“In order to return focus to our Carnival and traditional artforms, it is important to vest the knowledge of these traditions in our young people and lay the foundation for preservation of the cultural artforms that are intrinsically T&T.” Vacation camp Zante! founder, Dara Healy made the statement as she explained why the camp focuses … Continue reading
Filed under Mas …
Looking beneath the surface of traditional Mas (March 22, 2019)
The mas presentation Belmont Baby Dolls, conceived by choreographer and designer Makeda Thomas, was an attempt to reinterpret the Baby Doll mas in a way that subverts the usual presentation. The small band performed on the road on Carnival Monday and Tuesday 2019. Thomas said her main inspiration for creating the band was seeing how … Continue reading
Band brings A game to the party (March 15, 2019)
For the A Team Band, Carnival 2019 was a good one, as they backed some of the biggest names in the soca business. The band, which has been around since 2013, has built a reputation as one of the best backing bands in T&T. Production Manager Brennon Vergil said the original members of the band … Continue reading
Divas Calypso Cabaret International launched (February 13, 2019)
“Calypso tents and steelband are the fundamental basis of T&T Carnival.” Trinbago Unified Calypsonian’s Organisation (TUCO) President Lutalo Masimba, aka Brother Resistance, made the statement during the opening of the Divas Calypso Cabaret International calypso tent on Friday evening. Tent manager Dr. Rudolph Ottley said the tent celebrates 16 years of existence this year. He … Continue reading
Seon Isaacs – Nurturing the artistes of our nation (January 11, 2019)
“Precision planning is what it takes to manage a large number of artists in the current environment in T&T.” Manager Seon Isaacs, who currently manages five Soca artistes, including wife Shivonne “Lil Bitts” Churche-Isaacs. In addition to Lil Bitts, Isaacs currently manages four soca artistes – Rodney “Benjai” LeBlanc, Seumas “Azaryah” Callender, formerly known as … Continue reading
Making up for Carnival with Adafih Padmore (January 8, 2019)
As Carnival approaches, many mas players begin the search for the makeup artist to make them look good at fetes and on the road. One makeup artist offering her services to make players feel beautiful is Adafih Padmore. Padmore has been doing makeup for many years, having completed a diploma in makeup artistry from the … Continue reading
George Bailey’s legacy lives on (February 6, 2019)
An atmosphere of energy and purpose surrounds the Bailey mas camp, as descendants and peers of legendary mas man George Bailey prepare to launch the band Bailey Dynasty Mas. The presentation, Tribal Fantasy, is being built by Bailey’s brother Albert, niece Leeann and grand-nieces Allendra and Amanda, along with Dexter MacLean and Geoffrey Serrette. The … Continue reading
The sky’s the limit for Lil Bitts (January 31, 2019)
“I’m a creative body and I feel like artists should not limit themselves.” This is the reasoning behind Shivonne “Lil Bitts” Churche-Isaacs’ expansion of her creativity into other spheres, with soca releases, a section in Ronnie and Caro’s mas band and performances with the National Theatre Arts Company of T&T. Churche-Isaacs has released two soca … Continue reading
Expedition focuses on the Arts of the New World (January 16, 2019)
The first Hopological Expedition in over 30 years was recently concluded by a team from the Immersion Labs Foundation (ILF). The expedition, which took place in Barbados, was the first ever of its kind which focused on the Arts of the New World. Co-founder of the Bois Academy of T&T, Rondel Benjamin, said the five … Continue reading
Sneak peak at a T&T Opus (July 2, 2017)
“In creating Remembrance, I started to make my own nationalist statement using Trinbagonian elements of music.” “Since I’m a choral musician, it had to contain a choir; since I’m trying to chart a new course for instrumental music with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, I had to also include them and because the first type of … Continue reading
