When the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC) takes to the stage at the Little Theatre in St Andrew on July 19 for the opening of its 57th annual season of dance, ballet mistress Kerry-Ann Henry will be celebrating a milestone of her own. This year marks her 25th year as a dancer with the renowned local troupe which was co-founded by the late Professor Rex Nettleford and Eddy Thomas in 1962.

“Where did the years go?” she remarked in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

“In all honesty it certainly doesn’t feel like 25 years have passed, everything is so fresh in my head that it just seems like yesterday that I started. But when I look at my personal growth and my maturity as a dancer I realise that time has passed, but doesn’t feel like a whole 25 years,” she continued.

Henry began her life in dance at the Rose Gordon Prep School in St Andrew, and it wasn’t long before her natural talents and abilities caught the eye of dance pioneer Joyce Campbell who drafted her into the Jayteens Dance Company. It was during preparations for her final recital with Jayteens that she would cross paths with Arlene Richards, then a principal dancer with the NDTC.

Richards, along with Campbell and NDTC founding member Bridgette Spaulding, started making representations on her behalf and encouraged Henry to start taking classes with the company under Nettleford’s eye.

The 16-year-old Henry was doubtful of her abilities to match up to the standards of the NDTC and to this day remembers the conversation she had with her mother and vividly recalls her first class with the company.

“Everything about the idea of being part of the NDTC was so intimidating. I was still in high school, full of insecurities and I saw these dancers as almost being larger than life. I told my mother that I didn’t think I was ready and she simply said to me… ‘Go and grow. This opportunity will only push you to great things’. It is such a wonderful thing to have a wise parent in your corner. So I went and during the class Professor Nettleford kept calling on me to do various exercises. I just wanted to disappear. So as soon as I could I slipped outside and burst into tears. I remember Stacey Lee Hassan Fowles came out and once I saw her, I cried even more. Through my tears I told her I didn’t belong. She explained that being called on was a good thing, as it meant I was being seen. I took her explanation, dried my tears and decided to tough it out, giving myself a timeframe to improve and set goals for myself,” said Henry.

That was 1994. At that time principal dancers at the NDTC included Melanie Graham, Denise Francis Robinson, Arlene Richards, MoniKa Lawrence, Alaine Grant and Allison Symes. She was able to form allies with young dancers including the late Andrea Lloyd and Natalie Chung.

Slowly, Henry’s confidence began building as she found the members welcoming despite they seniority. That same year she not only performed during the annual season of dance, but also undertook her first international tour with the company.

“That year I was able to dance in Arlene Richards’ Cocoon, Character Sketches by Nettleford and of course the iconic Gerrehbentah. I remember looking at all these dancers as being so powerful in their own respects as each brought their own nuance to performance and presence. That variety was appreciated by Nettleford as he allowed you to be yourself and not box you in, while at the same time finding yourself in the choreography. I took a piece of everybody and made it my own, finding that sense of fullness,” she shared.

She describes herself as a passionate and versatile performer, and that is clearly seen in how she brings to life the various characters she is called on to play through dance. She lists The Crossing, Kumina, Spirits at a Gathering, Steal Away, Tintinnabulum, Incantation, Labess, Unscathed and the solo New Moon from Phases of the Moon as being among her favourite dance works from the company’s repertoire.

“When I hit the stage and those lights come on there is an energy, an invisible force that connects me to the audience and it forces me to give my best. Physically I have long muscles and hyper-extended limbs so If I don’t dance very big I don’t feel it. That is the only way I can explain to people who comment on my connection.”

When not on stage, Henry is the vice-principal with responsibility for administration and resource development at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. Prior to this appointment she was dean of the School of Dance at the college. However, she cannot see herself without dance.

“No… never a life without dance. I know I will not be able to dance at the same pace, but it will always be part of me. I will always be involved whether it is training or advocacy, dance will always be a part of my life. When I look at the most successful moments in my life it has all come through dance so how can I turn my back on something that has served me wonderfully. I know dance chose me… I just responded,” Henry noted.