Community Dance Fest thrills

By Hallam Hope

Barbadian youths packed the Wildey Gymnasium on Errol Barrow memorial day to take in Community Dance Fest and its thrilling dance, pulsating music and messages of hope for a brighter future.

It was standing room, screams of delight and thunderous support for the various acts, especially in the second half when the lone female group, Les Filles Magnifique, took on the male likes of Reactivated Squad, Demolition Squad, Praise Academy of Dance – New Era and defending adult winners  Xtra Hype.

After much deliberation by the judges Demolition Squad were adjudged winners of the Prime Minister’s award in the adult section while Tabia were selected as the winners in the childrens’ section. Alexandra School were second in the adult category and Praise Academy of Dance – New Era third, while the Israel Lovell Foundation juniors were second in the childrens’ section and OLOS third.
Community Dance Fest is co-ordinated and funded by the Community Development Department, which falls under the Ministry of Community Development and Culture. Also involved in its planning and execution is the Ministry of Youth Affairs and various organisations such as the National Cultural Foundation and the Pan African Commission.

Amid the thrills of the adjudication events and the guest performances emphasis was also placed on supporting the people of Haiti and the horrific earthquake victims.

The huge audience was invited to donate to Haiti by texting from their Digicel phones. Dwayne Husbands’ touching rendition “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” featured  a video presentation depicting the plight of Haitians.

The show started with a modern dance piece from Nicolette Williams entitled “Footsteps” which earned  the first applause for the evening. The messages varied as was the genres. Alexandra School brought “Let It Rain” a Christian modern dance by females while New Era was a male Christian focus on the ending times and the importance of preparation. Tabia won with “Something Happening”, a Caribbean folk dance while Israel Lovell Founadation Juniors were also a crowd-pleaser with a Caribbean folk item, “Bitter Sweet”, which featured Caribbean music Stiltwalkers, a tuk band, cute Mother Sallys, multi-coloured clowns, a green monkey and a Shaggy Bear, ending with an explosion of multi-coloured confetti. OLOS were third with a modern dance piece, “Run For Your Life”.
And the other guest performances were also varied, entertaining and thought-provoking. Michael Taitt’s team performed a breathtaking balancing act, Moony General had a chant item, there was a worship piece from Patrick Forde who lost his legs in a car accident  and a medley of acts including cycling acrobatic skills from the Wacky Dance Squad to keep the crowd alive.

While positive messages on bullying, violence  and beach litter were presented impressively it was the high-energy, “What A Change” with a mix of hip hop and Passa Passa from Demolition Squad, looking at violence in the society, which won the sway of the judges in the adult section.
Reports on the Community Dance Fest, starting with the preliminaries in November, are available at the website of the Community Development Department – www.comdev.gov.bb.