The tradition of excellence continued last Friday night as the National Independence Festival Of Creative Arts Performing Arts Semi-finals moved into the second weekend at Combermere School with 30 performances from individuals and ensembles.
On a night dedicated to music, one where the audience was treated to genres such as African, gospel, folk, calypso, soca, R&B and pop, Graydon Sealy Secondary School Choir’s Betsy’s Story stood out because of its blending of folk and contemporary music in the entry titled Murder In The Market.
Written by theatre arts teacher Stephanie Chase, who directed them, the choir didn’t simply render the classic folk song. They impressed the audience and, hopefully, the judges with a fantastic dramatic presentation with costumes and props that took people to a busy market akin to Cheapside or Fairchild Street, good storytelling and a strong underlying message about domestic abuse.
Fed-up and frustrated with her abusive partner’s manhandling, Betsy killed him in a fit of anger in the busy market. What followed were good ole Bajan eyewitness accounts that used lyrics and music from popular songs such as Active by LaStacia, and Leadpipe’s Dah’s Wuh She Get fused seamlessly with the lyrics of Murder In The Market. Even Betsy’s former love interest Mr Parker had his say on the situation. The moments of levity did not detract from the message to anyone who is in such a situation: “It’s time to get away” and “You can walk away”.
The choir also performed the inspiring song Something Inside Me So Strong and added to an overall good showing from the St Michael school, with performances from students who participated in this year’s edition of the Scotiabank Junior Monarch competitions as well as last year’s.
There was Ethan Edey, a semi-finalist in this year’s calypso category, who delivered Never Too Young To Die with such conviction that if encores were allowed, he would have received one for the song which warns boys and girls about the dangers of gang life and illegal activity, and urges them to stay in school and learn well.
Junior Soca Monarch Khalijah Kellman showed how she copped the title with a medley titled Ode To Crop Over that included her winning song Party Mode, while fourth-placed Rohanna Horton sang her uplifting soca Me And You.
Both Kellman and Horton performed Cover Drive’s Twilight and Don’t Rain On My Parade in the first half of the show, while their schoolmate Damario Foster, a 2025 NIFCA gold awardee and 2025 Junior Monarch finalist, sang Edwin Yearwood’s Voice In My Head, a rendition the audience enjoyed.
Also stirring memories of the July contest was junior calypso monarch finalist William Bryan, a pupil of Blackman and Gollop Primary School, who sang his entry Is It A Plus?, a commentary on the 11-Plus exam.
Powerful voice
As far as performances from other schools went, Combermere School Steel Orchestra, directed by Mark Forde, was great with its renditions of Boat Ride and Nah Going Home. Harrison College Choir sang Stand Up a capella, Parkinson Memorial Secondary School student Shamia Bourne’s powerful voice filled the Major Noott Hall during her rendition of Teach Me The Way Of Love and Satola Best of Alleyne School performed the calypso This Melody.
A total of 15 soloists faced the judges, most of them with two entries.
Shernell Clarke’s gospel’s selections were In The Nick Of Time and That Is You; Alexandria Colucci sang NIFCA staple How Many More and I Am Amazed; Tarique Griffith sang Baby and Dance With My Father; and Rashida Applewhaite gave two stirring renditions of I Dreamed A Dream and One Moment In Time.
Shaquan Smith’s choices were Diamonds and I Who Have Nothing, while ZZ Cumberbatch’s were Dancing On The Stars and His Life For Mine. Sangeane Beckles and 2025 NIFCA silver awardee Odane Bartley sang A Beautiful Paradise and The Heart That Raised Me, respectively.
The show also featured drumming from Haynesville Youth Club, who opened the show with Djembe Extravaganza and Barbados Landship Engine; 441 The Ensemble,
comprising mainly flautists, played Stick Licker and Bazodee; and Alison Hinds Hits Of Thousands was the title of The Bridge Ensemble’s offering of soca with a classical twist. The medley consisted of Square One’s Iron Bazodee, Roll It Gal and Togetherness.
The performing arts semi-finals ended last night.
(GBM)