Grenada’s Division of Culture under the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Economy and Culture is launching a two-day specialized training workshop combining vocal performance and dance this week in Carriacou. The event marks a key early step in building capacity ahead of the much-anticipated Festival of the Arts, scheduled to run across the latter half of 2026 from September through December.
Hosted at the Ariza Conference Room, the workshop will welcome participants on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17, with both sessions running from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Designed specifically for primary and secondary school educators, many of whom are not specialized in performing arts, the training aims to build foundational skills that will support local participation in the upcoming festival.
The opening day of the workshop will be led by experienced voice specialist Valarie Daniel-Burkhardt, who previously drew a crowd of 50 school choir teachers from across Grenada for a choir development session in St. George’s back in February. Daniel-Burkhardt’s vocal training will center on practical exercises to strengthen core singing skills, including targeted work on voice placement and projection, vocal resonance, clear diction and articulation, proper performance posture, and consistent intonation. A core goal of the session is to help participants reframe their understanding of the human voice as a unique musical wind instrument, while equipping them with actionable techniques to project vocals clearly in performance settings.
Day two will shift focus to dance, under the direction of Noyda Noel, Acting Artistic Director of Conception Dance Theatre. Boasting more than 12 years of experience as a dance educator, Noel will guide participants through a deep exploration of core foundational techniques for both modern and traditional dance – two genres that are central to the programming of the upcoming Festival of the Arts. The session will also cover the fundamentals of choreography, giving participant educators the skills to create and lead their own student dance routines ahead of the festival.
This workshop is the second targeted professional development event hosted in Carriacou in as many months, following a successful theater arts training last month. That earlier session equipped local teachers with new skills across a range of theatrical disciplines, including core drama techniques, storytelling craft, and monologue performance. As organizers continue rolling out pre-festival training across the country, the series aims to build a strong base of skilled educators who can nurture young artistic talent ahead of the multi-month 2026 celebration.
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