The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

IT WAS at a very early age that Bahamian entertainer and entrepreneur Samantha Pratt first realised that she was gifted in the field of dance.

After years of training both locally and abroad, Samantha said her desire to share her talents with others grew. Her dream eventually became a reality last October.

Opening a dance studio that provides dancers with an outlet to express themselves through movement in a safe and conducive environment played a major part in Samantha pursuing this goal.

Since its doors opened seven months ago, Samantha’s Passionate Expressions Dance Studio, located on Mount Royal and 6th Terrace, has been making waves in Nassau, she said.

“We have continued to showcase the talents and growth of our dancers. As a result, after two months of training, the students had the opportunity to present what they learned during our Christmas showcase. It was a joy to see a sense of pride on the faces of the dancers as well as the parents,” Samantha told Tribune Woman.

As a graduate of the American Academy of Ballet Performance’s awards programme, Samantha said she would like to afford her students the same opportunity to grow as she did, and eventually excel beyond her accomplishments.

Samantha also attended the College of the Bahamas (COB) and obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management in 2011. In addition to being the owner and artistic director of a dance studio, Samantha is currently employed at COB as a clerk and attends the School of Social Sciences.

“I have been dancing from the age of 12 as a member of Nassau Fellowship Centre Dance Ministry and received the bulk of my dance training at Revere Academy School of Dance. I have also had the great pleasure of travelling abroad to receive training at Alvin Ailey School and Broadway Dance Studio, both in New York. Additionally, I travelled to Laurel, Maryland where I received training and performed with Spirit Wings Dance Company and Studio,” she said.

Samantha said her parents, James and Barbara Pratt, are her greatest cheerleaders, as they have pushed her to fulfil her goals and dreams in becoming the person she is today.

Opening her own dance studio was something that her parents have always encouraged her to pursue. Samantha said they have both played a major role of bringing this dream to reality; not just through words but through actions, and for that she is grateful.  

For the Passionate Expressions Dance Studio, Samantha said her overall goal is to establish a top-of-the-line dance school, one that provides dance training opportunities for the young and the old. She also wants to cater to those who have a desire to dance but have some form of physical disability.

“In the future I expect an increase in faculty, consisting of professionally trained instructors who have a passion for dancing, aiding in the development of technically trained dancers. My desire is to eventually expand to a two-storey dance centre. I would like to see dance in the Bahamas go far beyond its present state; where it is as appreciated and recognised as other highly proclaimed art forms,” she said.

On June 14, the Passionate Expressions Dance Studio, will be hosting its first American Academy of Ballet Performance awards at the YWCA Activity Centre located on Dolphin Drive. These awards are held worldwide and the students are judged by an adjudicator from New York.

“As we continue to grow we look forward to more opportunities to harness the talents and gifts of our students. We desire and look forward to developing each dancer, both technically and socially,” said Samantha.

The studio will host a summer dance workshop from July to August and a Christmas recital in December.