Community Dance Fest Thrills Audiences!

By Hallam Hope

The crowds are growing and the dance groups appear sharper as the Community Dance Fest Zone Finals continue to delight audiences.

Tuesday night was the turn for the Zone Finals for the southern parishes and the contrasting, yet  engaging performances of Praise Academy of Dance – New Era,Tabia, Adrenaline and Les Filles Magnifique kept Chief Judge Alicia Payne and her team engrossed.

New Era, from the well-known Christian dance organisation, Praise Academy of Dance, performed a piece which spoke to individual preparation for the “End Times”, the name of the dance. It was  typically energetic and interestingly choreographed with a traditional Christian message.

Tabia, comprising quite young females, came back to the judges with Red Plastic Bag’s tremendously popular “Something’s Happening”, a piece they brought from the auditions into this round of actual judging for the finals at Garfield Sobers Sports Complex on January 21^st. Community Dance Fest, formerly Community IndepenDANCE, is organised and funded by the Community Development Department.

Adrenaline, an all-male group, was a crowd pleaser with an energetic, confident rendition.

And Les Femmes Magnifiques, an all-female group hailing from Kingsland, featured stage props for the first time. They danced to a piece about the emotional distress which individuals have when they lose a friend or close family member. The R.I.P (Rest In Piece) stage props added a flavour to what appeared to be an improved performance from the auditions last month.

While the evening was free to the public the quality was high, with special performances making the occasion so much the richer. There was line dancing from Spring Thorne, led by Instructor Lloyd Jackman, and a male and female Salsa piece by Patricia Callender and Frank Brathwaite. They performed “Paradise” as Aspiration Dancers.

And there were treats from the “NIFCA Treasure Chest”, by The Institute, a male and female group attired in white called “Of Another Nature”. The “Treasure Chest”, also included Justin Poleon, who brought yet another style of dance to an entertaining evening.

Zone Finals performances were scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week when groups from the parish of St. Michael were being judged at St. Michael school. All events start at 7 p.m. Reports and information on Community Dance Fest are posted daily on the website of the  Community Development Department – www.comdev.gov.bb