03/11/2023
Happy Birthday to the late Beryl McBurnie, a celebrated dancer, teacher, and founder of the Little Carib Theatre who was born in 1913!
McBurnie grew up in Port of Spain and attended Tranquility Girls School, where her love for dancing and theatre flourished. Later, she became a school teacher while continuing her dance career—eventually leaving her teaching post to train with Trinidadian folklorist, Andrew Carr.
In 1938, she travelled to New York to study Theatre Arts at Columbia University where she worked with acclaimed dancers and choreographers, learning various styles and techniques. Throughout her career, she continued to practise and teach Caribbean folk dance, including Belaire, Bongo, Limbo and Kalinda. She performed across New York, and gained popularity under the pseudonym “La Belle Rosette.”
In 1940, Beryl McBurnie returned briefly to Trinidad to organise “A Trip Through The Tropics,”—a production that took place at Empire Theatre in Port of Spain and featured the Invaders Steelband. At a time when steelpan was still viewed negatively, this production showcased the first ever on-stage steelpan performance. All of the shows sold out, opening the door for many more performances of its kind.
In 1945, McBurnie decided to leave New York to teach dance with the Education Department in Trinidad. On November 25th 1948, she fulfilled her dream of opening Trinidad’s first permanent theatre—The Little Carib Theatre—in the structure that was once her family residence. Home to the Little Carib Dance Company, Little Carib Theatre became a central spot for dance performances and for the celebration of Caribbean folk arts and culture at large.
Among her many accolades, McBurnie was awarded the Humming Bird Gold Medal in 1969, an Honourary Doctorate from the University of the West Indies in 1976, and the Trinity Cross in 1989.
She passed away on March 30th, 2000. Her legacy as “the Mother of Caribbean Dance” lives on through the Little Carib Theatre, which continues to be a hub for local artists and a venue for dance and theatre productions that take us back to our roots.
This photo of Beryl McBurnie in 1949 is courtesy of the Trinidad Guardian Newspaper September 19, 1957. This newspaper is part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.
References: Ahye, Molly. Cradle of Caribbean Dance: Beryl McBurnie and the Little Carib Theatre. Heritage Cultures, 1983.
Trinidad and Tobago Guardian Newspaper, 27 Nov. 1948.
Trinidad and Tobago Guardian Newspaper, 2 Sept. 1989. These newspapers are part of the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.