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Rex Nettleford
Rex Nettleford was born on the 3rd of February 1933, Falmouth, Jamaica. He first started his education at an infant school, Unity Government School and then attended Montego Bay Boys’ School. In 1953, Nettleford choreographed his first dance at Cornwall College. This was when all his successes began. In the same year, he won a scholarship to the University College of West Indies where he studied for a degree in History. In 1957, Nettleford later became a Rhodes Scholar and studied politics at Oriel College Oxford in London. On his return to Jamaica in 1959, he was immediately recruited by the University College of West Indies as a staff tutor. He helped to establish the Trade Union Education Institute in 1964 at the university and became the Vice-Chancellor served from 1998-2004. Nettleford authored numerous books, essays and articles including a study of the Rastafarian movement (1961) and ‘Mirror, Mirror: Identity, Race and Protest in Jamaica’ (1970). He also produced a range of works focused on dance theatre in the Caribbean. In 1963, he became the co-founder, artistic director, choreographer and lead dancer of the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica (NDTC). Today, NDTC is recognized as one of the most outstanding dance groups. Nettleford had served in various leadership capacities on numerous regional and international bodies including, CARICOM and the West Indian Commission, the IDRC, UNESCO, the ILO, and the OAS. Nettleford received many honours such as the Order of Merit (1975) from the Jamaican government and the Order of the Caribbean Community (2008). In 2010, Rex Nettleford died few hours before his 77th birthday. Ralston Milton “Rex” Nettleford made a great impact in the Caribbean and beyond. May his wonderful soul rest in peace.