Dance in Bermuda has evolved as an art form since the first instructors came to the island in the 1700s. Well-known Bermudian dancer and choreographer Conchita Ming spent ten years researching its development to produce a comprehensive history in her new book Dance Bermuda.
“It was a mammoth task,” she said, adding that she collected information from newspapers and from interviews with directors of local dance schools, dance teachers and dance associations. “I was amazed at the richness of Bermuda’s dance history. Bermudians have always loved to dance!”
Award-winning Ming taught at the Jackson School of Performing Arts for more than 25 years and was co-founder of the Bermuda Dance Theatre/National Dance Theatre of Bermuda, for which she danced and choreographed. She started this particular project to educate young people about dancers and found they knew very little beyond their own circle.
The 176-page book traces the development of dance and performing arts in Bermuda, starting in the colonial era and continuing through today using interviews, photographs, advertisements and art.
Dance Bermuda, supported by the Bank of Bermuda Foundation, the Cultural Legacy Fund Award, the Bermuda Arts Council and the Bermuda Civic Ballet, is available in bookstores and retails for $45.
