Judging concludes for Community Dance Fest

By Hallam Hope

The curtain came down for judging of Zone finalists in Community Dance Fest Thursday with a combination of thrilling entertainment and socially-provocative pieces.

The adjudication section ranged from the tiny tots of Hindsbury Primary school performing a line dance to the “street dancing” or for some Hip Hop of Active Squad and Demolition Squad, both all-male dance groups, and the energetic female-dominant Kumba.

Thursday evening at St. Michael Secondary School was the second for groups from  St. Michael and the last of the four  Zone Final judging nights involving entries from across the island.

Toddlers and more experienced dancers kept their family and friends cheering the entire night and there was no lack of support for the male groups and definitely not for the Israel Lovell Foundation, whose dancers provided several supporting acts throughout the Zone Finals.

Emcee Antoine Williams was back with his inimitable style of hunour and audience-entertaining input. Organised and funded by the Community Development Department, Community Dance Fest will shift gear after the Christmas festivities in a build-up to the finals at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, at Wildey, on January 21^st.

Dressed adorably in their blue uniforms the Hindsbury students, who have been working hard at their presentation, opened the evening to the applause of the crowd. They were followed by the Wesley Hall infants performing an Afro-Caribbean piece in multi-coloured attire and the dancers of the Israel Lovell Foundation.. 

Kumba, mostly teenage females, thrilled the crowd and danced to a number of tunes, including the material  of Rihanna. There was a supporting indigenous dance from Dancing Africa, six females, a tuk band of two males, who gave a tribute to the Land Ship.

Following Kumba, the male dancers of Active Squad and Demolition Squad brought their fans to their feet with applause.

Wacky Wane was the closing act. As it’s name suggests, it is an entertainment group, bringing dance and stage performance in a light-hearted way which included a unicycle. A Michael Jackson impression piece  was a feature of the Wacky Wayne presentation.