If you wish to apply for this course hit this link
Showing posts with label Carnival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carnival. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
B.A. IN CARNIVAL STUDIES
A degree in carnival studies and its importance is explained but lecturers Dr Jo-ann Tull and Mr Kenwin Murry and its importance in Caribbean Development.
If you wish to apply for this course hit this link
If you wish to apply for this course hit this link
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Friday, March 08, 2013
THE TOP 10 MOMENTS OF CARNIVAL 2013
So its March now, Trinidad carnival 2013 is but a memory in the minds of all who took part, but this year many complained after carnival of a feeling that something was missing , I felt it too, it was good but not the best however that's another blog post.
Looking back at carnival 2013 I decided to list what were for me the top ten moments of Trinidad and Tobago carnival 2013, ten moments that made me stop and think, 'this is a moment to remember.
Here it is...
Super Blue’s return did not
simply reveal that God given talent and determination can triumph over all
adversity, but it also portrayed that substance is king over style and hype.
Super Blue’s return also taught us that the foundation stones of culture can and
should never be forgotten for without the basic tenants of an art form its is
nothing.
Soca needed Super to return,
I believe Machel did too, even with Bunji and Fayann firing on all cylinders
Machel is an awesome combination of talent and showmanship a combination that
only one gifted with talent and a magnetic spirituality could have defeated
Machel.
Powder was a most present
aspect of carnival 2013, from Machel’s winning tune FOG with the lines ‘powder
this is how we celebrate’ to Super Blue’s opening call for ‘water and powder’
in Fantastic Friday. Powder was present in the fetes, on the road for Jouvert
and even in big bands on Tuesday harping back to the days of the fancy sailors
and even further back to the African use of powder in spiritual practices.
Powder in 2013 was an inspiring sight.
Even though the King of
carnival competition ended in a draw the crowning of Ted Eustace as a King of
Carnival in 2013(Moko in flames) signified the passing of a title and torch from father to son
to little brother Keeping the title King of Carnival and the Eustace name
synonymous for possibly another decade. From Tedder Eustace to Curtace Eustace
and now Ted the tradition successfully continues.
4 THE LAUNCH OF RITUALS OF POWER & REBELLION BY HOLLIS CHALKDUST LIVERPOOL Ph.D
Launched on the 6th of
February 2013 the day before the calypso monarch finals in which teacher,
Calypsoian and author Hollis Liverpool better known as the Mighty Chalkdust was
to compete for a ninth title.
The tune that almost in fond retrospect takes
the listener through a carnival experience probably that of the last week of
carnival leading up to Jouvert and Tuesday. This mixture of dance and soca music was
favoured to dethrone Machel in the groovy Soca monarch competition but Bunji
pulled out to great disappointment and admiration of his fans. I have a feeling
this track has caused a shift in soca music that we will see next year..
After dominating the band
of the year competition for most of the first decade of the 21st century band
leader and designer Brian Mac Farlane has decided to call it a day. To the
average Mas player or tourist that comes for Carnival this fact might mean
nothing, but to fans of High Mas, love him or hate him, Brian Mac Farlane is
the last of the High Mas designers to dominate the face of Carnival, and while
there are young designers and small bands that keep the Mas of meaning alive,
none has been able to attract the numbers of masqueraders that are needed to
make epic presentations as the epic bands of the past did.
This could actually be the end of an era in Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival history.
Road March King of 1982 and Calypso Monarch of 1984 Seadley Joseph - the Penguin passed away on the 27th of January 2013 just as Carnivals climax was on the horizon. The timing of his passing during the heights of the Carnival season is almost an expected aspect of Carnival these days, as it seems like every Carnival a legend now passes on, as if to join some Grand Carnival in the sky. Penguin’s tunes in the 80s were an integral part of the Carnival, one a personal note an integral part of my childhood and his contribution will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.
