Ex Spice members Pretty Pretty, TC, and Dancing Rebel addressed the important and prevalent issue of Depression in episode two of their reality web series Dancehall Life. The show has been bringing in steady numbers on YouTube and has already been viewed over 210,000 times since it was uploaded on April 18. The dancers share a home and their experiences together. In this episode, they look to be doing some renovations.
The first episode of the series premiered two weeks ago on Kingston Signal’s official YouTube channel. The Jamaican dancers Keticia “TC” Chatman, Christina “Dancing Rebel” Nelson, and Tashlicka “Pretty Pretty” Laird all contribute to the discussion in the latest episode. The series follows their lives and journey in the field so far. It was co-created by music executive/producer Cordell “Skatta” Burrell.
TC addresses the issue of Depression when talking about the recent lockdown announced by PM Andrew Holness as he looks to battle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown includes a weekly curfew of 8:00 pm to 5:00 am, a Saturday curfew of 4:00 pm, and a Sunday one that starts at 2:00 pm. These times will effectively shut down the entertainment industry, and TC said this could lead to some people feeling depressed.
“We know nuff people out there.. Nuff people suffer with depression and nuff people nah do well by themself, without anybody to talk to. I would encourage anybody out there in times like these like if you can communicate, text people try to communicate with people,” she said. She added that she has also experienced symptoms of Depression and at times when she doesn’t have anyone to speak to she feels “mad.”
Burrell also commented on why he felt that the topic should be addressed, “Depression is just one of the topics Dancehall Life will delve into. The girls are very humorous and, of course, talented but they do have some depth to them that may not have been as obvious as will be seen on the show,” he explained to the Caribbean Buzz.
He added that the topic of Depression was important because of the fact that many young girls and women look up to the dancers, and so he believes they should touch on real issues.
“They are also role models to a lot of young girls so we at DSR (DownSounds Records) wanted to make sure there are always solid messages and lessons in as much of the episodes as possible,” said Burrell.
Burrell continued: “The girls have often been told that they have been a source of inspiration so they are aware of the effect and the influence they can wield. They care a lot about their fans and just wanted to share some of the issues they themselves have come across and give their take on how to deal with these issues.”
You can take a look at the show below.
