First Quarter (Part 1)

Ozwald Balfour was born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. After graduating from high school in 1973, Balfour joined the La Tropical Dance Group, one of the nation’s top Folk Performing Companies. While he was still developing his talents as a dancer, Balfour’s skillful leadership was tapped to be the manager of a tour to Surinam just three months after he joined the group.

Balfour said, “The tour was spectacular. It was my first trip abroad. When we landed our limo drove onto the tarmac to pick us up. We stayed in the country’s finest hotel and performed for royalty. I was hocked.” For the next two year Balfour performed throughout the Caribbean at the leading hotels, nightclubs and on television.

Balfour literally danced his way from Trinidad in the south to the Bahamas in the north. “When I got to the Bahamas I realized that I was out of islands. Next, I joined Carnival Cruise Lines as an entertainer. We sailed from Miami to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Martin on seven-day cruises. I did three shows for a total of 60 minutes each week. What a life, exclaimed Balfour with glee.

In 1975, Balfour moved to Pensacola, Florida to take a job as a limbo dance at Trader Joe’s, one of the top nightclubs in the city. It was here that Balfour made his transition from on stage to behind the scenes. He co-wrote a government grant to form the After-School Community Theater (ACT). Balfour said that he found his calling as a producer and director working with young aspiring actors and actresses. “I particularly enjoyed discovering new talent.”, said Balfour.

New York City was my next quest. My first job was as a director at children’s theater in Brooklyn. When I took my young actors to Broadway to see The Wizard of Oz starring Eartha Kitt, I was inspired to pursue a career in the entertainment industry”, Balfour recalls. When he returned to Trinidad in 1979, Balfour landed a job as the Radio/Television Producer with Lonsdale Adverting Agency, one of the leading agencies in the Caribbean. In 1980 Balfour married Annie Maynard, his high school sweetheart. The newly weds moved to Utah so that Balfour could realize his dream to get a college education.