The National Cultural Centre stage was an explosion of brilliant colours and creativity yesterday as the Children’s Mashramani Competition continued with the first segment of Dance and Masquerade.
The event opened with the Group Dance Nursery Segment, which was judged under three categories: Fantasy, Religious Beliefs, and Interpretive. For the Fantasy category, South Ruimveldt Park Nursery won the first prize with their “Kaleidoscope” piece, while Alexander Village Nursery gained second place with their “Wild Ants” presentation. In the Religious Beliefs category Head Start Nursery captured the judges’ hearts and gained first position with their dance entitled “Victory”, while Gacestock Nursery (“Glory and Praise”) and Lodge Nursery (“Praises through our Culture and Pride”) gained second and third positions, respectively.
In the Interpretive Category South Road Nursery was first with “Showcasing of Colours”, while Starters Nursery (“Come Let’s Celebrate”) and Stella Maris Nursery (“Love and Unity”) took the second and third positions, respectively.
Next in line came the 5-7 Dance Segment and the pace picked up a bit, as ten primary schools vied for the judges’ approval. Under Fantasy, St Agnes Primary was the one to gain first place with their dance “Garden Fun”, North Georgetown Primary, second with “Love of Beauty” danced to the theme song for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and F.E Pollard Primary with “Toys” fell to third position. In the Religious Beliefs category, St Margaret’s Primary’s “Praise Him” earned them first place, while St Angela’s and St Pius Primary Schools secured second and third positions with their dances entitled, “Holy Ghost Fire” and “Light over Darkness”, respectively.
And in the Interpretive category, St Agnes and North Georgetown Primary Schools again walked away with the first and second place trophies for their “Mash Alive” and “Culture of Umbrellas”, respectively.
Finally, the upper primary school pupils from twenty schools took to the stage, as they were given a chance to showcase their dance and creativity skills. This time they were judged under the categories: Religious Beliefs, Interpretive, Legends and Traditions, and Social Commentary. Under the Interpretive category, St Agnes Primary once again gained first position, this time with their dance titled “Mash Vibes”, while West Ruimveldt’s Primary’s “Celebration Time” grabbed second place, and St Margaret’s Primary’s “Mash Spirit” earned them third position. In the Religious Beliefs category, St. Margaret’s Primary came out the winner with their breathtaking presentation titled “Worship the King”, while St Pius and Sophia Primary Schools gained second and third positions with their pieces entitled “Bringing Peace to Our Lives” and “I’m Running”, respectively.
Under Legend and Traditions, the audience was entranced with the beat of African drums, as the participants danced. The winner was Winfer Gardens Primary, with “African Vibes”, and in second and third place were St Gabriel’s Primary (“We Vibration”) and Stella Maris Primary (“Dance to the Beat of the Drums”), in that order. In the Social Commentary category, North Georgetown Primary gained first place with their dance “Cry of Voices”, while St Pius Primary once again got second place with their piece “Mental Slavery”. Coming in the third position was F.E. Pollard Primary with their very convincing “Addicted”.
There was only one entry in the Masquerade segment, therefore the school to run away with the first place trophy was North Georgetown Primary with their entry entitled “City Flouncers”.
Today promises to be another extravaganza as the secondary schools across Georgetown will take their places at the National Cultural Centre to compete in the second segment of Dance and Masquerade for this year’s Children’s Mashramani Competition.
