Beryl McBurnie’s Contributions to the Caribbean Arts and Popular Culture

Beryl McBurnie is typically considered as a greatly understudied and influential dance pioneer.
She has made many contributions towards Caribbean Arts and Popular culture and has played a
role in shaping our society as it is today.

1. Beryl McBurnie Incorporated Steel Bands into Modern Caribbean Music and Theatre.

In 1940, Beryl McBurnie was the first person to put a steelband on a stage in the form of a band
called Invaders, who played at the opening of her theatre and helped the Trinidad All Steel
Orchestra perform at the 1951 festival. This was revolutionary as in those days, steelbands were
frowned upon, were seen as low classed and were not considered real musicians. However,
McBurnie, being a revolutionist from Mainstream music, she was undeterred and went so far as
to choreograph a ballet, Jour Ouvert, to music by invaders’ leader Ellie Mannette. She saw
Steelbands as the recognition of the two indigenous art forms as a step towards national pride
and bridged the gulf between theatre and Carnival.

2. Beryl McBurnie advocated for the recognition of Folk Dances into Caribbean and
Popular Culture.

What made McBurnie “different” from other dancers of her time was that she used West Indian
Folk dances in her performances. This was incredibly significant as she began employing such
dances at a time before independence, when the West Indian islands were still attuned to colonial
culture and indigenous forms were ignored or despised. In fact, when she began, local dance was
in danger of disappearing. Only European folk dance and ballet were being taught formally, and
local dance was frowned on. On the contrary, Beryl McBurnie was convinced that dance was the
most significant West Indian art form, since it contained the greatest variety of raw material, and
refused to let these dances fade out of history. Her interpretations of folk songs and dances of the
West Indian islands were said to be masterpieces by all, and her work was always deeply rooted
in the Caribbean, allowing our culture to thrive as it is today.

3. Beryl McBurnie opened Trinidad’s first permanent theatre.

In November 1948, Beryl McBurnie’s dream was fulfilled when the great singer Paul Robeson
laid the stone foundation of the Little Carib Theatre at Roberts St, Woodbrook, launching the
country’s first permanent theatre and the Little Carib Dance Company. The opening programme
included the wide display of pieces from Suriname, Trinidad, etc. displaying the lavish beauty of
our diverse Caribbean Culture and inspired a great number of people to perform phenomenal
works of art.

Additionally, in 1957, Ms. McBurnie and company were invited to present a lecture
demonstration to a summer school in creative arts at what was then the University College of the
West Indies in Mona, Jamaica. This invitation was an acknowledgement of the group's status,
which led to McBurnie lecturing at universities all over the United States, laying foundations for
the international acceptance of Caribbean dance.

4. Beryl McBurnie inspired many great Caribbean artists in music and theatre

Ms. McBurnie has influenced and inspired dancers in her native country, Trinidad for decades.
In fact, her example led Rex Nettleford to found the Jamaica National Dance Theatre Company,
which has a world-class reputation, and in 1978 she was one of three pioneers in black dance to
receive special tributes from the Alvin Alley Dance Company of New York. According to
Nettleford, she showed that “Caribbean dance had its own inner logic, consistency and
aesthetics”.

Additionally, in 1957, McBurnie, and some of her dancers, went to teach at a summer school in
the arts at the then University College of the West Indies in Jamaica. It was here that she met the
St Lucian writer called Derek Walcott, who became inspired by McBurnie to use folk material to
create genuine West Indian theatre. This encounter inspired him to write the revolutionary play
“Ti-Jean and His Brothers” shortly after, which is based on St Lucian folklore and incorporates
song, dance and dialect. In fact, Walcott’s early works were premiered at the Little Carib theatre.

However, McBurney also encouraged local musicians and other artists. For example, André
Tanker, whose music draws on folk traditions, recalls that it was at the Little Carib that he first
heard the master drummer and Orisha priest Andrew Beddoe and began to understand the
African roots of local music. Additionally, The Little Carib theatre encouraged practitioners to
found “little theatres” throughout the Caribbean.

References
Beryl McBurnie. (2000, April 29). Retrieved from The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/apr/29/guardianobituaries1

M. MCBURNIE, BERYL EUGENIA . (n.d.). Retrieved from The Caribbean Memory Project:
https://www.caribbeanmemoryproject.com/mc-burnie-beryl.html

Raymond, J. (1996). Beryl McBurnie: the First Lady of Dance. Retrieved from Caribbean Beat:
https://www.caribbean-beat.com/issue-20/beryl-mcburnie-first-lady-
dance#axzz6f9OhJxF7