From the emcee's announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen… It's show time. Da Island Club presents Fred Munnings Jr and Infusion," it's like switching on the high voltage power. And just how much power can you take in an hour?
Infusion is the 'new kid on the block'. An impedance-free energy conductor that smoothly and swiftly transports megawatts of electricity… connecting the performer with the audience in a hilarious but spellbinding way.
And when the show is over, you're left asking for more….wondering where's the rest. That's the kind of energy that's distributed two nights a week at Da island Club. And in just two short weeks the word is out… Bahamians and visitors are swelling the snug entertainment corner at Nassau Beach hotel getting connected to the all native revue featuring Fred Munnings Jr and three sizzling dancers, Infusion. Or it could just as well been called 'Conductors' or 'Conduits.'
Infusion, a group of talented dancers, are a newly established dance troupe, founded last May by Jeanette George, choreographer and dancer. They have already placed a stamp on the entertainment scene, and observers are regarding them as the catalyst for the re-emergence of stage dancing in The Bahamas. Other core members of the troupe are Garnelle Nixon and Racquel Stuart, but there are alternate dancers.
Miss George tells Weekender: "Infusion describes who we are individually and as a group. We're a mixture of talent, of cultures, who don't want to limit ourselves to one format. It's a whole combination of things. We don't do this because we want to or have to. We do it because we love to do it. We express ourselves whether it's Goombay Style Dancing, Junkanoo Dancing, Fire Dancing, Acting style dancing. We try not to have one form of dancing."
And coming from thier facial expression on stage is a high level of exuberance that they strive to deliver at each show.
"I hope to take Infusion on an amazing expedition. I see the need for cultural style dancing on stage here in The Bahamas. Back in the day Bahamian artists went on stage with two or three dancers on the side of them. You don't see that ….it's something that should be brought back into our Bahamian culture.
I want to do it. We're small now, six dancers. Five years from now we hope to have 30-60 dancers….international.
"Our style of dancing …. I would say a lot of the steps we do we try to take it back to the Conch Style but we include other stuff that makes us Infusion, a mixture of culture. We dance to strictly Bahamian music. But if we're doing a fashion show and someone needs a hip hop number…. we're able to provide it. We also do liturgical dancing in church. We're not limited."
Miss George started dancing – ballet – at D. W. Davis Secondary School under Ms Cartwright who also recoginesed her dance talent and encouraged her to audition for the National Dance Company. "I pursued it and I love it," she says.
"I later got into dancing in 1994, having been introduced to the Saxon Superstars choreographer Henry Higgins who recognised that I had some talent. He launched a dance company called Cultural Explosion which performed on stage with several Bahamian artists. It was an opportunity for me to become involved in something I wanted to do.
The financial controller at Bapak, she was previously a loan administrator at the Bank of Bahamas, Harrold Road Branch. She graduated last year from Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, Florida, with an accounting degree and is currently taking review classes for the CPA examination.
Miss George hopes to establish Infusion Dance School as soon a permanent home is found. "There's a lot of talent out there that needs to come to life. We're inviting youngsters between the ages of 19-24 to come in and perfect their talent."
At home two nights a week at Da Island Club, Infusion has a gig Friday nights at Goombay Festival at Prince George Wharf where it does three numbers of an African theme.
"At the Island Club there are only three dancers that perform every Tuesdays and Thursdays. We try to rotate our dancers as much we can. I believe that a dancer should only go on stage if he or she is ready. We bring out the best each time, but It's a working process.
"We're negotiating something with another hotel. We're definitely interested in performing elsewhere. If we could perform seven days a week that would be great, but the demand for dancers in The Bahamas is quite low," she discloses.
But with the reception and feedback during its short existence, we're looking for a reversal in fortune for stage dancing in The Bahamas.
By: NORMAN ROLLE, Weekender Editor, The Nassau Guardian
