With so many juniors entering the National Independence Festival of Creative Arts, the National Cultural Foundation gave them a separate night at the Frank Collymore Hall on Tuesday.
Twenty-seven entrants, who scored the highest in the non-professional category from the semi-finals competed for top awards in music, dance and theatre.
At stake is the James Millington Award for Excellence in Music, the Daphne Joseph-Hackett Award for Excellence in Drama, the Madame Ifill Award for Excellence in Drama, The Prime Minister’s Scholarship and the LIME?Creator’s Award.
While all were good and the audience enjoyed the performances, some stood head and shoulders above the rest. Arthur Smith Primary School, who did two pieces, made Sweet Vibes with music. They combined different calypsos by using words but not the melodies from songs by Lil Rick and others and even did a bit of Blood and Mikey’s Roll?It.
Praise Academy of Dance had a soloist in the form of a beautiful ballerina in When You Believe and the group’s piece God’s Army showed good triumphing over evil.
The only steelpan sounds came from SKF?Steelsounds, a young, energetic group who did Lord You Are Good and Sophony in C Minor.
Isaiah Cozier’s dramatic piece, Miss My Time With You, spoke about getting caught up with life and moving away from God. At the end of the short but effective piece, he’d found God again and closed the scene with Bible in hand.
Cuthbert Moore Primary School’s Exercise was about promoting a healthy lifestyle and Gentle Ships Dance Academy Ships’ Ahoy had movements and costumes reminiscent of the Barbados Landship.
A number of schools brought original pieces in the music category. Also performing were Charles F. Broome Primary, Hilltop Primary and St Giles Primary School among others. (NS/RP)
