Beryl McBurnie

Beryl McBurnie
Born
Beryl Eugenia McBurnie

(1913-11-02)2 November 1913
Died30 March 2000(2000-03-30) (aged 86)
Nationality Trinidad and Tobago
Other namesLa Belle Rosette
EducationColumbia University, New York
Known forDance, choreography, dance instruction
Notable workThe Little Carib Theatre
MovementPromotion of Dance, Arts and Culture of Trinidad & Tobago
AwardsDoctor of Laws, University of the West Indies; Hummingbird Gold Medal (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago); Trinity Cross (Republic of Trinidad and Tobago)
Patron(s)Katharine Dunham, Martha Graham, Paul Robeson, Sam Manning, Carmen Miranda, Charles Weidman, Louise Crane, Doris Humphrey

Beryl Eugenia McBurnie OBE (2 November 1913 – 30 March 2000) was a Trinidadian dancer, who also performed as La Belle Rosette. She established the Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, Port of Spain, and promoted the culture and arts of Trinidad and Tobago as her life's work. She helped to promote the cultural legitimacy of Trinidad and Tobago that would shift the country into the age of independence. McBurnie dedicated her life to dance, becoming one of the greatest influences on modern Trinidadian pop culture.