By Teino Evans, Staff Reporter 
The L'Acadco Dance Company performing at a Prime Minister's award function, recently. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
"WHEN YOU close your eyes and open them you are a big girl," L'Antoinette Stines said, as she gazed off, reflecting on the more than 20 years since she had formed the L'Acadco Dance Company.
This year, L'Acadco, a United Caribbean Dance Force, will celebrate its 21st anniversary, under the theme 'Building Bridges Through the Art', in a season that will run from November 27 - December 19.
Electrifying audiences around the world with their performances over the past 21 years, L'Acadco's technique remains fresh and exudes unparalleled creative energy from a spiritual space and now, with their revolutionary fusion of rich Caribbean folklore with contemporary themes in a distinctive language called 'L'Antech', created by company founder and artistic director L'Antoinette Stines, the company continues to distinguish themselves from the rest.
In 1978 Stines, who was then a dancer and choreographer, founded Miami's first, primarily black dance company, L'Acadco, and upon her return to Jamaica in 1982 she continued to grow with her company. Together, they have evolved into advocates of Jamaican culture and its sustained development.
INTERNATIONAL MARKET
L'Acadco has been promoting Jamaican dance on the international market, as they have represented Jamaica in countries such as Mexico, Spain, France, Holland, England, Cuba, Trinidad and Ghana.
Currently the L'Acadco Dance Company consists of 26 members, including four contemporary trained male dancers of whom Stines is particularly proud.
"I feel proud of the strength of the male dancers," she said, as men have usually stayed away from dance because of the negative connotations that society has placed on them.
According to Stines, not only has she witnessed the growth of the dance company, but also dancers have matured in their thinking.
"Not only has L'Acadco changed, but the mind of dancers have also changed in this country. People use to think that dancing was just a hobby, but they are now thinking of it as a profession," she said.
Now, Stines says the Company has to grow with the dancers and so they have adjusted some aspects in the way in which they operate.
"We are the only Dance Company that pays our dancers per performance and we try to deal with our shows like professionals, for example, the booking of performances," she said.
FINDING A HOME
In addition, Stines says they are in the process of building a dance studio and finding a home for L'Acadco. However, they are in need of sponsorship if they are to complete the studio.
For now, however, Stines says her main focus is on the company's 21st anniversary celebrations, as she says "we make a distinctly different statement from every other dance company each year".
This year, the company's anniversary season will be based on strategic performances in North America, Europe and the Caribbean and, according to Stines, one of the exciting things about this season is the variety of musical pieces that they have managed to incorporate into their production and additionally, the guest choreographers who have added their own touch and flavour to the final product.
Stines, along with four other choreographers, have done the final production that the Company will showcase this season. The others are Yanique Hume-Cisnerno (choreographer of 'Papa Gede') in the dance to Haiti section, Toki (Cuban choreographer of the 'Adajio' piece), Tippa (choreographer for 'Passa Passa' in 'Killing Me softly', which is a dancehall piece) and Shelly-Ann Maxwell.
In addition, there will be some very interesting pieces that will feature a variety of musical selections. For example, 'Sata' will feature Third World music, 'To Haiti' will be using the Boukman Ekspereyans and 'Killing Me Softly' will feature music from the likes of Dianna King, Elephant Man and Roberta Flack.
L'Acadco will open their 21st anniversary season at the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, St. James, on November 27 28, continuing in Kingston at the Ward Theatre on December 11 12, before closing on December 19.
