Contributed
Marlon Simms in Keith Fagan's 'Intransit'.

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Through discipline and hard work, Marlon Simms has become one of the best dancers at the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC).

Simms says when he was growing up, his parents and grandmother were strict, so this instilled discipline in him.

"My parents believed in being ambitious and they believed in my dreams. They were very strict and that helped me to stay focused. My parents wanted me to achieve my full potential," Simms told The Sunday Gleaner.

He said his grandmother was just as strict as his parents and ensured that he completed all his chores before he went to school and on his return. As a result, he says, he learnt proper time management, as he also found time for his assignments and socialising.

Simms says he got some of his creativity from his mother, a dressmaker, and his father, who is still a photographer. However, his love for dancing developed when he attended St Jago High School in St Catherine.

Did bad at audition

"It started at St Jago. They had an audition (for dance club) and I went. They put on Tiger's When. I was terrible, but they took me because they wanted boys for the club," he said.

He said his love for dance grew when the school entered Jamaica Cultural Development Commission's (JCDC) Dance Festival. He said he loved the competitive spirit that he developed by being part of the group.

"I won best solo performance at the national level and that was life-changing 'cause I got the opportunity to go to summer school at Edna Manley College (EMC)," he said.

It was at that summer school that he met accomplished dancers such as Sheila Barnett and Barry Moncrieffe. After that summer, in 1995 Simms attended the University of the West Indies (UWI), where he was enrolled as an English student. He also became a member of the University Dance Society.

He completed his first degree at UWI in 1998, but remained a part of the dance society. He also became a teacher at Merl Grove High School, where he helped regenerate and reorganise the school's dance club. In the same year, he was invited by Arline Richards to go to a trainee class at NDTC.

"I think dancing at NDTC has opened a lot of doors for me. Through them, I have had a lot of interesting experiences. I like working with the professor (Rex Nettleford). His name is synonymous with culture as Louise Bennett-Coverley," Simms said.

Toured with NDTC

He has toured with NDTC to St Kitts, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands, Panama, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Simms has been part of productions such as Millennial Beings, Homeland, Memories, Many Ways of Love and The Crossing. He co-choreographed (with Christopher Walker) the National Pantomime Zuzu Macca for the Little Theatre Movement (LTM). He is also known for his performance of Leni Williams' Sweet In The Morning, which is from a LabAnnotated score.

Simms also has a diploma in education from the University of Technology, a Master of Fine Arts degree at Southern Methodist University in Texas and a certificate in intermediate LAnnotation from the Dance Notation Bureau in New York.

Though he has the challenging role of being a dance captain at NDTC, Simms is still a teacher at EMC School of Dance. He teaches English, world literature, performance research, dance composition, dance history, dance criticism, movement theory and modern dance.

Giving back through dance

"I really wanted to teach at Edna Manley. I have got so much that I needed to give back. So what better way to give back but through education and dance? Once you are a thinking artist, the work that you create is fuller, richer and more informed," Simms told The Sunday Gleaner.

He says: "Apart from being committed to the college, I am committed to NDTC. I am always challenged by the fact that I never have enough time and there is only one of me. I think giving makes me the happiest."

Simms says his education is not finished, as he plans to do a PhD in performance theory or cultural studies. He says he feels compelled to do the degree in Jamaica because he has obligations to NDTC and EMC.