Story and photos by Shahein Fitzpatrick – A youth from the village of Golden Grove in St. John’s, Antigua shares his life story from a developing child in the womb to a martial artist.
From the community known for its youth inclusion and diversity, Golden Grove houses 20-year-old Zuriel Lackna and his eldest brother, sister and parents.
As a developing child in the womb, he would dance at the request of his parents. It brought great pleasure to their hearts whenever he responded by movement in the tummy. His father would smile for these movements reminded him of when he was a dancer too.
Zuriel grew up attending church with his family and his journey to developing his innate talent for dancing began at the tender age of seven when the opportunity availed itself for him to participate in dancing activities at church.
“Contemporary dancing was the first genre which I was exposed to before evolving into other sorts,” Lackna expressed.
“I then branched off into different genres like Urban, Animation, African; Salsa and another Spanish dance called Dembow, this is what my journey of dancing have been like from then to now,” he added.
His interest and passions expand beyond just dancing, he is a developing martial artist who enjoys the activity as a hobby and he is also a lifelong student who uses his faith in God as a moral compass to guide him daily.
“I always wanted to do martial arts as a child but I decided to focus on school which was of a greater priority at the time. In 2016 my schedule was a bit lighter and I was able to finally pursue this desire of mine.”
Hungry for knowledge and enthused to grow spiritually as a Christian, Lackna found it beneficial to go after a certificate course in Christian apologetics.
Apologetics is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse.
As Lackna reflects on his progress as a youth, he is encouraged by his efforts and the fruits of pursuing the activities he did, for he has learned life lessons like discipline, balance, perseverance and focus.
“We are all humans and we are going to have challenges in life as we pursue our dreams, I would like to encourage dancers and martial artist like my self to persevere through these challenges and stay working at your craft consistently,” Lackna said.
“ Always remain discipline through the hard times of training and practice and you will one day reap the fruits of your labour.”
