More than six decades after its founding, the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) continues to preserve and celebrate the island’s cultural heritage while passing its artistic legacy to a new generation of performers.
That enduring mission takes centre stage in RISE: Rituals of Home, Heritage & Thanksgiving, which the company will present in South Florida on October 30th and 31st, 2026. The production brings together traditional and contemporary Jamaican dance, music and song, celebrating the island’s cultural identity and the resilience of its people.
Speaking on Jamaicans.com Live, NDTC Artistic Director Marlon Simms reflected on the company’s multigenerational character, with three generations of performers represented, including members as young as 15.
“One of the missions of the company is to ensure that the legacy is never lost, the heritage is never lost, and the continuity of the culture of Jamaica passes on to the next generation so it does not die,” he explained.
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Preserving the Foundation While Embracing Change
Founded in 1962, the year Jamaica gained Independence, the NDTC was established under the joint artistic leadership of Professor Rex Nettleford and Eddy Thomas. Drawing on Jamaican folk traditions, music, ritual and movement, the company developed a distinctive approach to dance that placed the island’s cultural heritage at the centre of its artistic expression.
Nettleford, who served as artistic director until his death in 2010, helped elevate Jamaican traditions such as Kumina to the concert stage, demonstrating their importance as living expressions of the nation’s identity.
That foundation remains central to the NDTC, even as its repertoire evolves to reflect contemporary influences.
“Our core is to preserve Jamaica’s rich heritage and culture, but as you know, culture evolves,” NDTC member Conrad Hall explained during the Jamaicans.com Live discussion.
Today, the company incorporates influences ranging from pop to hip-hop alongside the traditional forms that have defined its work for generations. For Hall, this evolution allows the NDTC to remain grounded in its cultural roots while reflecting the changing artistic expressions of Jamaican society.
A Legacy Passed From Dancer to Dancer
Few works illustrate the NDTC’s commitment to preserving its heritage more clearly than Kumina, Nettleford’s landmark 1971 choreography, which remains part of the company’s repertoire.
Simms now performs the Kumina King, a role once danced by Nettleford himself, who personally prepared him to carry it forward.
“I’m quite honoured to be able to step into that role, a role that he taught me himself,” Simms shared.
The passing of this artistic inheritance extends to the Kumina Queen, a role originally performed by Pansy Hassan and now carried forward by Keita-Marie Chamberlain Clark.
“What you will see is the generations that are carrying the legacy of the company forward,” Simms explained.
Through these performances, Nettleford’s choreography remains a living tradition, sustained by artists who have inherited not only the movements but also the cultural knowledge and responsibility that accompany them.
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Bringing Jamaica’s Heritage to South Florida
The South Florida production of RISE will showcase the breadth of the NDTC’s repertoire, combining established works with contemporary interpretations of Jamaican history and culture.
Among the musical highlights is Ancestral Rhythms, which explores Jamaica’s drumming traditions. Hall also highlighted Traddin’, arranged by former musical director Ewan Simpson, which takes audiences on a journey through the island’s musical heritage, from traditional folk songs and drumming to Kumina.
For Jamaicans living overseas, the performances offer an opportunity to reconnect with cultural expressions that remain closely tied to their identity.
“A lot of the Jamaican folks in the diaspora, they are really hungry for what we have back at home,” Hall observed, noting that Jamaicans on the island sometimes take their cultural inheritance for granted.
Simms echoed that sentiment, emphasising the sense of community that the NDTC hopes audiences will experience.
“We want to transport you back to Jamaica,” he said, suggesting that the performance might even inspire some patrons to plan a visit home.
Rising Above
Beyond its celebration of heritage, RISE explores themes of survival, hope and resilience that have shaped the Jamaican experience.
One of the featured works, Unscathed, uses an abstract interpretation of the Middle Passage to examine the struggles endured by people of African descent and the strength that emerged from those experiences.
Simms explained that the production’s message extends beyond the stage, reflecting the determination of Jamaicans to overcome adversity while remaining connected to their cultural identity.
“We’re gonna rise above any kind of struggle that we experience, not only as Black people, but as Caribbean people and specifically as Jamaicans,” he said.
That spirit of resilience, he added, is inseparable from the creativity and community that continue to define Jamaican culture.
“We’re gonna carry with us the resilience of the people, our creativity. We’re gonna carry how we lift ourselves up together.”
For the NDTC, RISE embodies both that enduring Jamaican spirit and the continuation of an artistic legacy established more than six decades ago. As new generations take their places on stage, they carry forward the traditions that shaped the company while contributing to its evolving story.
The National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica will present RISE: Rituals of Home, Heritage & Thanksgiving at the Miramar Cultural Center on Friday, October 30th, at 8 p.m., followed by a performance at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th Street, Miami, on Saturday, October 31st, at 7 p.m.
For tickets and information about the October 31st performance, visit www.mosscenter.org.
