DR. CAROL LACHAPELLE: holds a PhD from UTT and Master of Arts from the University of the West Indies. She is a graduate of The London College of Dance and Drama, Dartford College of Education, University of London. Artistic Director of the La Chapelle Dance Company of Trinidad and Tobago. The first Trinidadian to gain Honours in the Royal Academy Ballet Examinations and an exhibition winner. and received her early dance training from Helen Mary Kay. Awarded an Island Scholarship she studied dance in the UK, graduating with the Progress Cup and distinctions in Dance, Drama and Education.
She has collaborated with Nobel Laureate, Derek Walcott and artists like Galt Mc Dermot, composer of Hair, Roscoe Lee Brown, US, Andre Tanker, Le Roi Clarke, Greg Doran of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Elizabeth Bergmann, dance director at Harvard University and top local artists Choo Kong, Spencer, Manwarren, Machel Montano and Noble Douglas. In the UK she has worked with Greta Mendez in The Man Who Lit up the World at the Hacknet Empire and the film A Hard Rain. Choreographed the Trinidad High Commission Awards, the UK Arts production -Vodou Nation for Haiti’s 200 year Independence in Haiti and at the Hackney Empire, London. Associate director and choreographer for Carnival Messiah (theatre production and film), she performed at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Harewood, Queens Hall, Royal Albert Hall, the HRH Prince Charles Charity, at the Theatre Royal, London and West Yorkshire Playhouse Galas. Artistic Director of the La Chapelle-Douglas Dance Company she presented Seasons of dance for stage and television with dancers like Natalie Rogers, (Bucket USA), Andre Largen (Alvin Ailey), Nadine Mose (Ballet Hispaniola) and Allison Brown (Carnival Queen) Diane Harvey (Forces of Nature) Mary Barnett (Alvin Ailey) Nina De Shane Gill (Grand Ballet, Canada) Bob Marley, Karen Kain, Melba Moore and Jose Feliciano. As La Chapelle Dance Company, she opened the Derek Walcott Theatre St. Lucia, performed at Florida International and she taught at Harvard as artist in Residence. Her company has toured many ineternational countries. She has worked with Peter Minshall’s -Paradise Lost, River and the Atlanta Olympics and for the Opening ceremony of the Summit of the Americas with Brian McFarlane, POS.
Carol is a producer, dance educator, and presenter of seminars and workshops on dance in the Caribbean, USA and Europe and has served as an executive and term President of the National Dance Association, and as Dance Examiner (TT/Martinique), on The Foundation for the Arts (Cabinet Appointed Committee), VAPA Curriculum Design Team and is on the Board of Management of Queen’s Hall.
Awards include Outstanding Choreography in Theatre, 2003 for Carnival Messiah and Best Actress for Testimony, 1991. She is the Winner of five Cassique awards for Choreography in theatre, the President’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, The National Dance Association Emeritus Award and International Women Award for Pioneering Women. In 2012 she received the NWAC award for Outstanding Contribution to development in the Arts. In 2019 she was honoured by The Rotary club & as a Cultural Legend by The Ministry of Culture. 2020 saw her honoured by Queens Hall on International Teachers Day. Dr. La Chapelle served as Arts coordinator and Assistant Professor in dance at UTT until 2018. She served on the VAPA team for the Diploma in Ed at UWI in 2019 and is currently MA supervisor at APA, UTT. La Chapelle has presented Zoom sessions on ‘Dancing the Mas’ in London, Canada & the Caribbean…More details can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/carol.lachapelle2/
Check out full chat at: ozziestewart.com/onthecallpodcastEpisode sponsored by: Emancipation Support Committee of Trinidad & Tobago @tt_esc
