METAMORPHOSIS - Key Persons
Andrew Carroll holds a BFA in Dance, and an MA in Arts Administration. Mr. Carroll has an extensive background in the performing arts, which includes performing nationally and internationally for nine years as a soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet Company in Philadelphia, and a principal with the Ohio Ballet prior to that.
Currently, Mr. Carroll is at USF as Associate Professor (2016) where he teaches all levels of ballet, history and partnering.
Over the years, he has been commissioned to produce several pieces including a pop culture dance video to illustrate necessary directives and procedures for new cleaning staffs in reference to high touch surfaces and proper protocol of cleaning illustrated through dance and music (now used nationally and internationally); a piece to be used for Nursing Homes and one for In Line Nursing initiatives; dance videos that illustrated the social issues of bullying; dating/domestic violence and one geared toward suicide awareness. His videos are used in countries all over the world and by prestigious organisations such as the World Health Organization.
Mr. Carroll's research using dance as a communication tool to address medical and social issues and subsequent video work has been featured on the ABC, CBS, FOX and Bay News 9 television news networks.
In 2018 he was awarded a Stanley J. Wertheimer Fellowship to pursue a certification as a Dance for Parkinson's teacher by the acclaimed Dance for PD program in New York. In 2019, he began an inaugural program in Tampa. He is also an author and an international speaker.
Andrew came to Trinidad in 2020 as a full-bright scholar and mounted a piece called Gatekeeper and will be premiered later in the year.
Job Titles:
- Creative Director
- Rehearsal Director & Assistant Artistic Director
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Bridgette trained in classical ballet and modern dance at the Caribbean School of Dancing.
Job Titles:
- Associate of the Royal Academy of Dance ( ARAD )
Ms. Yip Choy began ballet at the age of eight (8) years old at the Marcia Turner Dance School on Picton Street, Port of Spain and continued until for ten (10) years. At the age of 16 she entered Teen Talent with another dancer and performed a duet choreographed by the late Patricia Roe, placing third in the finals. Later on she received a scholarship from the Dance Association to pursue ballet in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School - Professional Section. Whilst at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School she performed in the Opera Aida and completed a course in music and movement for toddlers conducted by Professor Kennedy from the University of Manitoba. Ms. Yip Choy also taught RAD ballet at The Royal Ballet School for three (3) years before returning to Trinidad & Tobago. In 1984 she began to teach at the Caribbean School of Dancing, originally owned by Marcia Turner Moze. She then went on to perform with the Trinidad Operatic Society in "The Merry Widow" and was one of the judges on Hazel Ward Redman's Talent Show, "12 and Under," for two years.
In 1995, Ms. Yip Choy started the Metamorphosis Dance Company alongside two other associates: Nancy Herrera and Christal De Souza. In the early stages of the dance company, she choreographed two pieces: "Duality" and "Everything Comes to an End". Further to those pieces, she has also choreographed for the Lydians Singers' performance of "Turandot", directed by the late Pat Bishop. Ms. Yip Choy has also assisted with the choreography of the school's dances shows since she began teaching at Caribbean School of Dance.
Outside of Caribbean School of Dancing, she has worked closely with autistic children for the past 20 years teaching music and movement for an establishment which later became known as Life Centre.
Carol Yip Choy is one of the founders of The Metamorphosis Company and is the Company's Costume mistress. Carol is an associate of the Royal Academy of dance RAD, and was taught at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School before returning to teach at the Caribbean School of Dancing. Carol is now retired after 39 years of service to the dance community.
Frederic Jahn was discovered at his father's dance school in New Zealand. Quickly moving to Australia he started his dance career at the Queensland Ballet and the Australian Ballet.
This is where he met Rudolf Nureyev, who would come to play a pivotal role in Jahn's dance career. It was Nureyev's advice that pushed Jahn to travelled to Europe in 1973 where he first joined the national theatre in Munich and later the Dutch National Ballet.
Most of Jahn's professional career was spent in England. It is here that he joined the Scottish Ballet and spent nearly 10 years at the English National Ballet. It is also where he met his wife Patricia Ruanne.
Jahn created the role of Tybalt in the world premiere of Rudolf Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet at the Coliseum Theatre, London in June 1977. He is now currently responsible for the entire production worldwide. His works include regulating and rehearsing classical and contemporary ballets with all levels of dancers. He offers personal coaching and preparation of dancers for roles of great difficulty, for both debutants and established principals. This he does to ease technical stress, assist their comprehension of the dramatic and musical requirements of the role, and to facilitate the collaboration between male and female artistes in their partnering skills.
Along with the custodianship of Nureyev's work Jahn worked as ballet master at the Florence Ballet, Paris Opera House and La Scala. He also travels the world to work with various companies such as Metamorphosis.
In 2012 Jahn and Patricia Ruanne worked with Metamorphosis Dance Company to create and premiere a local version of the classic ballet, Giselle. Pulling from island folklore and history he created a contemporary Caribbean ballet based on the musical score of Giselle and accompanied by a live steel orchestra.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director
- Co - Founder
For the past 34 years Herrera has taught at the Caribbean School of Dancing and has been involved in every facet of dance culture in Trinidad: choreography, theatre, lived dance practices, Carnival, teaching children with special needs, training the very talented for professional life. Herrera teaches from pre-school to tertiary. Presently she is Head of Dance at the Academy for the Performing Arts at UTT.
In 1995, along with two other teachers, Carol Yip Choy and Christel De Souza, she formed the Metamorphosis Dance Company at the Caribbean School of Dancing at 2a Dere Street and has been the Artistic Director since its inception.
In 2013 she formed the Metamorphosis Dance Foundation. She authored a chapter on her success with Metamorphosis in the book ‘The Connecting Literacy Puzzle - Linking the Professional, Personal and Social Perspectives', published by Hampton Press in 2012.
Ten years ago together with Sonja Dumas, Dave Williams and Nicole Wesley, she established the Contemporary Dance Collective and the annual CoCo dance Festival which showcases cutting edge contemporary dance choreography of local and international choreographers. In 2010 she was awarded her M. Phil in Cultural Studies from the University of the West Indies.
Carol Yip Choy is one of the founders of The Metamorphosis Company and is the Company's Costume mistress. Carol is an associate of the Royal Academy of dance RAD, and was taught at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School before returning to teach at the Caribbean School of Dancing. Carol is now retired after 39 years of service to the dance community.