Crop Over 2012 is still six months away, but Unique Productions Worldwide Ltd has not taken that time for granted, having recently launched Dragonfly Mass, its Crop Over band, at the lounge club Priva in St James.
Patrons took in every minute detail of band designer Renee Ratcliffe’s crafty and colourful work.
The sections that were displayed were Fireworks, which pays tribute to Alison Hinds’ (who was present at the launch) 2003 offering; Peace Sign, which pays tribute to Edwin Yearwood’s 1996 Road Monarch tune; Snakes In De Grass, a tribute to the late De Great Carew; Make Noise in tribute to Spice & Company’s song of the same name and their lead singer Alan Shepherd; Chutney Bacchanal in tribute to Trinidadian artiste Chris Garcia and his song; and last but not least, Chow Mein in tribute to the artiste’s 2009 hit Chinese Connection.
Ratcliffe mentioned that the costumes were chosen because she wanted them to be representative of the theme, Tunes And More Tunes, bringing back memories of songs that people from all walks of life in Barbados have connected with over the years.
The winner of the 2010 Festival Designer Of The Year Award said of her inspiration and the designing process: “I normally design everything the day after Crop Over [the previous year]. I get very inspired on the road, and I think about what would be a good band.
“But normally the day after Kadooment, my feet are sore and I’m tired, so I start to draw and write down all of my different ideas and then I elaborate by illustrating and designing the band.”
In essence Dragonfly will culminate on the road come Kadooment Day in what would in fact have been a year-long process.
