Dance is such a strong part of any culture and is a way to express ourselves, it is a fine art, an incredible skill, and a sport in its own right.
Whether it is African dance, ballet, jazz, tap, free form, modern dance, all genres can be found in Barbados.
Dance in Barbados is often a part of a child's early education. Many of the primary schools on the island have dance as part of the curriculum, or as a strongly suggested after school activity for the students.
You would be hard pressed to find a handful of girls on the island who have not had some sort of dance instruction in their childhood.
The dance schools that these students attend also put on shows throughout the year showcasing for parents, friends and the general public.
NIFCA, a local arts festival, is another very popular venue for the local dancers from all genres to display their talent, dance is also a big part of the Holder's festival, Holetown festival, Cropover, Jazz festival, Celtic festival and many others.
We have also started to see, sprouting up here and there, dance companies that are not geared towards teaching, but more towards professional performances.
The people involved in these companies have been trained overseas in dance and many of them have performed on various international stages.
These companies organize, choreograph, and perform shows for all sorts of functions, from business performing for guests in various hotels and apartments island wide.
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