Comments on Vincy Mas 2014

Fri, Jul 11, 2014

Vincy Mas 2014 is over, and from all reports, it seems to have come off fairly successfully. There have been no reports of major violence directly related to the festival, and Chairman of the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) Dennis Ambrose says the CDC is happy overall.{{more}}

Ambrose, his Board and committees must be congratulated for pulling it all together, despite the financial constraints within which they operate. There are several aspects of the festival which are very pleasing, and others which need revamping or reconsideration.

The developments that we are seeing taking place in steel pan are nothing less than heartwarming. We have previously commented on the growth of junior pan, but great things are also taking place among the seniors. When one considers the delightful performance of relative newcomer South East Steel Orchestra at last week’s Steel and Glitter show, it is clear that this new pan side has ascended to heights previously reserved only for our two perennial titans – Starlift and Sion Hill Euphonium. In fact, South East shoved Starlift down a notch to third place, a position that pan side had not been in for decades! This development is excellent for competition among the bands and should motivate the older bands to get rid of any complacency that exists and serve as encouragement for the newer bands that they too can rise to the heights.

The effect of the challenging economic times in which we live impacted directly on our mas bands. Most of them were smaller overall and their kings and queens less elaborate. Despite this, our mas bands gave as good a showing as we have come to expect of them.

As for calypso, special congratulations to Zamfir “Man Zangie” Adams, who was crowned calypso monarch at Dimanche Gras. It is clear from his delivery and approach that he is serious about developing himself in the Calypso artform. He is a former junior calypso monarch in the secondary schools’ category (2006), repeating a feat accomplished by Anthony “Papa Das” Glasgow in the late 1980s. Congratulations also to runners up Robert “Patches” Knights and last year’s king Shernelle “Skarpyon” Williams.

And Fireman! Oh, what a year Delroy Hooper has had. Vincy Mas 2014 is undoubtedly his year and he is to be highly commended for his two popular pieces –“Unruly” and “Rum Meeting”. With “Rum Meeting” he has, in one fell swoop, added a new expression to the lexicon of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and even the wider Caribbean. Taking the titles of Ragga Soca Monarch, Soca Monarch, and both first and second place for the Road March is historic. The only person who has achieved something similar in recent times is Lornette “Fya Empress” Nedd, who in 2012, took the titles of Ragga Soca Monarch, Calypso Monarch and Road March Monarch, as well as second position in the Soca Monarch competition. Congrats also to the runners up in the soca competitions – Travis “Wiz Skid” Lynch, Fya Empress, former Soca Monarch Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle and Shertz “Problem Child” James for a great performances.

The Miss Carival Show continues to be poorly attended and there is criticism that it is boring. We suspect that one reason that the delegates’ performances fail to keep the interest of the audience at the Victoria Park, is the positioning of the stage – it is too far away from the audience in the pavilions. We suspect that the stage is positioned to accommodate the party shows like Soca Monarch. But for events like Miss SVG, Miss Carival, the mas and pan shows, the audience is too far away from the performers and as a result, the audience is disconnected from what is happening on stage and gets bored. The audience cannot see the expressions on the faces of the performers, or the fine details of the gowns, swimsuits and costumes.

We recommend that in future, chairs be placed in the open area near to the stage so that those who wish to get a clearer view can do so without having to stand throughout the whole show. Whether the CDC chooses to charge for these seats is another issue, but they should be reminded that because the weather is often inclement at this time of the year, the chairs should be available so that those persons who have bought tickets for the stands can come closer if they wish and retreat to their purchased seats when necessary. Appreciation by patrons, of the efforts of the performers, would be greatly improved, we are certain.

A final comment – in these hard economic times, are those fireworks which herald the beginning of some shows really necessary? Sponsored or not, they appear to us to be more like money going up in smoke.