In an official public announcement released on a Wednesday, Jamaica’s prestigious Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts has revealed that Amaya Gomes, a talented Antiguan dancer and choreographer, will serve as the 2026 valedictorian for this year’s graduating cohort. Gomes is set to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Performance and Choreography from the institution’s renowned School of Dance, capping off a rigorous, multi-year academic and artistic journey rooted in her lifelong passion for movement.
A native of Antigua and Barbuda, Gomes first stepped into formal dance training at the age of six, and over the years she has cultivated a versatile, cross-genre skill set spanning seven distinct disciplines: ballet, hip-hop, jazz, tap, modern, Latin, and traditional folk dance. College leadership lauded the young artist for her unwavering perseverance, boundary-pushing creative vision, and relentless dedication to elevating Caribbean performing arts, noting that her personal trajectory embodies the exact combination of discipline and grit that regional creative professionals need to thrive on local and international stages.
Beyond her accomplishments in the studio and classroom, Gomes has already built a portfolio as a dedicated dance educator, who frames dance not merely as a performance practice but as a transformative medium for self-expression, cross-community connection, and intergenerational storytelling. She has shared publicly that her post-graduation plans center on sustained contributions to the regional arts ecosystem, combining professional stage performance, accessible dance instruction, and original choreographic work to uplift emerging creators.
This landmark academic and artistic distinction for Gomes arrives at a particularly meaningful milestone for the 50-year-old institution, which is hosting its 2026 graduation ceremonies under the evocative theme “The heART of the Caribbean: The Canvas and the Gavel.” In its official profile of the new valedictorian, featured in the 2026 edition of the college’s annual Edna Whirl publication, administrators highlighted Gomes’ consistent peer leadership, exponential artistic growth during her program tenure, and explicit commitment to building a lasting, equitable legacy for Caribbean performing arts. The profile also notes that Gomes debuted her capstone final-year choreographic project, titled *What Remains*, to critical acclaim at the campus’s Bert Rose Studio Theatre on May 29, showcasing her original creative voice to audiences ahead of her graduation ceremony.