‘Romeo and Juliet’ dance performance impresses the public |15 January 2024

Mr Dynott

At the end of a one-week dance training workshop by renowned British dancer, Shevelle Dynott, the forty students involved delivered an impressive dance performance of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

The forty-minute performance at the National Theatre, Mont Fleuri, last Saturday, was heavily applauded by the audience.

The students came from the School of Dance on Mahé and La Digue and popular local dance group, the Emergency Crew and the workshop was an initiative of the National Arts and Crafts Council (NACC) in collaboration with the British high commission in Seychelles.

At the end of the show, Seychelles NATION caught up with choreographer Shevelle Dynott, who is on his third visit to Seychelles. He was elated and proud. “The kids were absolutely amazing, they worked so hard and I believe with their hard work and their work ethic, they produced something that hopefully they will remember for the rest of their lives. They did do well and I am a very happy facilitator in Mahé.”

“This is my third visit to Seychelles and I will keep on visiting this country as long as they want me here. This is an amazing thing I love to do and to work with these young children it is a blessing,” added Mr Dynott.

The British High Commissioner, Jeffrey Frank Glekin, congratulated the participants for their amazing performance and the choreographer also for his amazing work. “One of the best ways to connect our two countries is through something creative, through the integration and sharing of each other’s culture. That’s what really forms the bonds between people. I want to congratulate Shevelle for blending the British culture to the Seychellois culture. This collaboration started under my predecessor and we aim to work together on programmes that facilitate the exchange of cultural values.”

Jimmy Savy, chief executive of NACC, noted that this collaboration started three years ago when Patrick Murhead introduced them to the choreographer. During his first trip to Seychelles in 2022, the choreographer worked with a small group of dance students on La Digue. In January 2023, his classical dance contribution ended up with the performance of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at the National Theatre by some 40 students.

“Now the group is bigger and we hope that the collaboration will continue as Shevelle also knows our Seychellois culture and he is very at ease with the students. We hope to get the support of the British high commission for future endeavours like this.”

The workshop, held at the School of Performing Arts in Mont Fleuri, aimed to refine the students' skills in classical dance. The primary objective was to guide the students in incorporating emotions into their dance, focusing on the world-renowned love story of Romeo and Juliet. This iconic story by Shakespeare, filled with themes of love, hate, and friendship, required the dancers to skillfully express these emotions through their movements.

Indeed, the students nailed it and did a wonderful job; they are now looking forward to the next session.

Vidya Gappy

Photos: Joena Meme