Tea and Talk
by Robert Bain
Tea and Talk is a perspective on Bahamian Arts and Culture. It is designed to inform, educate, inspire and encourage meaningful conversation about Bahamian Arts and Culture.
Podcast episodes
Season 3
TEA AND TALK WITH NICOLETTE BETHEL - SEASON 3 - EP2
TEA AND TALK WITH NICOLETTE BETHEL - SEASON 3 - EP2 Nicolette Bethel was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas to parents Keva (the principal and then the president of the College of the Bahamas) and Clement (who was a concert pianist and a composer and a choral director) Bethel. She studied at Trinity College at the University of Toronto and at Corpus Christi College, where she got a PhD in Social Anthropology. She also lived and worked in the UK and Canada and later moved back to the Bahamas where she served as Director of Culture for the Bahamas for five years. When Nicolette moved back to The Bahamas she got involved with Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts, which was the community theatre of the time. During this time, she met and married her husband Phillip Burrows and they moved to Canada for a few years. Upon returning in 2000 they formed Ringplay Productions, mostly with the former members of the Dundas repertory company. She later went into the government to work as Director of Culture. Years later she left the government and produced Shakespeare in Paradise. Nicolette is a playwright, poet, fiction writer, and anthropologist who is the Chair of Social Sciences at the University of The Bahamas. She is also a theatre producer and director and is the founder and Festival Director of Shakespeare in Paradise, co-founder and Vice-President of Ringplay Productions, and Vice-Chair of the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts in Nassau, Bahamas.
TEA AND TALK - WITH CRISTIN CAROLE - SEASON 3 - EP: 1
TEA AND TALK - WITH CRISTIN CAROLE - SEASON 3 - EP: 1 Co-Founder Shirley Hall Bass Forum Cristin Carole is an interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, dancer, and arts educator. With over 20 years of multi-media performances, curriculum development experience, and arts integration methodologies developed in the United States and abroad, Cristin works to bring a greater understanding of content standards, planning, implementation, and assessment to teaching artists through professional development workshops and graduate-level education courses. Most recently she brought her insight as both an artist and elementary classroom teacher to her award-winning educational programming and professional development workshops for the Joffrey Ballet. Mission of The Shirley Hall-Bass Forum The mission of the Shirley Hall Bass Dance Educators Forum, first convened in 2019 in Nassau, Bahamas is to establish dance as a driving force in Bahamian education, tourism, and national identity through the development of a professional learning community with a concerted focus on quality education from K-12.
Season 2
TEA AND TALK - WITH GILLIAN GIA CURRY-WILLIAMS & DR. JOANN CALLENDER - S-2 EP14
TEA AND TALK - WITH GILLIAN GIA CURRY-WILLIAMS & DR. JOANN CALLENDER - S-2 EP14 GILLIAN GIA CURRY- WILLIAMS In the face of her father’s courageous battle with cancer in 2016, Gillian developed a profound connection with cancer survivors. She channeled her creativity into “The Fabric of Hope,” a print fabric design garnering global attention for its symbolic depiction of the beauty and strength of cancer warriors. Inspired by her experience, Gillian also initiated an annual Fashion Show highlighting and honoring the strength and resilience of cancer warriors, who, as the runway models themselves, are affectionately called “Remilda Rose Designs Honorees.” Deepening her commitment to bring hope. Gillian established the Fabric of Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals battling cancer. DR. JOANN CALLENDER Dr. Joann Callender is a survivor and the patron of this year's “Fabric of Hope” Remilda Rose Design Honorees fashion show. Dr. Callender has worked for decades to exhibit the music of The Bahamas around the world. A renowned soprano soloist, she is also well regarded as a champion of Black excellence in the performing arts for her long career as a writer, producer, and director of stage productions that have been brought to international audiences. She is a Bahamian cultural ambassador and is dedicated to preserving a legacy of Bahamian music for future generations.
TEA AND TALK - SHANESS D. KEMP - PART 1
TEA AND TALK - WITH SHANESS D. KEMP - PART 1 Shaness D. Kemp is a native of Nassau, Bahamas, and holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts from Temple University. She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and continues to work as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. Most recently, Kemp was invited to be a guest performing artist with the Tabanka African & Caribbean Peoples Dance Ensemble which is Northern Europe’s largest all-black professional dance company. As Master Teacher of the Umfundalai technique, she has taught at various institutions, festivals, and intensives, both nationally and internationally. Kemp has trained and performed with several notable artists and professional dance companies, including Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Kariamu & Company: Traditions, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, Eleone Dance Theatre, Philadanco! The Philadelphia Dance Company, Urban Bush Women, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Rennie Harris Puremovement, The Katherine Dunham Seminar, and The American Dance Festival to name a few. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at organizations such as the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference and the 37th Annual Choreographers Showcase where she received the Audience Choice Award for her choreography. She was also the 2015-2016 recipient of the Ellen Forman Memorial Award.
TEA AND TALK - WITH SHANESS D KEMP - PART 2
TEA AND TALK - WITH SHANESS D. KEMP - PART 2 - EPISODE 12 Shaness D. Kemp is a native of Nassau, Bahamas, and holds both a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts from Temple University. She is an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and continues to work as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and dance educator. Most recently, Kemp was invited to be a guest performing artist with the Tabanka African & Caribbean Peoples Dance Ensemble which is Northern Europe’s largest all-black professional dance company. As Master Teacher of the Umfundalai technique, she has taught at various institutions, festivals, and intensives, both nationally and internationally. Kemp has trained and performed with several notable artists and professional dance companies, including Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Kariamu & Company: Traditions, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, Eleone Dance Theatre, Philadanco! The Philadelphia Dance Company, Urban Bush Women, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Rennie Harris Puremovement, The Katherine Dunham Seminar, and The American Dance Festival to name a few. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally at organizations such as the International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference and the 37th Annual Choreographers Showcase where she received the Audience Choice Award for her choreography. She was also the 2015-2016 recipient of the Ellen Forman Memorial Award.