Cheryl Byron
Encyclopedia
Cheryl Byron was a visual artist. She started her studies in her native land, Trinidad
& Tobago
. There she also studied dance with Neville Shepard and acted with the Caribbean Theater Guild.
While on tour in New York
, her artwork won her a scholarship to the New School University, where she studied fine art
. Byron then obtained a Bachelor of Arts
and Master of Arts
degrees in English
from City College (CUNY) while maintaining her professional life, including being the first woman to perform her own original brand of poetry
in a calypso tent
in Trinidad
.
Byron is a pioneering performer of rapso
and dub poetry
. She studied dance with Pearl Primus
, and became a member of the Primus Board "Earth Theater". She then became Primus' special assistant, accompanying her on her numerous teaching and choreography assignments, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Byron performed on National and International stages. Her talent took her to such places as Canada
, Guyana
, Barbados
, Jamaica
, London
, Kenya
and Nigeria
. Byron was an ordained Reverend Mother in the Spiritual Baptist faith and a professor at Medgar Evers College
and the College of New Rochelle in Brooklyn
, New York. Byron also taught at City College, and New York City Technical College. Byron played one of the lead roles in the PBS
film Homecoming, became a published poet in an anthology of poetry, Woman Rise, and is featured on an album of dub poetry, Womantalk, on Heartbeat Records
. In addition to the aforementioned, Byron founded Something Positive, a not for profit dance organization based in New York City
.
Something Positive is under the Artistic Direction of Michael Manswell.
Cheryl Byron and Something Positive
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
& Tobago
Tobago
Tobago is the smaller of the two main islands that make up the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located in the southern Caribbean, northeast of the island of Trinidad and southeast of Grenada. The island lies outside the hurricane belt...
. There she also studied dance with Neville Shepard and acted with the Caribbean Theater Guild.
While on tour in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, her artwork won her a scholarship to the New School University, where she studied fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
. Byron then obtained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degrees in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from City College (CUNY) while maintaining her professional life, including being the first woman to perform her own original brand of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
in a calypso tent
Calypso tent
Calypso tents are venues in which calypsonians perform during the Carnival season. They usually are cinema halls, community centers, or other indoor buildings which have seating and stage arrangements to host the entertainers, guests and patrons; or outdoor shows which are held in parks or, more...
in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
.
Byron is a pioneering performer of rapso
Rapso
Rapso is a form of Trinidadian music that grew out of the social unrest of the 1970s. It has been described as "de power of de word in the riddim of de word". Though often described as a fusion of native soca with American hip hop, rapso is uniquely Trinidadian.Black Power and unions grew in the...
and dub poetry
Dub poetry
Dub poetry is a form of performance poetry of West Indian origin, which evolved out of dub music consisting of spoken word over reggae rhythms in Jamaica in the 1970s....
. She studied dance with Pearl Primus
Pearl Primus
Pearl Primus was a dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. Primus played an important role in the presentation of African dance to American audiences. Early in her career she saw the needs to promote African dance as an art form worthy of study and performance...
, and became a member of the Primus Board "Earth Theater". She then became Primus' special assistant, accompanying her on her numerous teaching and choreography assignments, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Byron performed on National and International stages. Her talent took her to such places as Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Byron was an ordained Reverend Mother in the Spiritual Baptist faith and a professor at Medgar Evers College
Medgar Evers College
Medgar Evers College is a senior college of The City University of New York.Medgar Evers College was officially established in 1970 through cooperation from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn...
and the College of New Rochelle in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. Byron also taught at City College, and New York City Technical College. Byron played one of the lead roles in the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
film Homecoming, became a published poet in an anthology of poetry, Woman Rise, and is featured on an album of dub poetry, Womantalk, on Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records
Heartbeat Records is an independent record label based in Burlington , Massachusetts. The label specializes in Jamaican music. Founded by reggae music enthusiasts Bill Nowlin and Duncan Brown, the label's first release was a vinyl LP reissue of Linton Kwesi Johnson's Dread Beat an' Blood...
. In addition to the aforementioned, Byron founded Something Positive, a not for profit dance organization based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Something Positive is under the Artistic Direction of Michael Manswell.
Cheryl Byron and Something Positive