Five years after his first foray as a bandleader, Neil Stanley has won the prestigious Robert Weekes Award for Best Festival Designer (Junior Kadooment).
His presentation, Rhythm Of A People in the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust and AffinityPlus Junior Kadooment, was a striking combination of costume, colour and music depicting the various cultures reflected in Barbadian society.
“Oh my, I am truly, truly, truly excited because for me it is a testament of hard work being paid off. This is our fifth year of participation and it is a tremendous honour because it recognises the creative vision behind the presentation,” Stanley told the DAILY NATION via telephone, adding his goal is to tell stories through costume design and celebrate culture.
A Barbadian by residence, Stanley started in costume design in his native Trinidad and Tobago. His Royalty Junior Kadooment Band comprised six sections.
“Each section represented a distinctive musical or cultural influence. We had the African traditions and ballet, the jazz, steel pan, soca, dancehall, chutney, praise and worship, and Chinese heritage and together they formed one vibrant presentation that celebrated unity through diversity.”
In addition to Best Junior Band, they were first in Historical and Topical, won Most Colourful and were second in Folklore. Their king topped the category and the queen was second. They took one second and two third places among the couples and were third in the Junior Flagperson category.
Stanley said they did a lot of research to ensure everything blended well. Complementary music was chosen and the children practised the choreography so it all came together on the stage last Saturday. There were 130 revellers, ranging from age four to 17.
Stanley now turns his attention to helping a few individuals and Grand Kadooment bands but has no plans of moving to the big jump at this time.
Pinelands Creative Workshop, under the leadership of Shelly Durant-Forde also did well in the private bands category.
Meanwhile, Shirley Chisholm Primary School copped the most awards in the category for schools and community bands, including Best School Band. The other accolades include Most Colourful, Best Costume Structure, Best Couple, Junior King, HIV/AIDA Award, first in fantasy, second in environmental and folklore and other awards for couples and individuals.
Bandleader Melaney Hurley, the early childhood education coordinator at the school, was also pleased with the theme Ocean Echoes – Battle of the Blue – brought to life by designer Alyssa Goddard.
They had 71 children parading before the judges in three section with nine individuals and a couple.
“I was very surprised that we had won so many prizes, mostly because there are so many other bands. I’m not sure how many are in the schools and community categories.
“You’re looking at your own designs the entire time and yes, they might look fabulous to you, but you don’t know what other people are going to come with,” Hurley said, adding “but I was also very happy because that means that we were not delusional in our own bubble thinking that our costumes are great. They really were great and that was proven by the judges also seeing the beauty and the creativity and what Alyssa had created.”
She was also full of praise for the other teachers at the school. Work commenced at the start of the Hilary Term and there were some long days and nights.
“They worked with the students that were wearing the individual costumes. So while the designer and I were working on getting the costumes together, they were working with the students, they called them up to the school … showing them how to parade in the costumes…” Weston United Stars Community Band, under leader Andrea Lynch, was the Best Community Band. (SAT)