March 25-27. 8 p.m.

*** Bermuda's young dancers put on a truly stunning display of their art on Thursday night.

It was just a pity more people didn't turn out to see the enormous amount of effort they'd put into a show that had nearly everything.

Under the direction of Ghana-born Toronto University music lecturer Kwasi Dunyo, Bermuda's youngsters must have made their ancestors proud.

The dancers -- superbly backed up by the Mandela Freedom Drummers, the engine room of the show -- gave their all in set-pieces drawn from various parts of Africa.

And Mr. Dunyo stamped his authority on the show from the first with Gamamla, double bells, probably descended from cattle bells, which alternately harmonised and duelled in what was billed as "a very melodious conversation'' -- and they'll get no argument from me on that score.

One highlight of the show was the segments entitled African Gold and the finale the Nigeria hana Gahu -- money dance or expensive dance -- because of the expense of the costumes.

And whoever did the costume design certainly lived up to the dances name -- the costumes were a riot of colour throughout.

Another highlight was Atsiagbekor -- a war dance from Dahomey -- performed by the Empress Mennan Dancers.

Although presumably not originally intended as a dance for young women -- although I believe Dahomey was ruled by a rather fearsome warrior queen last century -- their African version of square bashing was a delight to watch.

And the one male who participated -- in a role somewhere close to a drill sergeant hectoring the troops to show a bit of spirit -- did a fine job.

But not everything went entirely smoothly -- with such large numbers and some dancers who looked to be as young as five -- a few hiccups can only be expected.

And it must be remembered the dancers aren't professionals and presumably have to fit their rehearsals around other things.

But overall, they did a splendid job, and even the very young showed a remarkable degree of coordination, considering their age.

The really young came into their own with Gota and Kye Kye Kule (Ewe Dance Troupe), the first a rite of passage and the second a children's game.

The little ones strutted their stuff in Gota, billed as an initiation dance bringing boys and girls together.

And the peacock-like strutting -- which with minor variations can probably be seen on any nightclub dance floor in the world -- shows that, in that area at least, nothing much changes.

But when the cast appears to outnumber the audience by a significant percentage, you've got to wonder if they ask themselves why they bothered in the first place.

But those who were there -- including Governor Thorold Masefield, the Governor's lady and his ADC Captain Wayne Smith, all of whom foreswore the black tie option and opted for full African fig -- made up with enthusiasm for their lack of numbers.

And Bermuda's own Shine Hayward made a special appearance with the drummers, weaving the solemn Abide with Me into a complex clarinet pattern perfectly matched by the drummers' efforts.

The show at three hours offered considerable value for the $40 admission price -- although it could perhaps have been trimmed by half an hour to three-quarters of an hour without losing too much.

The final performance is tonight -- if the auditorium isn't considerably fuller than it was on Thursday night, then we all ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

Raymond Hainey ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINERS ENT