CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Reequal Smith, the woman behind P.E.I.’s only Black-owned dance company, Oshun Dance Studios, is adding some festive funk to Charlottetown's holiday lineup.
Calypso Secrets, a show choreographed by Smith who also performs in it, fuses modern, jazz, African and funk dance styles with AfroCaribbean, Latin, funk, reggae and jazz music. It is the young woman's first professional dance showcase.
Smith debuted the show at Rochford Square in Charlottetown in September as part of the Island Fringe Festival. The performance took place near where Charlottetown's early Black community settled, then known as the Bog.
Smith said she was thrilled with the September show but due to public health restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic, the audience was capped at 50 people.
So, the Bahamian-born artist went looking for ways to get the show out to a bigger audience.
In November, the performance at the Bog debuted on YouTube (search Calypso Secrets or Reequal Smith to view it). Now it’s coming to a live audience at The Guild on Dec. 5 and 12. Both shows begin at 9 p.m.
“I wanted (the performance) to be available for those who couldn’t be there," Smith said, referring to her parents who live in Nassau, Bahamas, as well as the parents of her fellow dancers in the piece, Asia MacMillan and Dawn Ward. “I wanted to be able to make a video to have as a keepsake so I could see my work. I worked really hard on it. It was my first showcase."
Alanna Jankov, CEO of The Guild, says she reached out to Smith after seeing Calypso Secrets at the Island Fringe Festival.
“We were looking for some diversity," Jankov said, referring to the calendar of shows at The Guild in December. “Reequal really is a bundle of amazing energy."
On top of the two shows at The Guild, Smith wants to take the show on the road, once health restrictions allow for it. Her goal is to take it on an Islandwide tour sometime soon.
“This whole show has to be seen again. I want to spread awareness of my company; of my dancers in Charlottetown."
Smith named her company after the goddess in the Yoruba religion that is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love and sensuality. But, even though the Oshun Dance Studios is P.E.I.’s only Black-owned dance company, Smith says there is no colour when it comes to dancing. She and her brother picked the name as a tribute to the beauty, sexuality and strength of women.
“I look at it as all women are goddesses, no matter what their shape; what their colour is. I wanted to be able to reciprocate that through my work; using a Caribbean flavour."
Smith’s mother enrolled her in dancing lessons when she was four years old. It eventually started to grow on her. Soon she was listening to music and working on routines.
“Being in my dance school back home, Bahamas Dance Theatre, I had some awesome instructors who really pushed me to be the best that I could be. The challenge was there for me but my mother was always my backbone, telling me dancing was for me."
Just the facts
Following is information about the show Calypso Secrets:
- Created and performed by Reequal Smith, Dawn Ward, Asia MacMillan and Jessica Burrett with live music from singer Keirrah Titus, drummer Chavez Edgecombe and DJ Jane Blaze.
- The choreography fuses modern, jazz, African and fun dance styles with live and recorded AfroCaribbean, Latin, fun, reggae and jazz music.
- Was originally co-produced by the Black Cultural Society, River Clyde Pageant and Grace Kimpinski with help from City of Charlottetown’s micro-grant program, Women’s Network P.E.I. and Transform Events.
- Smith also earned $2,000 through the provincial arts grants program, which was announced Tuesday.
Smith moved to P.E.I. in August 2017 and enrolled in Holland College’s dance performance program, graduating last year. With the exception of the weather, she fell in love with P.E.I. and decided to stay.
“It feels like home here, being a small island. I met people and built relationships ... so I decided to stay here and pursue my career and see where it would carry me. I didn’t really know what to expect but I knew that I wanted to dance. I know I felt like I was continuing that path and what I was supposed to do."
Smith said dancing gives her the ability to express herself and be creative.
She enjoys performing for people and making them smile with various types of dances and music.
“It’s a deep feeling from within. It makes me feel like I’m somewhere else. I want the audience to feel what I’m feeling. I want my energy to bounce off me into them."
Dave Stewart is the culture reporter for The Guardian.
