Peta Gaye Clachar/Staff Photgrapher
Members of Shady Squad perfom at The Gleaner-sponsored Youth View Awards at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston in March.

Latoya Campbell, Outlook Youth Writer

"Creativity and knowledge are more likely what will get you through in life. With those you'll have the edge," says 30-year-old Matthew Richards.

The entertainment industry has become one of the many options that young people find themselves considering as a career. Often, they neglect finishing their education as they feel that their career is all they need. Many are of the impression that a tertiary education is a waste of time, as it is virtually impossible to find a well-paying job after obtaining the degree. Matthew and Conray Richards, and Chad Torrington and Jemoy Fyffe have established themselves as professional dancers but thought it necessary to finish their tertiary education.

HIGH IN DEMAND

For Chad Torrington, dancing came naturally and, as a result of the positive feedback, he has made his career one of his contributions to the Jamaican society. The 20-year-old marketing major at the School of Business Administration, University of Technology, found further motivation when Bogle named him 'Sponge Bob'.

His mother, Joy Swaby, influenced him to continue his education while pursuing his career. "She always encouraged me to strive for excellence and instilled in me that education is the key. She supported my career as long as I could balance it with my education," he said reflectively.

In Jemoy Fyffe's opinion, entertaining others and making a positive contribution to the Jamaican society by developing dancehall music and culture has been his motivation to launch his career. The 22-year-old student representative knows that though his career is important, unless he has met his academic deadlines, he gains no satisfaction.

Born out of a background in dancing at church and on the streets, Matthew and Conray Richards, from the group 'Shady Squad', launched their career by entering numerous competitions. Like Chad and Jemoy, they became popular when people saw the quality of their performance.

The team's first major competition was Bogle's 'Jiggy time Dancers Performance' which was, at that time, the biggest such competition locally. "The trophy's still at home!" Conray beamed. Second was the Dancing Dynamite Competition, which took their career to a higher level.

Matthew, who is currently completing a degree in valuation survey at the University of Technology, believes that it takes trial and error to find an effective way of meeting deadlines, but it all boils down to proper organisation and time management. They both credited their parents, Annette and David Richards, for their support and keeping them well grounded.

DANCERS WITH A FUTURE

It is a given that there is a stigma attached to dancers. The dynamic team pointed out that their aim is to break down that stigma. "We have our own language and our standards are high. We all put God first." This was emphasised when they led with Carlene Davis' video entitled 'Ambassadors for Christ'.

"We're setting our own trend. No other dancers before us have done what we are doing," was the agreement. "Our image, education and conduct are all in an effort to set that trend. We're dancers and motivators."

Others have started to follow suit by enrolling in evening classes - they, too, realise that education is the key to the future.

NEED FOR PROVISION OF MORE JOBS

There is a general perception that there aren't enough resources or entrepreneurs, which helps to drive the scarcity of jobs. The young dancers/students have advice:

"If you educate yourself properly you'll be able to launch your own career and be self-employed."

- Matthew Richards

"From a marketing perspective; in order to meet deadlines you have to analyse it in terms of opportunity cost. It's about choosing the best alternative at the appointed time. If you do both, you have to know that something will be sacrificed ... most times it's sleep."

- Chad Torrington

Sources: www.myspace.com/shadysquadwww.myspace.com/dancaglobalbob

Let's go window shopping

Demar Tracey, Outlook Youth Writer

Ever thought that window-shopping can be made more interesting and exciting?

Scenario: The weather is good and you just happen to have some time on your hands, it's the perfect day to go window-shopping. So you ...

SHOULD ...