Rodney Small delivers classy, top quality show in Steel Expressions 7

By Bria King

THE CURTAINS have been drawn on the 2018 staging of Steel Expressions and patrons are already anticipating next year’s production.

Steel Expressions: Epiphany was held on December 29 at the Mike Findlay pavilion at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex where patrons had the opportunity to enjoy live music from a variety of local artistes and a guest appearance from Trinidadian calypsonian, Sugar Aloes.

PANNIST JOMORO Francis and pianist, Sean Sutherland at last Saturday’s show

The sold out event was held for the seventh time here in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and was in support of childhood cancer.

“I just really wanted something that had to do with kids on a whole, but in the medical field. One of my medical friends told me we have a lot of kids who suffer from cancer from time to time. I myself wasn’t really aware of childhood cancer in St Vincent and after doing my investigation, I really wanted to place awareness, not just to get money but to raise awareness that it does exist in St Vincent,” Rodney Small, the executive producer and artistic director of the event.

He said that the event has been selecting a charity for the last five years and this was the second time that they have chosen to focus on childhood cancer.

RODNEY SMALL and violinist Darron Andrews performed an exceptional duet

Small made three appearances at Saturday’s show to play songs from different genres on pan for patrons. Local artistes including Hance John, and , Darron Andrews also joined the pannist in some renditions.

Other members of the show’s cast included singers, Kiokya Cruickshank and Sarah Mark; pianist, Sean Sutherland; pannist, Jomoro Francis and electric guitarist Krystian Mark.

KiOKYA CRUICKSHANK

Small, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT this week, said that preparations for the show “wasn’t really easy but it was worth it”.

The creative director said that the idea was to show the evolution of production across the region and the world on a whole.

“This year (2018) was a lot of risks and a lot of heavy tasks that we’ve undertaken. My phone has been going off from Sunday morning. For persons, it was a game changer. That’s the most common thing. They were saying it was an excellent production and it’s really where now we need to see production in St Vincent,” he said. “For me personally, what was one of the greatest achievements was being able to bring together the different artistes from different styles, different genres, because if you realise, you had Kiokya Cruickshank on stage, Sean Sutherland who is a pianist, myself, Darron Andrews and the youth ambassadors, so being able to have different persons from different sections of the industry…and the patrons appreciating it for what it is, was a great achievement for

myself and the committee.”

During Saturday’s show, many patrons made their way to the front of the stage to dance to the live music being played on stage.

“Every year you come, there is something different. I think it’s just the fact that they have different artistes and their quality of artistes – that really stands out,” one patron told SEARCHLIGHT.

He said that he has been attending the show for the last three years and he commended the organizers of Steel Expressions for putting on a classy and top quality show.

SUGAR ALOES

For him, some of the stand out performances of this year came from keyboardist, Sean Sutherland, gospel singer, Kiokya Cruickshank and Small, whom he referred to as “a maestro of pan”.

At the end of the show, another patron declared that she loved everything about it.

“…even the band (Vykinz band)! Rodney Small is a true artiste and Kiokya Cruickshank, she was amazing. It was really, really good,” she said.

The only complaint that could be heard coming from some patrons making their way onto the lawns for the after party, was that the guest performance by calypsonian, Sugar Aloes was too short.

Small, in his interview with SEARCHLIGHT, expressed sincerest gratitude to the sponsors of the event and the persons who came out and supported on Saturday night.

“We’re gonna continue showing persons the growth of this event. We’re gonna continue our charity and it’s more opportunities for our youth ambassadors which we would be mentoring and pushing more youth to be a part of Steel Expressions,” Small told SEARCHLIGHT.

The production slated for December 28,2019 is dubbed Steel Expressions: At the Movies.