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MyStory: Giving through Dance
by Carolyn Woodall
Meet Tamla Matthews, poetry in motion as she pours her enormous passion into her chosen medium of communication. A modern Caribbean and African dance performance artist, Tamla Matthews uses dance to express her connection to her heritage and to invite others to understand and celebrate that heritage as well.
"All my work is about identity," says Tamla Matthews, "as first generation Canadians we're in a very interesting place. Dance is a way of reconciling my Canadian identity with my Caribbean roots."
"I'm political by nature and dance became a way for me to let my community know that what we have in terms of our dance, in terms of our culture is just as beautiful and viable as other forms such as jazz or tap," says Matthews. "I felt people didn't really see our dance as art."
For Matthews African-Caribbean dance transcended art. As a child dance was about social and cultural interaction. It was a way for Caribbean families to interact with each other in a society that was dissimilar from their Caribbean heritage.
Tamla Matthews has worked tirelessly to uplift African-Caribbean dance to new heights, and to engender acceptance for the dance form both within and without the Black community. Matthews tries to dispel myths by experimenting with different music and dance forms, carving out a space for modern African-Caribbean dance as an art form. "A big part of my work has been to dispel myths. There's only so much back-in-the-day dances you can do. Even the people back home have moved on."
To achieve her goals to explore new dance forms Matthews co-founded the Caribbean Dance Theatre (CDT) a group that owes much of its success to thinking "outside of the box" in terms of dance. Matthews artistically directs and choreographs many of the routines performed by the group. In addition she is also the Artistic and Cultural Director of the Scarborough Caribbean Youth Dance Ensemble (SCYDE), the group in which she made own dance debut nearly 16 years ago.
Through dance Matthews also creates a tool to provide outreach to youth. "It's an amazing opportunity to talk to adolescents," says Matthews. "Dance is hot right now. Very hot. All these movies coming out, music videos. Everyone wants to dance. So I use it as a point of reference. It's an easy way to make people feel good about themselves."
Through her full-time job with the Children's Aid Society and requests from various schools and organizations, Matthews speaks with youth and imparts life skills while teaching them dance routines. "It provides a focus and a sense of accomplishment. And the smiles on their faces when they complete the routine - that's their accomplishment."
Her teachings also have the benefit of providing extra curricular activities for Blacks and other youth, many of whom are considered "at risk."
Her advice to youth interested in participating in cultural activities? "Don't be afraid to do what you want to do. Blaze your own trail."
For bookings and enquiries, please contact Tamla Matthews at dance@upfromtheroots.com.
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