Tiana Codrington and ‘Happy Feet’: Using dance to achieve peace of mind

Oct 28, 2018 News

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By Feona Morrison

Coping with life situations can at times be difficult. And while many persons have their desired hobby for relieving tension, one young woman turns to dancing to free her mind. This is not a hobby she has adapted yesterday or today, it has been almost two decades now.

She is none other than the vibrant and enthusiastic Tiana Codrington, founder of the Happy Feet Dance Studio, which offers a fun and marvelously supportive environment for children of all ages, also adults, and dance abilities from recreational to competitive dance.

The Studio which is located at Camptown Centre, First Street, Campbellville, Georgetown specializes in Modern, Contemporary, Soca, African, Bollywood and Dancehall.  And with Codrington, 24, as one of the dance instructors, the school has earned a good reputation. The dance studio has been in operation for the past four years.

Asked to explain who or what motivated her to become part of the performing arts, Codrington said, “I am motivated by my love of dance, and as a young choreographer I wanted to have an opportunity to work in an environment which would allow me the freedom to showcase my ideas and perfect my talent. I wanted to experience the joy of seeing my students perform the pieces I put together and feel the excitement of seeing a production properly executed.’’

For her, dancing is all about the natural rhythmic movement of the body, and also about achieving complete control of your physical actions and emotions. Codrington expressed, ‘’It is about self-expression and connecting people socially.’’

“When did you discover your love for this art form?’’ she was asked. She fondly responded, ‘’As a little girl, my nursery school Teacher enrolled me in the National Mashramani Competition. I remember the excitement I felt when I performed to ‘Rock the boat’ and the joy it brought when the audience loudly cheered for my partner and I. That moment has stayed with me all these years, and as I grew older, my love for dance has intensified.’’

This dance teacher is always willing to try new things, and confessed that she is at her happiest when dancing. According to her, she uses dance to free her mind. This way, she said, she is allowed to express her emotions, thoughts and imaginations through movements, even when there is no music.

She added that dancing keeps her active, and when performing for an audience, it makes her brave and confident. Codrington’s educational background is not the only thing directly correlated to her knowledge in the art of dance—this is just a huge plus. She has been able to achieve success because of her sterling reputation within the dance community.

Highlighting her training and experience, she said, ‘’In my teenage years I enrolled at the Dance Fanatics Theatre where I was educated in the technical aspects of dance under the tutelage of Ivelaw and Amanda Campbell. Then on to the Classique Dance Company for Paul Charles’ advanced class. In 2015, I completed the theoretical and practical courses in Theatre Arts Dance at the CSEC with Ms Vivienne Daniels.”

In 2017, the young dance fanatic participated in Contemporary and Horton Dance workshops at the world renowned Alvin Ailey Dance Studio in New York City, with dance teachers from all around the world.  And she has described this as one of her most memorable life experiences.

‘’Imparting the technical knowledge and my love for the art form to young and impressionable minds is so satisfying. It is especially rewarding to watch students who have no background in dance learn and evolve and blossom into graceful and competent dancers.

It is seeing the enthusiasm to come to classes and to try new things, and then watch them support and encourage each other. I am always in awe of their willingness to participate in all activities of the Studio. Of course the best part would be to prepare students for competition, then watch them go on to win. It gives validation to my work,’’ she outlined as her favourite part about being a dance teacher.

In the next five years, Codrington hopes to see herself being a more technically qualified and experienced dancer and teacher.

She disclosed, ‘’I would like to see my Studio offering more genres of dance to all age groups, keeping abreast with current and popular trends, participating in dance workshops, locally and overseas. I would also like to collaborate with the Department of Culture to introduce dance as an extra-curricular activity in schools, particularly at the nursery and primary levels, because I feel it is much easier to mould students in the art of dance from younger ages. ‘’

To date, she has choreographed  for functions hosted by Courts (Guyana) Ltd., Sterling Products Ltd, CGX Energy Inc., the children’s Christmas Party hosted by the Prime Minister, the International Dance Day Concert, the ‘Julianna Extravaganza’ held in honour of President David Granger’s birthday and Guyana’s Golden Jubilee Independence festivities.

Her dance studio has also produced two dance productions in 2017 and 2018 titled ‘Unveil’ and ‘Shades of Dance’ respectively.

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