By Compass Contributor Christopher Tobutt
Music and dance lovers in the Cayman Islands stood in solidarity with Jamaica after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa on 15-16 Nov. at the CayMusicA performance at the Harquail Theatre, which became a sanctuary — a place where music was lived, breathed and transformed into strength.
The Jamaica Youth Chorale, joined by the dancers of the University College of the Cayman Islands, offered a tapestry of sound and movement that spoke to resilience and undefeatable joy in a world heavy with trials.
The evening opened with Noel Dexter’s ‘Psalm 24’, a declaration that “The earth is the Lord’s.” Its harmonies rose like dawn over the Blue Mountains, reminding the audience that even in chaos, creation belongs to God. Solos pierced the air like trumpets of glory, and the choir’s layered voices felt like gates opening to welcome hope.
From there, the Chorale carried listeners through cascades of praise in René Clausen’s ‘All That Hath Life and Breath’, shimmering and subtle textures in Antognini’s ‘Magnificat’, and the tender prayer of ‘I’ll Walk with God’.
Stacey Gibbs’ ‘All My Trials’ whispered of burdens soon to be lifted, while Brandon Waddles’ ‘Ride in the Chariot’ turned the theatre into a revival tent, with the audience clapping and swaying in joy. Caribbean rhythms bubbled in Walters’ ‘I Feel Good, (‘Whenever I speak of Jesus’)’ and Dexter’s ‘Bright Soul’ radiated optimism like sunlight on water after a storm.
‘Ise Oluwa’ was a showstopper. Originally from Quincy Jones’ ‘Roots’ soundtrack, “Ise Oluwa” (in Yoruba, meaning “God’s work will never be destroyed”) carries ancestral weight. Kathy Brown’s arrangement layered nuanced African rhythms with subtle jazz harmonies, while Sherona Forrester’s solo voice soared like lament and a hope combined. The choir’s humming undercurrent felt like the earth singing.
Act Two brought the UCCI Dance Company to the fore with ‘Dis Poem’ (Mutabaruka) – protest, poetry, and prophecy in motion. Mutabaruka’s words (“Dis Poem shall speak of time…”) thundered through the speakers while Rex Nettleford’s choreography, reinterpreted, carved the uncomfortable truths of each line into the hearts and minds of the audience. The dancers’ bodies became punctuation marks – exclamation, question, ellipsis – against a backdrop the reggae and dub rhythms mirrored in each syllable, a dialogue across generations and islands. Disturbing, soulful and challenging – it was a shared language of resilience.
‘Endless Night / Shadowland’ from ‘The Lion King’ saw Kathy Brown’s arrangement fuse Broadway grandeur with African choral sonorities. ‘Endless Night’ began in hushed tones, loneliness mirrored in plaintive harmonies, before it swelled with hope and rhythm. The soloists, Sheri-Gaye Johnson, Anthony Morgan and Matthew Drummond, were electric, their voices threading through the choir like golden strands in a tapestry.
The finale was pure Caribbean embrace: Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’, Buju Banton’s ‘Till Shiloh’, and the tender hope of ‘Silent Night’ reimagined in cadences of accelerating Caribbean rhythm. Feet tapped, hips swayed and the theatre pulsed with joy.
This was a story of resilience told in harmony and movement – a reminder that in times of trial, beauty can rise, faith can sing and communities can dance together into the light.
Christopher Tobutt is a freelance journalist who has written for various publications in the Cayman Islands since 2003.
Related Videos
