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Darcelle Kirk dancer, keeper of Tobago’s traditions

DARCELLE KIRK is thrilled about Pembroke’s return to the Tobago Heritage Festival. But not for the reasons many would expect. The village, widely regarded as the island’s cultural capital, was among several communities that did not participate in last year’s festival. And while she applauds Pembroke’s decision to again host its signature presentation, Salaka Feast, Kirk, 40, is also eager to not just entertain but educate her audience about an artform that has been the bedrock of her life for as long as she could remember. On this occasion, though, Kirk is also excited about unlocking and showcasing the potential of the succeeding generation of cultural performers. “This year, I am very excited, not just for me but for the kids because they play a major role in the Salaka Feast,” she told WMN on July 2. “The fact that they did not get to perform last year, they were not angry but they were hurt in not being able to grace that stage. But seeing the turnout this year, they are really into the dances. So just seeing the turnout and the dances makes me even more excited.” A dancer with the Pembroke Folk and Cultural Performers, Kirk said the decision to not participate in last year’s festival triggered concern, sadness and disappointment among culture lovers and many of the village’s young performers. She said while the village’s absence from the event left a noticeable void, it gave her and others the opportunity to experience a few of the heritage presentations. “Over the years, we have not been able to visit other heritage presentations because we were practising hard for ours. So the fact that we had that little free time, we went into other communities. You would never believe that last year was the first time I visited Moriah’s heritage.” Kirk promised this year’s show, which takes place on July 23 at the Pembroke Heritage Park, will live up to its usual high standard. The Salaka Feast is one of the more eagerly anticipated productions of the heritage season. She described the largely spiritual production as a thanksgiving. “It brings the community to life. It is about giving thanks for the things that we have done over the years and what we have achieved. It’s a way of giving back to the community. It is about rituals, beliefs and bringing the children together.” Kirk, who is also a dance resident with the Tobago Performing Arts Company (TPAC), will play a more significant role in the Salaka Feast. Aside from dancing, she’ll also be choreographing about seven dances for the spiritual segment of the production. [caption id="attachment_1164786" align="alignnone" width="456"] Darcelle Kirk has been performing since the age of three. -[/caption] “Pembroke is very dance-oriented and the Salaka Feast, with its emphasis on spirituality, has the most dances than any other (heritage) production in Tobago.” She said the role will rely heavily on her expertise and experience as an accomplished dancer and keeper of the island’s traditions. Kirk has been involved in Tobago’s culture since the age of three. “Pembroke’s involvement in the heritage festival was very rooted within the community and children have always played a very significant part in the festival. Even at that time, in my heart, I knew I wanted to be a dancer.” Her family – comprising dancers, actors and musicians – have continued to make their mark on the island’s cultural landscape. Kirk’s father Cecil Jerry is also a well-known dancer and actor, often credited for keeping Pembroke’s heritage alive. “So I came from a tradition where my family was involved in culture. It came from blood. My own daughter, who is eight, is already a performer.” The Roxborough Secondary School alumnus, too, continues to fly the flag of Pembroke high both locally and internationally. The multi-talented performer has won many cultural competitions. She also holds several queen titles, including the Miss Heritage Personality, Miss Afro Queen and Miss TTEC. Kirk has travelled to destinations such as Switzerland, Germany, UK and many of the Caribbean islands, spreading Tobago’s vibrant heritage. But she said she has never been to Africa and Jamaica. She also has the distinction of being the first Tobagonian to travel with the UniverSoul Circus. Established in 1994 by African-American Cecil Walker, the UniverSoul Circus was created to showcase the talents of people of colour. The She said the opportunity to perform in the circus inspired her decision to establish a limbo dance company, Zante Unique Touch, in 2009, as a nurturing ground for the island’s young dancers. “I started to teach kids from three years up and at that time I was the only person teaching young children.” Today, the company has over 30 members, ranging from five to 30 years old. Kirk said, “Zante Unique Touch is proudly intergenerational. This age diversity ensures that the youth are trained in traditional movement from an early age, that teens and young adults serve as ambassadors and lead performers and that adults mentor younger members while engaging in advanced creative work.” The company, she said, has entered and won many major competitions over the years, including the Prime Minister’s Best Village Competition, the Tobago Folk Fiesta and others. It has received accolades for French-influenced dance, spiritual dance, African devotional dance, the limbo and folk medley. Kirk told WMN she has never been afraid to perform on a stage. “I have been performing all my life and back in my earlier days I was very showy. So every time I hit the stage, I am performing. Whether it’s a competition or otherwise, when I come on that stage and I smile, it draws people to come and watch the performance.” She recalled one occasion, though, when she experienced jitters. “In 2000, at the age of 16, I had entered the queen category of the Prime Minister’s Best Village competition as the only Tobagonian and got into the top six. People were like, ‘Darcelle, you representing Tobago.’ I had butterflies as the whole of Tobago was behind me.” Kirk said she did not win the overall competition but aced almost of all of the categories, including the costume segment. In that category, she depicted the mysterious tombstone of Betty Stiven in Plymouth. The inscription on the tombstone, which has baffled tourists and locals alike for generations, reads: “She was a mother without knowing it and a wife without letting her husband know it except by her kind indulgences to him.” Kirk recalled excitedly, “I had a tomb, a skeleton and smoke was coming out of the tomb. And I gave the whole history of how the lady died with the baby. I captured it. That took me straight up to the top six.” The performer said during the question segment of the competition, which took place at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, she was asked to give her interpretation of“Best Village.” The crowd, she recalled, gave a thunderous response to her answer. “I described it as an event that brings cultures and races together to dance, sing and express themselves. I said it helps us gain national unity in Trinidad and Tobago and the place went mad. That feeling in the Queen’s Park Savannah was great.” Certified in sewing, designing and make-up artistry, Kirk is also a competent actor. She performed in the TPAC’s production of the acclaimed Dr Lester Efebo Wilkinson play Bitter Cassava in April 2022, as well as its musical theatre production, Once On This Island in June 2023. “To be in the performing arts you have to do everything. To me, Tobago’s culture, dancers are not just dancers, we are all rounders.” Kirk said her role as a dance resident at the TPAC is multi-faceted and “rooted in cultural preservation, performance excellence and community engagement.” She said it includes creating original dance works rooted in Tobago’s traditional and contemporary movements for stage productions, exploring folk traditions like the Tobago reel, bele and limbo and translating them into performance pieces that reflect the island’s heritage. Kirk also conducts workshops and community programmes for emerging dancers and schools aimed at “nurturing a new generation of cultural ambassadors.” Asked how she sees dance within the broader framework of the island’s culture, she said, “It is both a cultural anchor and a living archive – a deeply rooted yet continually evolving form of expression that reflects the island’s history, identity, and spiritual life. It is a cornerstone of Tobagonian identity, serving as a medium through which people maintain and transmit their Afro-Caribbean heritage.” Traditional dances such as the jig, reel, bele and calinda, Kirk said, are not just entertainment but embedded in rituals, ceremonies, and festivals (like the Tobago Heritage Festival). “These dances preserve narratives of resistance, resilience, and celebration passed down through generations.” She said Tobago’s folk dances are influenced by “a vibrant blend” of African and European elements, which are expressed through movement, music, costume and storytelling. “After specialising in Tobago folk dance, you begin to appreciate not just the steps, but the identity, resistance, joy and creativity embodied in every movement. It’s more than dance – it’s living heritage.”   The post Darcelle Kirk dancer, keeper of Tobago’s traditions appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.