Popular dancehall choreographer Orville Hall is over the moon after being honoured by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, through its agency Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), at the recently concluded Reggae Gold Awards.

Hall, who was recognised for his decades of contribution to the development of the dance industry, said the award is an indication that dancehall dancing is more than just a hobby.

“Just to see that dancehall dance in particular is being showcased on these platforms and awarded on these stages means more to me than anyone could ever imagine. My journey was always to show people that dance is more than just extra-curricular activities; it is a career choice, a viable one, and so everything that I have done is paying off,” he told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash in a post-ceremony interview at the National Indoor Sports Centre last Friday.

“The first part of my journey started with making sure that the dancers around me were educated, and that they got their associate degrees in dance. And then the next step was to establish dancehall dance as something that could be sold to corporate Jamaica. I then started to have my dancers tour exclusively as teachers and not just backup dancers. This award is for that journey which I’m still on.”

Founder of the prominent Dance Xpressionz crew, Hall said he knew from the early stages of his career that he wanted to do more than just dance. He told the Splash that dance is about more than just movement; it’s about persons honing their craft in theory as well. For that reason, Hall set out to get courses accredited so aspiring dancers could transition from hobby to professionals in both theory and practical.

“Once my dancers began teaching I moved into the next phase of my mission which was to write a dancehall course outline, which now has two accreditations — one from HEART/NSTA Trust and one from City & Guilds,” he disclosed. “I am encouraging dancers to be a student of their craft. I came up as a dancehall dancer in the streets, but at some point you have to realise that if you’re going to choose this as a career then you have to go through the educational part of it. Dance has different components, and you have to learn it all, not just movement. I just wanted to empower the youths to do more and be more.”

Interested persons who want to enrol in Hall’s classes can do so via Xpressionzja
on social media.

“Send us a DMs and we’ll take it from there,” Hall said. “The course with HEART we’re looking to start that back in the summer. It’s a free course, and when you’re done you have a certificate in dance. If you are aspiring to work in the hotels, you can stake a claim in terms of salary because you are a certified dancehall dancer.”

The choreographer, who has toured more than 40 countries worldwide through dance, said being awarded in his homeland is something dreams are made of.

“This is the first award that was given to me by the Government of Jamaica and that feels good. I feel grateful to be acknowledged by my homeland for the work that I’ve been doing,” he said outlining that, come April, he and Shelly Xpressionz will be leaving for a 10-country European tour before he and the Dance Xpressionz team go to Japan to represent Jamaica in August. He also shared that dance keeps him booked and busy as he will be embarking on a South America teaching tour in October.