Playing Mas on Campus: Dance and Public Demonstrations at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad

In Trinidad, the act of playing mas in Carnival is about transformation and the intersection of traditional characters with contemporary social issues. When the mas moves from the streets of Port of Spain to a university campus, dance and theatrical performance become a means for students to engage with social issues in public spaces. In February 2014, the performing arts students of the University of the West Indies St. Augustine campus played mas to raise awareness for several issues in the department. The students claimed a lack of adequate class space and proper consultation in developing these resources. The students carried handmade placards with slogans, danced, chanted, and sang as they lined the road to campus. Some students even performed ballet and modern dance sequences learned in class on the sidewalk to demonstrate the need for more rehearsal space. Later in that same month, students also produced The Old Yard, part of the annual Trinidad Carnival celebration. The event featured “dramatic displays and exhibitions linked to cultural research within and outside of the University of the West Indies” (UWI St Augustine Campus 2014). Both performances utilized dance to communicate how socio-economic issues impacted daily life on campus and within a national performance community. By applying historical and ethnographic frameworks, I explore how the students use the act of playing mas as a means to negotiate their identity as performers and students in a university setting.