Posts tagged West Can Folk Performing Company

After the pandemic we have been recognizing that women are stepping up and playing more dominant roles on the cultural landscape of our Caribbean community. Last issue I mentioned the impact women had in the Montreal Dancehall / Reggae scene and the feedback was great. This issue let’s shed some light on the dynamic group of women who are making thing happen for the West-Can Folk Performing Company. West-Can’s, vision is to showcase Caribbean culture locally and abroad and they do it with a repertoire of performance pieces influenced by various Afro-Caribbean folk traditions, Haitian folklore and traditional African dance …

If it’s true that song and dance add color to every people, the music, movement and creativity that have been part of the annual Black and Caribbean street parade have helped to define our community. For decades the members of West Can Folk Performing Company have been involved not only in the carnival but also in the propagation of what has been defined as Caribbean culture. But as the driving force behind the group, sisters Shiata and Melika Lewis will tell you that too little is known about the Caribbean carnival, even within our community. So they’re doing something about …

If we are to preserve culture we must continue to create it. The past few weeks have been a bit of a cultural roller coaster. As we continue to work on passing on the culture to our younger generation via Zoom. Also T&T lost another cultural icon. On Saturday, June 20, 2021, the Caribbean Kiddies Celebration was a complete success. In this case there are no secrets to success. It was the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failures. Thank to the hard work of the Production Sounds team, West Can Folk Performing Company and Roots Cultural Association …

As readers already know, my theme for 2021 is Gratitude and Appreciation. My promise also is to highlight more local content because the past year has been much of a struggle and an eye-opener because of the abundance of obstacles we face. I believe struggles can only end when the gratitude begins. Let’s shed light and gratitude on West-Can Folk Performing Company. The Company specializes in Afro-Caribbean dance and drumming and their highly trained instructors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in Caribbean folk performing arts. It also provides members with the unique experience of showcasing that cultural treasure …

Between October 2019 to August 2020 the West Can’s Afro-Caribbean Folklore in Quebec project, targeted school-aged children, adults and seniors in the Anglophone Black community with roots in the Caribbean with a series of workshops in storytelling, folk-song, dance and drumming that helped participants broaden their historical awareness and develop new performance skills. The sessions, which were held at various cultural centers across the city and at West-Can studios in Montreal West were as exciting as they were educational, expanding the knowledge of adults and children on different aspects of Caribbean cultural history. The workshops also serve as cultural updates …