INSIDE
by La Shaun Prescott

Inside

DESCRIPTIVE/ HIGHLIGHT ABSTRACT

Go to this Sway

DESCRIPTIVE/ HIGHLIGHT ABSTRACT

This piece was produced after being invited to present for the Palm Heights "One Day on Earth" Online Festival hosted by the Cayman Islands on Saturday 16th May 2020.  During the Covid 19 global pandemic, lockdowns in Trinidad and Tobago like many places around the world caused many persons to be confined within their homes for an extensive period.  This may have caused severe psychological effects due to such stark changes in daily routines and withdrawal from regular social interactions.  Persons turned to the creative sector as a coping mechanism, streaming online events as a substitute for in-person socializing. Soca artiste Aaron "Voice" St. Louis through his composition "By Any Means" encouraged the public to do their part in keeping the numbers of Covid cases low by "feteing while inside" - the local parlance for partying.  The piece was filmed and edited by La Shaun Prescott using improvisation as a tool for creation.

CONTEXT

Creation: Arima, Trinidad and Tobago

Premiere: Online Festival streamed digitally on Palm Heights website (institution based in the Cayman Islands) https://www.palmheights.tv/

Commissioned by: Keshav Anand of Something Curated

Music: "By Any Means" by Voice

Choreographer: La Shaun Prescott

Videography & Edit: La Shaun Prescott

La Shaun Prescott is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Trinidad and Tobago and Artistic Director of the dance company Elle InfiniTT. She holds an M.Sc. in Economics from the University of the West Indies (UWI) as well as an MFA in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.  Her touring experience includes Europe, Canada, the USA and the Caribbean as lead dancer and choreographer with the world-renowned Soca King Machel Montano for 7 years, as well as 22 states in USA with international artiste Pitbull. La Shaun has also taught Soca Dance and Caribbean Contemporary workshops in South Africa, Australia, London, Atlanta, Guadeloupe and Martinique, and has been contracted as Head Choreographer and Coach for the dance and fitness program called SOKAFIT.

PROCESS

Inside was inspired by the frustration, anxiety and isolation expressed by the students of the University of Trinidad and Tobago after having to complete the second semester of the 2020/ 2021 academic year fully online as a result of the global Covid 19 pandemic.  The approach to creation was based on improvisation, allowing for movement intensity to build along as a means of illustrating emotions, ending with a sense of acceptance with the new normal and a desire to find means of restoring peace and happiness.