Garrison Youths: Dancing their challenges away

Ricardo Campbell, Youth Focus Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:Beyond being the 2012 Dancin' Dynamites winners, members of creative group Garrison Youths from Montego Bay, St James, are not resting. They are balancing making inroads in dancing with college.

"We are more than a just a dance group. Education is important to us as well, so we are known in Jamaica for our dancing skills, but many may not know that we take our education just as seriously," said Anthony Gordon, who is popularly known as 'Tony Garrison'.

The dance group consists of five members - Tavaris Atherley (Tav Garrison), Donald Munroe (Don Garrison), Sean Haughton (Sean Garrison), Sedain Hutchinson (Sicka Garrison), and Gordon.

Haughton and Gordon currently attend the University of the West Indies, Western Jamaica Campus, Montego Bay, while Atherley and Munroe are enrolled at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Hutchinson will start his college life shortly.

CHALLENGING

"Naturally, it is very challenging for us to do rehearsals, but we are committed to it as a unit while not comprising our school obligations. Of course, finally winning the coveted Dancin' Dynamites this year made all the struggles worth it," Gordon added.

The group has been dancing as a unit for the past seven years. It has entered many competitions such as the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Festival, where it has won the dance skit for two consecutive years; KFC On The Verge; and The Tastee Talent Trail. They were also a part of the Jamaica 50 campaign on the CVM road tour this year.

"When it comes to competition, we implement a simple little plan called ADR - Assess, Devise, then Rise above it - and that is how we have been able to maintain the reputation of being one of the best dance groups in Jamaica. We love music; we love dancing to it, but most importantly, we love being able to entertain persons when we get onstage. It is all for the fans ... . Dancing is the expression of who we are," he said.

They all grew up in inner-city communities. Gordon revealed that they have taken on the stereotypical behaviour that is synonymous with the ghetto and "our progress is a demonstration that not everything in the ghetto is bad".