Anica Wood moves for the Lord
There was a time when Anica Wood was the life of the party. Her natural ability and the training she got as part of Wolmer’s Dance Troupe up to when she was 12 years old made her the centre of attention, from paid events to family gatherings where relatives would pay to see her make her moves.
“Dancehall was my thing,” Wood told Dancers’ Paradise, reeling off a list of then favourite dance songs, including Gully Creeper, World Dance, Screechie, Higher Level and Online. “I could go on and on,” she said.
However, Wood could not go on and on popping moves at parties, and, in 2016, she became a Christian. She now dances for her church — Transformed Life – which meets at the Police Officers Club on Hope Road, St Andrew, for Praise Academy of Dance — going on stage at events like Easter Monday’s Unity in the City — and individually. However, behind the stretches and smile, the extensions and excitement, there is a story of pain that goes back to Wood’s childhood when she had been training formally.
“At a young age, a family member made a comment. It changed everything. They said, ‘This dance you are doing, stop it. It is foolishness’,” Wood recalled.
Crushed, she dropped out of the troupe, reserving her dancing for parties, where she would make it into the middle of the circle, hip movements and all.
“People go out for different things. I went to dance,” she said.
ALWAYS WANTING TO DANCE
However, the desire to dance on a stage never left Wood.
“I would go to dance shows and be on the edge of my seat, saying that I should be up there,” she said. It got to the point where it was too painful to attend those events and not participate, so she stopped.
Quitting the party circuit for the church led Wood back to