet. She told Guyana Times International that when she migrated to the United States ten years ago, she was resolute in starting a dance school similar to the one she started in Guyana – V&S Dance Theatre.

She said there were challenges to realize the dream initially, but contends that “things don’t happen overnight. It takes a little while, and as you persevere and you’re determined for what you want, that is how success comes.” She succeeded with the establishment of her school, which moulds the lives of some 40 dancers.

Primus, who received training from a Cuban delegation in Guyana, and has extensively travelled the world during her early dance career, is also a professional dance teacher at three schools in Brooklyn. She said that teaching in the public schools in the U.S. made her realize how much talent is out there. She said that she sees people in the classroom who are excellent, and added that she sees talented kids whom she teaches every day, but parents can’t afford to pay for their classes, which is equivalent to college tuition. She claims that this is what drove her to open up her school. Further, opening a school such as she has was her desire from the beginning. She introduced affordable classes to appeal to the parents who were financially challenged but wanted to give their daughters the chance to master the craft of dancing.

Primus does not only nurture the dancer in each child, but also focuses on their spiritual and physical wellbeing: “I felt if I get them in an atmosphere where they can think, it’s not just dance alone. I explain to them that dance is math, so you always have to calculate stuff. I also do “Praise and Worship” and also the “Word of God”…So it is something to keep them out of trouble and to keep those interested focused.”

The dance theatre targets youths between the ages of four and 18, and those who are not only Guyanese but hail from the wider Caribbean. Her girls are getting ready for an intermediate competition in New Jersey this summer. This follows extensive training in the areas of stage preparedness, the dance techniques, and in body conditioning. The school also performs at various cultural events, including the ever-popular Guyana Folk Festival. Primus says she is Guyanese and she wants to ensure that what she does is received properly at home and around the Caribbean. She wants people to see that someone in the U.S. is keeping the torch going and Guyanese culture alive.

Meanwhile, as part of this month’s Black History celebrations, New Revelations Dance Theater will host a mini-show on February 19 as part of its effort to highlight the contributions of Afro-Caribbean-Americans to this society. The event will also be used to attract new applicants to the school, Primus said.

In the meantime, as an ex-member of the Guyana National Dance Company, Primus and other veterans in the profession who now reside in the U.S. are finding ways to give back to the roots of their foundation, the National Dance Company. “We are here for them. At any point in time they know they can reach out to us. We are here to help them with anything,” Primus said, adding that the ex-dance company members have already bought materials for costumes, and other teaching material such as DVDs, which will be given to the company in Guyana.