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Clara Reyes: choreographer of the Ponum and co-founder of the National Institute of Arts

Choreographer Clara Reyes researched and staged a definitive Ponum, St. Martin's national dance, in 1999, co-founded the National Institute of Arts in 2013 and heads St. Maarten's Department of Culture.

By SXM Daily ·

Clara Reyes is a St. Maarten choreographer, dance teacher and culture official. She is known for researching and staging a definitive version of the Ponum, St. Martin's national dance, in 1999, for co-founding the National Institute of Arts (NIA) in 2013, and for heading the Department of Culture in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. According to her NIA bio, she was born on Curaçao and raised on St. Maarten.

Illustrative: the Marigot waterfront, Saint-Martin

Illustrative photo: Paul Sableman, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Ponum

House of Nehesi Publishers Foundation commissioned her Ponum for its documentary film on the dance. To build it she drew on historical documents, folklore and interviews with elderly St. Martiners, House of Nehesi reported. On 27 December 1999, according to House of Nehesi, her Ponum was performed by 10 dancers for an audience of more than 2,000 at the amphitheatre on Marigot's waterfront. Her NIA bio describes the work as "resurrecting the Ponum Dance".

Training

Reyes holds a Master of Fine Arts in dance and choreography from SUNY College at Brockport. Her thesis, "From the People of St. Martin, Ponum an Emancipation Story", was completed in July 2002, and she presented it to the public on Emancipation Day, 1 July 2003, House of Nehesi reported. Her NIA bio says she also holds a diploma in dance theatre production from the Edna Manley College in Jamaica.

National Institute of Arts

Reyes and Arlene Halley founded the National Institute of Arts, which was incorporated on 11 April 2013, according to the institute. StMaartenNews described the two in 2022 as "both founders of NIA".

Department of Culture

She heads the Department of Culture in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, StMaartenNews and the NIA report; the NIA says she has held the post since 2018. The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) says she was the cultural professional featured on its 2020 Events Calendar.

Her NIA bio lists awards including a Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary St. Maarten and a royal decoration from Queen Beatrix, and says she choreographed the opening of the Kingdom Games and two of Queen Beatrix's visits.

Sources

  • https://www.nationalinstituteofarts.com/clara-reyes
  • https://www.nationalinstituteofarts.com/about
  • http://houseofnehesipublish.com/sxm/1999/12/27/ponum-performance-thrills-over-2000-at-marigot-waterfront/
  • http://houseofnehesipublish.com/sxm/2003/06/26/clara-reyes-presents-masters-degree-study-about-ponum-on-emancipation-day/
  • https://stmaartennews.com/culture/the-prins-bernhard-culture-fund-awards-nia-for-its-efforts-in-the-fields-of-arts-and-culture-on-st-maarten/
  • https://shta.com/king-beau-beau-highlighted-in-2023-shta-events-calendar/

Source: https://www.nationalinstituteofarts.com/clara-reyes

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