Tortola, the British Virgin Islands Chapter #1
About two weeks prior to departing for a booking in Puerto Rico my agent called me to tell me that she didn’t think it was the best time for me to go there and wanted to postpone or cancel the contract. The owners were putting a lot more effort into a newer nightclub that had just opened up and she didn’t think it’d be in my best interest to work there while their attention was divided and letting things slide at the club I was supposed to be working in. However, a spot just opened on another Caribbean island called, Tortola, and had asked if I’d be interested in going.
I would be the guinea pig with this new booking of hers, she had sent one girl previously and that girl only lasted a day! That girl worked one night then went back to her room, packed her things and took off unannounced. But this girl had a reputation for just randomly bailing out of bookings without notice and being quite a flake. So it wasn’t clear if it was her or the booking that prompted her leave like that. Welcome to the wonderful world of dancing! lol The club was still eager to have a Canadian girl work there and wanted to work through any challenges or diffferences that there may have been. My agent then procceeded to ask me if I minded dancing for ‘Island people’ seeing that they would be the majority of the clientel. “Of course not! I’ve performed all around the world for many different cultures and embrace each experience I get to have. Black, white, Asian…an audience is an audience,” was my enthusiastic response. So I then confirmed it, packed my suitcase and off I went!
I was put up in a beautiful hotel with my room right off the beach and the owners of the club treated me with the utmost kindness and respect; I felt comfortable right away and loved this laid back, Caribbean feel. Whoo hoo-paid vacation in paradise! After arriving at the club I could see why the previous girl may have been intimidated, when I first saw the club it was like a shack. But in the Caribbean, every thing’s a shack! lol And then there were these Island men who were huge and very forward. I kinda felt like I was a bit of an alien at one point. They were intrigued by my porcelain skin and blond hair and was constantly being poked and prodded; kinda like when you have show and tell at elementary school and I was the new toy. Because I was so different they were more interested in trying to touch my hair then watching me dance. I experienced a similar reaction in China. But these men were also SO respectful, passionate and warm. They were just curious. It was great to experience this other essence of masculinity.
When the dj and owner asked me what music do I dance to I jokingly said, “ÀC/DC or Metallica!” Both of their faces went blank-it was hilarious. I then told them I was just kidding and that I could dance to reggae or dance music, whatever their audience prefers to hear. Could you imagine me rocking out on stage to ‘Enter Sandman’ for all these Caribbean peeps..lol Jamaican me crazy, mon! However, at one point, I did go to a birthday party and was completely amused by the fact they were playing Kenny Rodgers when I walked in!
One of the most important things I`ve learned in performing is how to tap into the audience and connect with them. For me, it’s all about the audience connection. The first, instant way to connect with an audience is through your music. So I always survey the audience right before my show to see who`s out there and determine what set I`m going to use. Needless to say, I refrained from using my rock sets!
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