They are new. They are bold. They are ready. And if they are right, Mashramani and some of its related activities will never be the same again.
Who are they? The Alternative. The hot new Mash camp that plans to fuse the unmatched revelry of Trinidad’s carnival and the theatrical intensity of Barbados’s Crop Over with Guyana’s spirited February 23 celebrations to create an unstoppable street party.
“Think big, think bold, think different, think alternative and conceptualise us because we are getting ready to shake things up in Guyana,” Kofi Branch of Concept Entertainment said in an interview on Tuesday.
Out of Concept Entertainment comes The Alternative, a new source of local entertainment that is aiming to re-shape things on the local scene by working in entertainment full time. From Mashramani to fashion shows, theatrical productions and promotions to training opportunities, The Alternative is seeking to penetrate various aspects of Guyanese life.
With Mashramani as its first major project, The Alternative was launched last evening at the new, upscale nightclub at Alberttown, The Loft. The group also launched its Mash band, “Nature’s Way”.
Celebrating Guyana’s natural beauty, the band’s costumes depict the country’s gold, rainforest, sunset, waterways and animals with a particular focus on birds. Nature’s Way will compete in the large band category and the King and Queen costume categories. In addition, four individual costumes depicting the rainforest, sunset, a snake and a macaw will be included in the band.
Branch who is also Shabeau Magazine’s Fashion Editor said the band is likely to be 1,000 strong and pointed out that the team already has the support of Caribbean Airlines, Palace de Leon, Western Union, Demerara Distillers Limited, the National Communications Network and Mariska’s Designs among a few others.
He explained Sonia Noel is Chief Designer for the band and well respected Caribbean choreographer Richard Young is Chief Production Designer while Barbadian queen of costumes, Betty West is a consultant. Branch said many of the fabrics for the costumes had to be imported from Trinidad since there was a scarcity on the local market but he pointed out that some local fabrics were used.
According to him, a substantial amount of money has gone into the Mash band but he added that it would all pay off on Mashramani when The Alternative takes Guyana by storm. He said the support of local and Caribbean sponsors have been tremendous.
A theatrical production dubbed “Spirits of Nature” will be part of Nature’s Way Mash Jamboree down the road come February 23. This, Branch said, will set it apart from other Mash camps and also elevate the street revelry.
But there is more. Branch said Krosfyah out of Barbados will join the Mash camp on February 22 for a jouvert soca concert that wraps up with a breakfast. After a few hours of resting time, revellers would take the road with Krosfyah in the lead.
“We have a few other acts to join Krosfyah for the concert but they are to be confirmed before we release any names. We hope to get everyone really fired up for the road so we plan to party all night into morning, that is how they do it in Trinidad and that is how we hope to do it here,” he added.
The Alternative’s Mash schedule is promising and exciting. Branch revealed that next weekend would see the first of five band fetes that the Mash camp is hosting in the run up to Mashramani. Every fete has a theme and all five have already been picked, though a sequence is yet to be arranged.
Branch said there would be bikini, short pants, glow, blackout and m