THE National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) is set to roll out its plans for the celebration of its 50th anniversary during this year.

The details of the activities, which will coincide with the Jamaica 50 celebrations, will be announced later today at a press conference at the NDTC’s studios located at the Little Theatre complex in St Andrew.

Today is also significant for Jamaica’s premier modern dance company, as it marks the second anniversary of the death of its founder, principal choreographer and artistic director, Professor Rex Nettleford.

Nettleford died in a Washington DC hospital on February 2, 2010, a day before his 77th birthday. He had been hospitalised for a few days having suffered a heart attack in his hotel room.

His death sent ripples through Jamaica and the wider Caribbean community, but was definitely felt by the members of his NDTC which he founded with fellow dancers, including Eddy Thomas, in 1962.

In 2010, the NDTC dedicated its annual season of dance to the life of Nettleford.

Over the course of more than four decades, Nettleford choreographed a total of 73 works for the NDTC. Among these works are the popular Kumina (1971) and Gerrehbenta (1983), as well as Myal (1974), Tribute to Cliff (1974), Court of Jah (1975), The Crossing (1978), Spirts at a Gathering (1995), Blood Canticles (1996), Bujurama (1996) and Katrina (2006). The final work choreographed by Nettleford for the NDTC was Apocalypse in 2009.