KINGSTON, Jamaica—From a sold-out triumph at one of America’s most prestigious universities to standing ovations at the heart of the Cayman Islands, the National Dance Theatre Company (NDTC) has once again reminded the world that Jamaica’s soul moves on two feet and it moves magnificently.

The Reynolds Industries Theater at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, filled to capacity on the evening of February 21, 2026. The NDTC was specially invited by Duke Arts in association with the 7th Bi-Annual Collegium for African Diaspora Dance (CADD) Conference, a gathering that draws scholars, artists and movement practitioners from across the United States and the wider diaspora.

“The company did not merely perform. They claimed the stage. When the curtain fell, the audience rose. The standing ovation was not perfunctory — it was sustained, the kind that signals a room collectively unwilling to let an experience end,” the NDTC said in a media release.

The evening closed with Rex Nettleford’s iconic Kumina, choreographed in 1971.

Isaac Rankine, minister for youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage with Kerry-Ann Henry, principal dancer of the National Dance Theatre Company Kerry-Ann Henry

“When the curtain fell at Duke University, the audience rose — and did not quickly sit back down,” NDTC said.

The performances were scheduled to coincide with the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance at Duke University, which explores, promotes, and engages African diaspora dance as a resource and method.

From North Carolina, the NDTC carried the spirit of Jamaica south and east to the Cayman Islands, where they performed at the Harquail Theatre under the auspices of the Cayman National Cultural Foundation (CNCF).

According to the NDTC, the engagement was multi-layered, a children’s educational show in the morning and two gala evening performances and every dimension of it succeeded. At the children’s show, young students encountered the NDTC’s world for the first time.

(Left) Cassandra Shea, Head of Theatre & Festivals and (right) J. Rosalee Twohey, Managing Director of CNCF at the hotel when the buses were being loaded for the airport.

The education officer of the CNCF described the experience as meaningful and deeply engaging. It was also the occasion of a debut as Amaya Gomes took the stage in Tribute to Cliff, dancing alongside Shavaughn Byndloss, and the pairing was electric — a chemistry that suggested a promising chapter ahead for both performers.

The evening galas drew audiences that included the Governor of the Cayman Islands, Jane Owens, who went backstage after the first performance to congratulate the company. Also attending was Isaac Rankine, minister for youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage. Rankine once served as a lighting director at Harquail Theatre.

“The CNCF has already signalled strong interest in a return engagement — a testament to the impression the company left on Caymanian audiences and institutions alike,” NDTC said.