Popular Guyanese dancer teacher and entertainer, Bryan ‘Straighty’ Nobrega, on Friday lost his battle with cancer.
He was 57.
“It is with broken hearts that we share with you that Bryan ‘Straighty’ Nobrega passed away yesterday [Friday] morning after a very long and hard fight with cancer. Bryan is the youngest of six, Patricia, Anthony, Margaret, Charles, and Dawn. He leaves behind his beautiful daughter Breanna, his siblings, his many nieces and nephews. Rest in Peace, my brother. Love always,” his brother Charles posted on his Facebook page.
He told Stabroek News of Nobegra’s patriotism and how he refused to leave his homeland at a time when many grabbed the opportunity to go to Canada and the United States.
“There is so much we would love to say about Bryan, most importantly, that he loved his Guyana so much that when given the opportunity to migrate, he decided that here was where he belonged,” he said.
“Bryan loved entertaining people from a young age. He taught many a young Guyanese to dance and roller skate. He went on to design and create leather crafts and shoes, all the while staying true to his love of dancing and even a bit of karaoke. Bryan was an entrepreneur and later became an activist to cleaning up the seawalls. He will be dearly missed by his family and his many friends near and far,” Charles said.
Many persons paid tribute to Nobrega by posting pictures of their teacher and one-time dance partner on social media.
His longtime friend, Alliance For Change Executive Michael Carrington reflected on the years they spent together and Nobrega’s passion for dancing.
“He loved to dance, everyone knew that. I learned to dance from him. I had joined his dance school back in the 80s. But he was not only a great dancer, he was excellent in leathercraft. I and him learned shoemaking from his brother Charles when we were in our teens,” he said.
“Straighty pushed dancing in this country. He used to promote a lot of dance shows across the country and many competitions were held at the Belvedere Hotel. It is sad to see him go but you know what they say, ‘cancer is not your friend’. He will be missed by many,” Carrington added.
Details of Nobrega’s funeral have not yet been made public.
