LIMBO QUEEN: SAVE
OUR DANCE FROM FOREIGN PIRATES
EDWARDS RECALLS
THE NIGHT SHE SET QUEEN'S HALL ON FIRE…LITERALLY
By Clevon Raphael
Independent
January 21, 2000
Page 19
Now, in the twilight of an illustrious folk dancing career, Julia
Edwards-Pelletier would like to see one dream come true before her final
curtain call - sponsorship of her dance troupe.
"Although
I have stopped dancing some years now, my one last burning desire is not to
have to depend on kind people such as government minister John Humphrey and his
wife Helen, to help us out when we are in need.
"I
would be a much happier person today if some good corporate entity can come
forward and sponsor the 15 dancers and drummers, so that we won't be under this
intense financial pressure every time we have to put on a performance at home
or abroad," Julia pleaded during an interview at her St James home last
Thursday morning.
That
definitely is not too much to ask from someone who has devoted her entire life
to the cultural development of her native land through the avenue of folk
dancing for more than 50 years.
Honoured
with numerous awards and other accolades at home and abroad, Julia is credited
with re-inventing the limbo and establishing it on the international dance
stage as one of the most important art forms coming out of the Caribbean.
And
that did not come from an admirer in Trinidad and Tobago.
It
has been documented in the latest edition of Travel and Leisure, an
international travel magazine.
A
regional publication, SHE, has named her as one of the women movers and
shakers of the 20th century.
Julia
was born in 1942 at 31 Observatory Street Belmont, the fourth of five children
to Muriel and Theo Edwards.
From
an early age she loved to dance and frequently went ballroom dancing at the
Princes Building, much against the wishes of her parents.
But
realising that she really wanted to dance more than anything else, they decided
to channel her in the right direction and linked her up with the Holder
brothers - Geoffrey and Boscoe.
"When
Boscoe left to go abroad, I was supposed to go with him. But I couldn't because I was then married
and had a family to look after," she recalled.
The
holder of a National Award - of course for dancing - Julia, who, even though
she is less than five feet tall, commanded a majestic hold on stages all around
the world, will be remembered as the pioneer of the flaming limbo.
Going
under the bar with fire on top of it.
How
did this idea come about?
She
explained:
"I
wanted to put some more excitement into the dance which was making it big on
the international stage. We wanted to
spice it up, and what better way than through fire."
"Fire
as you know is a very exciting thing."
With
a hearty laugh she recalled the first time it was performed - at the opening of
Queen's Hall in the 1960s:
"We
frightened the hell out of almost everybody because nobody was supposed to use
fire on the Queen's Hall stage, so you could imagine the shock that went
through the audience when they saw the bar being lit up."
"We
were chemists of sorts in that we had to have the right mix of kerosene with
the methylated spirits, failing which you know what disaster could have
occurred."
"And
what really scared the audience was that we also used fire crackers for the
ultimate effect. Of course fire
crackers were not that popular in those days."
So
revered is Julia's dance company, it has established a record for being the
longest performing group at a local hotel: since the opening of the Trinidad
Hilton in the 60s, her group has been performing on a weekly basis there.
Today
she oversees the training of its members and is very proud of their work,
especially of lead dancers Charmaine Grant, Vernon Hope and Bert Morrison. She is particularly happy with the support
she receives from her second husband, Roland - "my right hand man" -
and the Humphreys.
"Despite
her busy schedule, Helen (Humphrey) is always around to ensure that the
troupe's costumes are ready for their performances."
Does
she miss the stage?
"I
used to, but then I got married again and with Roland there at my side doing
costume and helping Helen in every way, I have learnt to live with it."
Has
she any concerns about the future of folk dancing in Trinidad and Tobago?
"Yes. It is sad, especially in relation to the
limbo, which is really a dying art. But
we are reviving it through competitions.
We cannot afford to let the limbo die because it is our only truly
national dance."
"This
country is well known for our limbo even though others have tried to steal it
from us like they want to do with the steelband."
"I
believe the reason why we are neglecting our culture so much is because of the wide
and all-embracing influence of the foreign culture which is sweeping the world
through the information super highway."
"A
small country like ours could be totally swamped by these foreign influences if
we do not take steps to preserve and propagate our culture right here at
home. People are still fascinated with the
fire and human limbo and we cannot leave it for others to run with it."
Is she
being given the recognition she deserves at home?
With
a bewildered expression she responded:
"I
don't know…government is not doing enough to develop our culture and this is true
of successive political administrations.
I know artistes abroad are appreciated by their people for their
respective contributions. At home here…me…I
don't know."
"Sometimes
that hurts a little, but then I overcome it when a few people, - like you - would
come and say 'Julia, come, resurrect, let me hear your story, let's know what
happening with you.' That makes me feel
good and appreciated."
As the
Independent team was leaving she reminded us: "Don't forget that we would
like to get a sponsor. That would make
me feel R-E-A-L good."