Come June 17 and 18, the Deh Jah Dance Theatre and Academy will stage their performance season at the Little Theatre in St Andrew.

The two performances will feature a total of 10 dance works from the company’s four resident choreographers. Artistic director Ghana Samuda notes that the programme will feature something for everyone.“Each of our choreographers offers a different style of expression, and so the shows brings these varying styles into what is a very nice mix of genres. So you have a touch of African, gospel, all bound in a modern contemporary style. This year we have also ventured into the use of props in order to make it more entertaining for our audience. My thing is that these is something for everyone. Each audience member must like at least one piece,” said Samuda.The choreographers for this year’s season are Racquel Bragg, Danielle Hammond, Orrette Beckford, and Samuda.With a number of established dance company’s and troupes in Jamaica, Samuda is seeking to earn the respect of audiences and supporters for her relatively young company.“We are a Christian company, but our pieces are not confined to gospel works. We are working hard to build ourselves so we can be recognised for our talents and be taken seriously among our peers.”In 1997, the then 12-year-old Samuda founded a troupe as the dance ministry at Grace Missionary Church in Kingston. In 2004, under the name Grace Missionary Dancers, the company entered the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Dance Festival with a modern, contemporary and popular piece previously choreographed for the church. The group was successful in the competition and was awarded gold medals for both pieces and won Best Modern Contemporary Dance. In January 2007 she decided to make it happen by inviting the girls she had taught to be the founding members of Deh Jah Dance Theatre.