LETTER: Steel band concerts remind me why I returned to the peninsula
Recalling the pleasure of looking into the faces of hundreds of people and seeing pure, unfiltered joy
Sept. 15, 2026
By Martin Conte
Click on the image above to listen to some of Flash!’s recorded music. Image courtesy of Flash!
Fall for me means the bittersweet, chaotic return to the classroom, and the end of our Flash! streetdances. We’ve had a fantastic season, raised money for meaningful local non-profits, traveled to various town centers, and played for thousands of folks local and visiting. I’d like to share one particular highlight that I keep returning to in my mind.
Every Monday night, I had the pleasure of teaching our enthusiastic audience of dancers some choreography to one of our new tunes, a classic Trinidadian melody called “Dollar.” It’s simple, a few jumps back and forth, everyone arranged in lines across the parking lot of the town park. We’d launch the tune, and when the time came, I turned to the audience and led the formation.
I can’t quite tell you how special this moment was for me each week. I have had the great pleasure of looking into the faces of 200-300 of my community members over and over, and seeing pure, unfiltered joy. Students from my English classroom at GSA, barefoot and grinning ear to ear; folks who have been attending these dances since before I was born, laughing at the organized chaos; vacationers from away, wide-eyed with surprise at this strange cultural phenomenon they’ve stumbled upon. Babies in mother’s arms. Toddlers chasing bubbles from the bubble machine. It is a privilege, a glimpse at something that is otherwise rare, week after week: ecstatic abandon. I’ll cherish these memories made for a long time.
I don’t think there’s anything quite like Flash! pandances. Several folks at their inaugural dance have made almost identical comments: where else can you see six year olds, sixteen year olds, and sixty year olds happily sharing a dance floor, much less a public park? These dances constantly remind me why I returned to make this peninsula my home. We dance with joy and intention. We dance together.
I hope all of you who joined us on that dancefloor cherish those nights. I hope you know the debt of gratitude I have for each of you in your support of Flash! And a special appreciation for all of you doing the Dollar Dance, letting me share that joy. You’ve made this director so grateful. Welcome Autumn!
—Conte is the director of Flash!, a community steel drum band that plays every week in the summer at Blue Hill Town Park. A Stonington resident, Conte is also an English teacher and director of the student steel drum band at George Stevens Academy.
The Rising Tide welcomes letters and opinion pieces from a wide variety of viewpoints. Please review our guidelines for helpful tips on what we look for in letters and opinions. Published pieces do not reflect the editorial stance of The Rising Tide or its board, and are not endorsements. To submit a piece to us, email info@risingtide.media.
