Ja’s performing arts team craves gov’t support to develop talent
Published:Tuesday | October 1, 2024 | 12:09 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Antonio Dennis, director for Jamaica’s team to the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), wants more investment in the sector to help young people pursue successful careers in the arts.
Jamaica has participated in the WCOPA for the past 11 years, and has won it four times – in 2003, 2008, 2015, and in June 2024. The annual event takes place in California during the summer and showcases the talent of aspiring performers, entertainers, and models from across the world.
Dennis has been the national director of Team Jamaica for the last three years. Prior to that, he was a talent scout.
“Jamaica is very, very talented. We are very expressive, and what this competition has shown me is that Jamaica can stand among the best of the best,” he told The Gleaner on Monday.
“The success that we’ve had tells me that we have one of the best talents, if not the best talent in the world, and we are comparable,” he continued.
He noted that each year, delegations from approximately 70 countries are represented at both the Junior World Championships (ages five to 15 years of age) and the World Championships (ages 16 and over).
As director, Dennis oversees the recruitment of new team members and formalises the team of individuals – selected through auditions – who will represent the nation. Working on his own, he engages the members in a roughly six-month-long preparation and mentorship process.
“We search for models, singers, dancers, instrumentalists, actors and a variety of performers like contortionists, jugglers, magicians and that sort of thing,” he explained.
Dennis said preparation is key as the performers must get accustomed to the 60-second window in which they will have to wow the judges in each category.
He also noted that each individual or team tends to compete in at least three categories.
Dennis said the most challenging aspect of the competition, however, is its funding.
“It’s a big financial investment, and currently, the process does not have a good financial backing,” he told The Gleaner.
The trip, including accommodation, can cost anywhere between US$3,000 and US$5,000 per participant, depending on their visa status and the items the group decides to do in the competition.
Dennis said his pleas for assistance from the Government, through the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, have “fallen on deaf ears”.
“But we can’t let that stop us,” he said, noting that expenses are now the contestants’ responsibility.
He shared that each individual or group has had to campaign using crowdfunding platforms or has sought sponsorships from private entities.
BORNE NO FRUIT
Applications are sometimes sent to the CHASE Fund, the Tourism Enhancement Fund, or other funding agencies, but some, Dennis said, have not borne fruit.
He said he would really like their participation in the competition to be fully government funded.
“When I look at places like the Philippines, the Philippines have the backing of their government, they bring up to 100 people. When the Philippines come, they take over and they do very well because they do not have the pressure of having to fund it themselves,” he said.
The competition, he said, has created many opportunities for young Jamaicans seeking to better themselves within the industry, such as allowing for networking possibilities, scholarships and professional contracts from resident scouts and agents looking for “the next big thing in entertainment”.
“We have alumni that are now in Spain, in [the] Lion King musical. We have Andrew Clarke, who won in 2008, who is now in New York fulfilling his dream ... and people are studying overseas, so the opportunities are endless, ... and we need the support. We need persons to buy into what this can do for Jamaican creatives and help them to get there,” Dennis said.
“I’m sure that if we get the support, more people will come on board in terms of contestants. We can get a team of 50 to go there and that would be awesome to touch that many lives with this platform,” he added.
How you can help
Persons interested to offer assistance to Team Jamaica can reach Antonio Dennis at 876- 796-4254 or on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @teamjamaicawcopa.
An email can also be sent to jamaica@wcopa.com.