The New Nevis Performing Arts Centre
Charlestown, Nevis
May 03, 2012
Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry, Deputy Premier and Minister of Culture, Hon. Hensley Daniel and Taiwan’s Resident Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Miguel Tsao hosted the first-ever performance at the Michael Herald Sutton Auditorium at the newly-opened Nevis Performing Arts Center (NEPAC) on the evening of Monday, April 30th.
An encore performance was held on May 1 for Seniors and school children.
The impressive, state-of-the art 400-seat facility was officially opened during a grand ceremony on Saturday, April 28.
According to General Manager of NEPAC, Mrs. Deslyn Williams-Johnson, the performances featured a cultural exchange of Nevisian dancers and drummers with Taiwanese dancers and musicians.
Local performances included the Rhythm Dance Theater led by Ms. Diane Hobson, the I- Afrikana Drummers and the Jumping Clowns.
Taiwanese dancers and musicians of the National Taiwan University of Arts, performed traditional and contemporary dances with colourful ribbons, umbrellas, fans, jump ropes and multi-colored handkerchiefs.
The highlight of the evening for most patrons came when the Taiwanese dancers made their way into the audience, and invited persons to dance on stage with them to the tune of “Nevis Nice,” a local, highly popular calypso song originally written and sung by outstanding Nevisian calypsonian Mr. Crefton” Meeko” Warner, and which has become the country’s unofficial national anthem.
Due to the limited seating capacity (400) of the venue, attendance to the performances were by invitation only.
The National Taiwan University of Arts group is part of a larger contingent presently performing in the United States, with St. Kitts and Nevis being the only stop outside of the U.S.A.