The Miss Guyana Princess Pageant is set to hit the stage for the second time bringing to the spotlight eight gorgeous little princesses, one of whom will walk away with the coveted crown and title. The pageant, set for August 12, at the Theatre Guild, will be hosted by Nandre’s Kreations under the direction of designer Nelsion Nurse.
The inaugural pageant was held on August 3, last year under the auspices of Pamela Dillon’s Simpli Royal at the National Cultural Centre. It had a Disney flair and contestants took on the characters of Disney princesses. This current pageant will be Disney themed as well.
Little girls who are fixated on fairytale princesses often wish they could be one of them. The Miss Guyana Princess Pageant fulfils this for them, but more than that the pageant also allows for them to model the overcoming of challenges illustrated in the stories.
According to Nelsion, children today appear to learn faster and, in a world, where morals are fast disappearing, lessons like these are even more important. “The princesses were each given pageant names after Disney princesses who were characters of strength, poise, beauty and bravery. The Miss Guyana Princess Pageant was designed to provide each participant with the opportunity to promote school, community, talent and culture and at the same time learn more about the other participants while encouraging networking, integration and promoting social cohesion among our children,” he said.
On July 22, eight contestants were sashed. Also included in this affair was the display of various collections by Nelsion along with Wnyette Jones, Vanda Allicock, Tandika Favourite and Sidney François. The show provided a fun family-oriented afternoon that featured models some of whom were as old young as four years old. The audience was serenaded by young Kalief Sobers and Stephen Ramkhelawan. There also performances by Comenius Primary School, Kreative Arts, Natasha Johnson Dance Troupe and Miss Guyana Princess 2017 Oshay Roberts.
The People’s Choice Award will be selected from online voting on the Guyana Princess Pageant Organization Facebook page, while the Miss Photogenic competition will be held during a live call-in programme tomorrow on HBTV Channel 9 from 13:30 hrs. The preliminaries of the Princess presentations are slated for Tuesday, August 7.
Pageant night will see the contestants competing in Introduction, Creative Wear, Evening Gown and Question and Answer.
The little ones vying for the Miss Guyana Princess 2018 crown and title are: Per’yah Jones, Patrice Rollox, Ske Dawson, Akeela Simpson, Rihanna Maloney, Kristen Morris, Dyana Joaquin and Luhanna Cockfield.
Per’yah Jones – Per’yah was born on October 20, 2005 in Georgetown Guyana. However, because her father is an American, she has dual citizenship. She is the eldest and only girl born to her parents. As a big sister to four brothers she has learnt to be a positive role model and leader, she said. Having a love for children, her desire is to become a paediatrician because as she says, she wants to “heal and make them happy”. Per’yah is proud of her Hebrew Israelite heritage and can read Hebrew. She considers herself to be respectful, kind, shy and independent. “My mom allowed me to enter because she wanted to reward me for being a helpful daughter and for performing well in class. I wanted to join this pageant to be able to become more outspoken and confident in the traits I possess,” Per’yah said. Per’yah will be the character Rapunzel, from the fairy tale of the same name.
Patrice Rollox – Patrice celebrated her twelfth birthday just weeks ago and will be the character Belle, from Beauty and the Beast. Her hobbies include watching Lifetime movies, action movies and cartoons. “I also enjoy reading to my little sister. I love dancing and singing. My ambition is to become a paediatrician,” she said.
Ske Dawson – Ske will be the character Snow White, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She was born on September 28, 2006. She lives with her six sibling and parents in South Turkeyen. Having recently written the National Grade Six Assessment she secured a place at Brickdam Secondary. She is also the reigning Miss Graham’s Hall Primary. Ske hopes to someday follow her dreams of becoming a doctor since she wants to see to it that people are healthy. She enjoys running, dancing, modelling and acting.
Akeela Simpson – Eight-year-old Akeela will be the character Tiana. She is described as God-fearing and is the eldest of three siblings. She is said to be one of the most outstanding pupils of Comenius Primary. She endeavours to become a judge since she is a strong advocate for a “crime-free country”. Her experience so far in the pageant has taught her to always believe in herself. She is always grateful for the opportunity to meet new people and to learn new things. This replica Princess of Tiana in the Princess and the Frog shares some of Tiana’s traits like dancing and being a foodie. Her favourite dish is red peas cook-up. She always has a radiant smile.
Rihanna Maloney – Representing Jasmine from Aladdin, this nine-year-old princess currently holds the title of the reigning St Angela’s Primary Princess. “I am a quiet girl who is fun, loving and very serious about my studies. I love reading, dancing and playing with other children. I am 4ft 4inches or 132.08 centimetres, dark brown in complexion [with] black hair and of mixed ethnicity. My newest passion is modelling which I recently got involved in due to the Miss St Angela’s Primary Princess Pageant,” she said. Rihanna aspires to be a lawyer and is fascinated with movies that involve court cases. She takes pride in solving problems between her siblings. She hopes to someday run her own charitable organization that will provide food, clothing and shelter for the homeless.
Kirsten Morris – “Charming and adorable are two words I use to describe myself,” said ten-year-old Kirsten. The Mae’s Primary School pupil will be playing the character of Cinderella, from the story of the same name. The fable of the young girl, who lives with her stepmother and stepsisters, anticipating a magical life, fascinates her. “My hobbies are reading, fishing and enjoying nature’s flora and fauna. My ambition is to become a civil engineer,” said the charming Kirsten.
Dyana Joaquin – Dyana was born on June 23, 2010. She hails from Plaisance and would from time to time visit the Eddy Grant Research Centre to read – this is one of her favourite hobbies along with singing and dancing. Being the second child in her family she says comes with challenges of its own. However, she can handle them, she stated, indicating that she was prepared for all the challenges she has to deal with in the pageant. She hopes to someday become a doctor. She will be representing Pocahontas from the story of the same name, a character who was known for taking up challenges.
Luhanna Cockfield – Luhanna was born on December 9, 2007 and attends Graham Hall’s Primary School. She is the youngest with five brothers. Luhanna is passionate about dance and is adored by many for her remarkable eyes. Her future admiration is to become a doctor and also a model. In the pageant, she will be representing the character of Princess Merida from the movie Brave. She said Merida’s tomboyish character reminds her of herself as a younger child playing cricket and football with her brothers. She admires Merida for her determination in overcoming many challenges and for being a good role model in the courage she displayed.
On the night of the pageant there will also be a Red Cocktail Meet and Mingle starting at 18:00 hrs with the pageant making its start at 19:00 hrs. Tickets for the event cost $2,500 and are available at The Theatre Guild and Eco For Life Store on Brickdam.
