Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer

It is a bit past noon on a Saturday and while many of those whom The Sunday Gleaner passes in Vineyard Town are squinting against a hammering sun, at L'ACADCO's rehearsal facility any lidded eyes are due to concentration or rest.

It is cool in the open-sided dance area, the sunlight hitting the upper rows of one bank of wooden seating outside the stage area. Still, a few of the dancers are sweating lightly as they rehearse, many others waiting their turn, and L'ACADCO's artistic director L'Antoinette Stines' eyes are piercing.

So is her voice, as she tells the dancers who are rehearsing to be quiet, as things don't go exactly as they should. "If that happened on a stage you wouldn't let me know. I mustn't know," Stines says.

Opening night

L'ACADCO - A united Caribbean dance force, is in rehearsal for its 25th season, titled 'Passion fruit', slated for the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts, University of the West Indies, Mona, from Thursday to Saturday.

It is a week and a half before opening night and, although there is no sense of chaos or panic, it's definitely coming up to crunch time.

The focus switches from the dancers to the drummers. "Let's get the drums in the middle of the stage. The dancers are complaining. "You get to rehearse everything," Stines says.

"The drummers are naked onstage. We need to dress them," Stines says and someone quips, "that's a good idea." There are chuckles, but it doesn't break into outright and extended hilarity. This is serious business.

Stines consults her paper and says, "the second half starts with 'Satta', 'Dancehall' - yet unrehearsed - then this." The drummers get into position and start to sing. They are quickly stopped as Stines shows them how she does not want them to come onstage and there is laughter all round as she drops her shoulders, hangs her head and walks wearily onstage like when the Goofy cartoon character has goofed up.

"Come in with attitude, come in with personality, come in as kings and queens!" Stines instructs. The movement and music are taken from the top, two stepping forward to do emphatic solos. When it is finished, Stines says, "do that whole thing again."

"I'm not happy with the diagonal. Don't turn on the diagonal until you start to go 'hmmm'," she says.

Rehearsal

"Errol, Honey," the lone woman drummer coos to prompt a drummer, who was supposed to start off and there is laughter all around. Midway the piece, Stines stops them again. "We been doing this for formation, but I hear that the percussion don't come in right. So go and rehearse it. Don't come back till you get it right," Stines says and the drummers troop off to the front.

"You ask for a rehearsal you going get it today," Stines announces to all, calling out some of the dances, including 'High' and 'Divine Unity', slated for rehearsal that day.

A man comes around to the rehearsal facility and asks, "my part done?" "Larry Watson is here! Clap him!" Stines exults.

She tells the dancers that she knows they are hungry but, for Watson, they are going to go for 'High', into 'Shades of Grey', back to 'Passion' for that man (Watson). That is the man who is going to make this thing look fabulous. We ready? Where is my prostitute?".

There is laughter as the dancer doing the prostitute's role gets into position and the dance is on to Lucky Dube's Jerusalem. At the end, the dancers are in a particular formation and Stines says, "hold it till the lights go down." She immediately calls for 'Shades of Grey', saying, "The quicker we finish the quicker lunch."

Flaw

And it is not a matter of a carrot on a stick, as she says, "I haven't done what we are supposed to do, but it's still a good rehearsal." The dancers are utilising brightly coloured swathes of cloth and one starts singing Summertime. There is applause all around as they end the dance and Stines seems pleased, - "except! And this is why I work with Larry and John".

Larry Watson spots a flaw and the dancers are requested to get back into a particular position. "That's why I work with these people. They are divas." The kink in the dance is worked out and Stines rejoices, "Larry is a diva! Two little points add to the dance totally."

There are other matters to attend to. Three men come around and Stines says, "I would like to get the dancers measured for 'Passion'. That man is making all the male clothes, all drummers' clothes. Another woman is making the dresses," Stines says.

"I know you're exhausted, I know you've sent for food. I don't want to kill off anybody pickney. If you're tired go round the room, cock up yu foot," Stines says.

There is a pause for a costuming decision and Stines asks, "OK, I ask the question, you dropping down or 'Satta' now?" The decision is to do 'Satta' right away and after that 'Chat Bout'. In Satta, two dancers bump together as one lies supine, while the other rolls past. With a mutual smile, the dance continues and The Sunday Gleaner calls it a mid-afternoon in L'ACADCO's studio.