Courtney Diana Walker possesses an uncanny ability to relate to her generation! She is one of the most retweeted Bajan social media influencers, and her followers are shamelessly vocal about the adulation they have for Courtney. Simply put – Courtney has a voice, and a plethora of young women are looking up to her in hopes of emulating the poise and grace which characterizes everything she does. Beneath the social media hype is young woman with an advanced intellectual acumen, having completed high school by age 15 and starting university at 16! At age 22, she is currently pursuing her Master Of Philosophy degree at the University of The West Indies (Cave Hill) in the faculty of Culture, Creative and Performing Arts – majoring in Cultural Studies. Her intelligence and talent is a combination that is destined to position her as a cultural ambassador for Barbados, and Dance Fleur Academy is the first step towards her fulfilling this dimension of her purpose.
Barbados’ reliance on tourism has made its economy extremely vulnerable due to the limitations on travel in light of the pandemic. The tourism sector traditionally accounts for 17.5% of Barbados GDP, but the economy is now in need of re-shaping and restructuring; in order for the people to not only survive, but also excel. Creative Entrepreneurship is one way that individuals can re-inject life into the struggling economy. It will require the effort of valiant and fearless young minds to take matters into their own hands and create unchartered paths to success, using their God-given talents and abilities. Courtney Diana Walker is one such individual and her new dance school, Dance Fleur Academy, is an example of exactly the type of creative entrepreneurship that will be needed to uplift the people of Barbados in these trying times.
We initiated our conversation with Walker by inquiring about her introduction to dance as a mean of creative expression. She gave us a thorough account of her journey with the art form, stating: “My journey started basically when I was 9 years old. I had these two friends who were in dancing at the time who I had just met because I moved into a new neighborhood. I would go to dancing with them after school, and admire how the classes were conducted and the fun they had while they danced. My mom wasn’t in a financial position to pay for an extra-curricular activity like dance at the time because she was still a student and a single mother of two. My friend’s mom assisted me in paying for classes and that afforded me the opportunity to dance at ‘The Dance Place’ school here in Barbados. I started out in ballet, moved into jazz, then I learned modern. I left ‘The Dance Place’ around the time when I was entering university at 16 years old because my class schedule and dance schedule were in conflict with each other.”
Walker realized very early that dance had the capacity to expose her to new horizons and present her with new opportunities beyond the confines of Barbados. She reminisces fondly on the first time she travelled as a dancer: “When I was still just 16 years old, I attended a dance-intensive program at the National Ballet of Canada. That was one of the most intense but rewarding experiences I have had in my entire program. The program required us to review and be proficient in everything you’ve ever learned in ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern and contemporary over a one month period.” Even though Walker reveres this experience she was very honest that it had it’s challenges: “For the first week being there I cried everyday because of the pressure and intensity of the program. There was always this sense of self-doubt when it came to ballet because it’s such a protocol-oriented world that is rigidly structured.” Outside of the intensity of the program, this experience was the first one that sensitized Courtney to the fact that ballet upholds strong Eurocentric ideals. She stated that:“It was very hard being a ballet dancer from Barbados going to Canada and trying to show them how we do ballet in the Caribbean… I often felt like I was intruder to the art form and I just remember crying a lot out of frustration.”
Walker’s first taste of international dance experience developed her sense of awareness towards the subtle racial and classist ideals that ballet enforces as a Eurocentric art form. She stated frankly that: “As a black woman, our bodies are built in a certain way that doesn’t always allow us to move in ways that fit into the social norms of ballet. Ballet techniques weren’t formulated with black bodies in mind. If you check the way the tights for ballet are designed – they are made for pale skin. That’s’ something that we have been taught throughout our ballet careers. That’s why I fell in love with modern dance; because it was more liberal and expressive. It also gave room for improvisation, allowing us to reflect our African roots and Caribbean identity through or movement.”
All of these cultural realizations derived from her international dance experiences motivated Courtney to start Dance Fleur Acadamy . She candidly expressed the inspiration behind the name: “The word ‘Fleur’ is French for “flower”. I want the academy to be a place where young black girls can blossom and flourish through the process of dance.” Acknowledging her humble beginnings as a dancer, Courtney wants her school to be a place where other young girls from economically challenging backgrounds can attend and learn: “The school is located in St. Thomas, Barbados and there are a lot of children in this area that don’t have access to dance schools. I wanted to create a space for them to come and experience what it’s like to be trained by a professional dancer. I made it extremely affordable by structuring payment plans for people who may not be able to pay for the classes upfront in these uncertain times. I’ve been there! I was that little girl whose mom was financially pre-occupied, and sometimes economic provision doesn’t extend to extra-curricular activities. I provide scholarships for those who just cannot afford it at all!‘“
