I am Faith. I came to the UK from St Catherine Jamaica in the 80s to join my family.

I am currently a Community Care Manager with 31 years experience as an IT Support Officer. I am patient, caring, thoughtful and reliable. My interests include travelling, gardening, cake baking and decorating.

I learnt to dance quadrille in Jamaica in 1974, aged 13, when my primary school competed with other schools, but without conscious awareness of its significance. In 2018, I attended a JÁNUKA practice session with a friend. It reminded me of dancing quadrille in Jamaica. I enjoyed the drumming music, dance routine, gracefulness of dancers and the welcoming atmosphere.

I joined JÁNUKA in 2019 and since joining, I learned about the history of quadrille in the Caribbean and how my ancestors who were forbidden to dance their African dances, danced it defiantly to keep their spirits high, to survive enslavement.

I enjoy dancing quadrille. It helps me to relax, keep my spirit high and puts me in a different zone, as I recapture my ancestors’ social time together with the other dancers. My aim is to encourage my grandchildren and future generations to learn and enjoy dancing quadrille, to keep this inherited dance alive. I don’t want to lose our connection with our ancestors.