Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
A section of the crowd at the Jamaica Carnival 'Blowout Fête', held at Jamalco Sports Club, May Pen, Clarendon, on Saturday. - PHOTOS BY WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
A CARNIVAL of
contradictions took place ot the Supreme Ventures Jamaica 'Carnival Blowout' in May Pen, Clarendon, on Saturday night. Many came to the Jamalco Sports Club to 'get on bad', and the early juggling of Nite Traxx, the intermission filler of sound system Top Secret, mixed with the high entertainment value of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, the opportunity to do so was great.
While it was obvious, from the beginning from the skimpy short shorts, sneakers and cut-out tops, that May Pen had come out to 'get on bad' carnival style, both sound systems fed the Carnival hungry crowd a steady diet of dancehall and 'culture' music. Nite Traxx, in the early hours served up old dancehall hits from the '90s, the most notable being Buju Banton's Bogle Dance, an endearing tribute to the late dancer that got the crowd railing. Later in the night, they followed with All Dem Deh, the response was again, overwhelming.
THE BEAT
And while the little shorts and, in some cases, panties, fought desperately to retain ample rumps, the sound continued to pump Mr. Vegas' Jacket and General Degree's Traffic Blocking; all the time, the
largely youthful patrons wined and gyrated to the beat. Jaqueline Walker, the winner of the 'Tiney Winey', competition, would later express her disapproval of this reliance on dancehall in what should have been a soca party.
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, with the aid of Oscar B and Jumo, started the soca rhythms, without much ado, a little before midnight. "One, two, ready to jump," Oscar B
prodded. He did not need to do much, though, as the carnival crowd, young, fresh and hungry for the revelry, eagerly
responded to the chants. They moved 'to the left, (move) to the right', 'walk to the wall, walk to the fence', then 'jump and wave and scream'. This was the scene during much of the Dragonaires' performance. Feet hoisted in the air, the female posterior and the male groin were inseparable, as the carnival beat rose high and loud.
But, the music soon changed, this time, to a slower bounce, as the band went into more
dancehall, sampling the latest dances. 'Scooby Do', 'Rock Away', 'Flowers a Bloom' and 'Position' (hol up yuh head and cock up yuh bottom).
And as the blowout continued with a decidedly dancehall feel, there came the dance-off, the first of three, which climaxed with the 'Tiney Winey'
competition. In this first
competition three women were called on stage to do the
'position'.
Two women did as expected, backs bent, legs wide, rumps high and gyrating. The other, who at first appeared demure, dressed in a jeans pants and a red blouse, went down on her head, hoisted her legs in the air and twisted her body in various
positions. She won, but not before a Rastaman, dressed in sequined vest and pants, joined her on stage and took his
position atop, wining and
jamming and doing his own brand of contortionism. The crowd, surprised at first by this turn of events, shouted their approval.
The band followed this display with Marvia Providence's Hear My Cry O Lord. The crowd responded as crowds do, singing and waving, trampling 'dem' as Elephant Man's version
demanded, oblivious to the apparent contradiction of what just took place.
BAND FAVOURITES
Cultural tunes, such as Jah Cure's Longing For, Sizzla's Be Strong, Morgan Heritage's Best Friend, T.O.K's Footprints, and the inspirational Hear My Cry O Lord were favourites of the band and the sound system and were played often throughout the night.
Carnival songs were also
welcome and, in most cases, received the best crowd response. Get the Cat got the crowd moving, Hocus Pocus, Togetherness, Soca Butterfly, Dollar Wine and the Soca Train were hits, as were the numerous other flag-waving, jumping and running moves brought by Oscar and his companions.
MC Jerry D manned the
presentation of the costumes
that were on sale for Carnival, costumes that the crowd got ample chance to see up close, as the women paraded among the crowd and throughout the venue all night.
