Esther Hamer: A life of dance and the arts

Esther Hamer has given 33 years of her life to dance having taken up the art at 4 years old. Though passionate about dance, over the years, Esther has also found herself drawn to other art forms: drama, designing, producing and directing all while being a full-time mother and wife.

 “My mother is what I would call a performing arts enthusiast. She likes music, dance, drama and does a bit of knitting and sewing. She got me involved in dance after seeing me wining to the old funeral song that used to play on the radio. After she saw that, she thought to find a dance school and that’s how I got enrolled in the National School of Dance. So, my mother was one of the key factors in pushing me to dance,” Esther explained.

Her father danced too; waltzes and club dancing. He taught Esther to waltz. He was her first dance teacher. He also did portraits. Her sister, Esther said, danced during her primary and high school years but moved on to dressmaking and design. Her sister along with her brother drew really well though they never took it up professionally. Esther’s grandmother on her mother’s side was involved in drama and was also a member of her church choir.  So, there was a foundation and reinforcement as regards her life in dancing and the arts.