INSiGHTZ: with Tayler Rae

Welcome to INSiGHTZ: An insight into YOUR dance journey. A new dance podcast series, that provides a platform to vocalise dance and a digital archive, advocating the dancer’s voice and vision.

Series 1 Jamaica: Dance, Culture and Identity

Ep 11 with Tyler Rae (BONUS)

Produced by Tamar | Unique Tay

Please note: This interview was produced in Jamaica 2019

2020 All rights reserved © INSiGHTZ: An insight into your dance journey 

Tyler Rae. Classical Indian dancer based in Jamaica

Photo cred: Aleksandyr Chin

This is a blog post and not a audio/podcast.

Enjoy!

Who is Tayler Rae?

My name is Tyler Rae. I was born and raised in Jamaica. I am of Indian, Scottish, and Black descent. I like to study Asian languages, play instruments, and I have been a classical Indian dance student for 10 years, and ballet student for a year. 

Tell us more about your mixed cultural heritage and dance.

My first exposure to dance was watching classical Indian movies like Mughal-E-Azam on Sunday with my grandparents. Indian movies are usually very musical, with elements of dance from all over India, and a main protagonist who would serenade everyone with their singing and dancing skills. By the time I knew it, I had memorised, as best as my six year old mind could, all the steps to my favourite dances. My aunt, who was also a classical Indian dancer, took notice and decided to teach me a lot about classical Indian dance, and got me involved in the Indian dance community at a young age. 

Dance is important to me because it’s something I’ve always taken pleasure in watching, and eventually having the strong urge and drive to do. I believe that the human body can portrait so many emotions and tell so many stories through simple movements, like the placement of a foot or a hand mudra. It creates a whirlwind of emotions and captivates you in such a way that is unparalleled in comparison to other art forms. 

Why is dance important in your life?

As Indian dance is a sacred and ancient dance form, I would love to be able to teach someday, and introduce the depth and history classical Indian dance has to offer to many more people from all over the world. 

For a few years, I had to stop dancing, and it devastated me. I was in a car accident that damaged my back, and I was moving from place to place a lot, so I never got time to practice much, or dance at all. My biggest achievement thus far has definitely been getting back into dance and dancing for the Indian dance society here in Jamaica. I’ve also been exposing myself to other dance forms such as Scottish country dance, jazz, Classical Chinese dance and ballet, which have all helped me mature and become a more seasoned and open minded dancer. 

Where does classical Indian dance stand in Jamaica? 

Dance in Jamaica is a constantly evolving art form, and is quite varied. It is an amalgamation of many different dance forms which have been passed down from former traditions, and influenced by current dance trends. When I tell people I dance, they often expect that it is a more modern style of dance or dancehall, which is an inherently Jamaican dance form inspired by reggae and dancehall music. However, when I tell them that I am a classical Indian dancer, it takes them by surprise, as classical Indian dance is a known, but a rare dance form here. Despite it being rare, it is well practiced in the Indian community, and is a dance form that requires a lot of discipline, respect, practice, expression and knowledge of the thousands of years old tradition it upholds.  

What about all of the other folklore dance styles in Jamaica? Along with the influences from various cultures.

Dance in Jamaica has existed as long as Jamaica has existed. The indigenous people had their own dance, which was performed for various celebrations and rituals to the gods. The Spaniards and English also left an imprint on Jamaica’s dance culture, for example the maypole dance is a dance that dates back to medieval times in Europe, and was adopted by Jamaican dancers, as it is still practiced today. Slaves from Africa also brought their dances, of which inspired the creation of brukins and mento, which would then go on to create reggae and dancehall. 

Jamaicans love to dance, and that is evident in the everyday lives of many Jamaicans. Almost every school in Jamaica has dance troupes, who perform at school events, and compete against other schools in national competitions like JCDC, which is a Jamaican culture competition featuring dancers, singers, poets, actors and actresses of all ages. Jamaican dance companies like NDTC also put on dance recitals, which features the members of the company who perform modern, contemporary, jazz and other dance forms popular here in Jamaica. 

Where were you 5 years ago and where do you see yourself in 5 years time? 

There is never an “end” or a finale when it comes to dance; there is always learning and improvement that can be done, and that is the mindset I take on whenever I dance. “How can I portrait this story of Shiva better” , or “I need to get my leg higher and improve my turn out”, very small details that always need adjusting, and the thirst to make it even more perfect the next time is what allows dancers to evolve. Five years ago, I was at home studying for exams and wishing I could dance again. I just performed five dances in a show held by the Indian dance community and my dance teacher every year, and I also took up ballet earlier in the year, and I’m already in pointe shoes. In the next five years, I want to be doing quadruple pirouettes en pointe, and going to India to learn even more about khatak and bharatanatyam. 

Any last words of advice for aspiring dancers our there?

My advice to anyone who wants to dance, and to my fellow dancers here in Jamaica; don’t ever give up. No matter how old you are, or what had happened, keep at it, keep and open mind, try every dance form you can. No matter how hard those turns are, how intricate the technique is, how much more flexible everyone is compared to you, or how painful those pointe shoes are at first, remember that the pain you feel today will be your strength tomorrow, and that the most amazing feeling is to dance like there is no tomorrow. 

Thank you Taylor 

Learn more about INSiGHTZ at www.uniquetay.com

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