I could hit myself over the
head for missing this one, the TTFF 3rd Annual Carnival film series saw Peter
Minshall attend two screenings of his work, Rat Race, and Mas Man the complete work.
Both directed by Dalton Narine who was also present to answer questions. The
two for me are the greatest teachers I ever had in Mas Minshall the Mas Man and
Narine whose documentaries gave me insight to Minshall’s works through his
documentaries. The two of them in one room, an Epic moment indeed!!
Bunji and Fayann pulling
out of the Soca Monarch competition was probably the biggest upset of carnival
2013. Bunji who arguably had the hottest groovy soca tune of the year with
Diffrentology was seeded to walk away with the title if he competed. Fayann
always coming strong, the POWER soca monarch final of 2013 had the potential of
being the biggest and best in its history. Had the couple decided to go head to
head with Machel and Super Blue in the national stadium on that night it would
have been mayhem. But the couple decided to pull out and the shockwaves went
right through the entire Carnival universe.
Looking back at carnival 2013 I decided to list what were for me the top ten moments of Trinidad and Tobago carnival 2013, ten moments that made me stop and think, 'this is a moment to remember.
Here it is...
MASSASSINATION'S TOP 10 MOMENTS OF TRINIDAD CARNIVAL 2013
1 THE RETURN OF SUPER BLUE:
 |
| photo:http://studiolafoncette.com |
2013 was the 2nd time that
Austin Lyons has made a victorious return to carnival and in this return or
rebirth he managed to inspire all generations, old and young with a style some
might today describe as dated but all agreed was spiritually infectious (its
substance).
2 POWDER!
 |
| Mac Farlan's Joy Down town POS. |
3 TED EUSTACE KING OF CARNIVAL 2013.
4 THE LAUNCH OF RITUALS OF POWER & REBELLION BY HOLLIS CHALKDUST LIVERPOOL Ph.D
I first saw this book in the library of London
Metropolitan University when doing research for my dissertation in 2010.
By then the book was long out of print and
countless attempts to find it on line or in book shops on both sides of the
Atlantic proved fruitless for me. It was only in discussing the important role
the work played in my dissertation to the author was I informed it was never
available in Trinidad before.
In my opinion Rituals of Power & Rebellion is indeed a seminal text in the historical and intellectual construction of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival, as well as those in the Caribbean. I advise everyone to get a copy and read it.
All cow joke aside Bunji Garlin the Viking of Soca with Nigel Rojas had arguably the most popular fete
tune for the 2013 Carnival season. From its time of release to carnival Tuesday
Differentology had the crowds singing out the chorus ‘we ready for the roooad’.
6 SAVAGE.
I am a Bunji Garlin fan, I
am also a fan of the late Lord Maestro, one of the most revolutionary
Calypsoians in the early days of Soca. Bunji’s cover of Maestro’s Savage wasfor me a moment in carnival 2013 because it celebrated the underclass, the part
of the society like it or not that laid down many of the foundation blocks of
modern carnival. A group that today are being priced out of carnival by a
growing ambitious middle class that seem bent on taking over the culture and
transforming every aspect of what it looks like. Bunji’s Savage had many locals
and returnees alike claiming to be anti stush (or anti posh) thus returning the
festival to its roots with the stush being identified as undesirable .
7 MACFARLANE CROSSES THE SAVANNAH STAGE FOR THE LAST TIME
WITH JOY THE FINALY.
This could actually be the end of an era in Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival history.
8 THE PASSING OF PENGUIN.
Road March King of 1982 and Calypso Monarch of 1984 Seadley Joseph - the Penguin passed away on the 27th of January 2013 just as Carnivals climax was on the horizon. The timing of his passing during the heights of the Carnival season is almost an expected aspect of Carnival these days, as it seems like every Carnival a legend now passes on, as if to join some Grand Carnival in the sky. Penguin’s tunes in the 80s were an integral part of the Carnival, one a personal note an integral part of my childhood and his contribution will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.
.jpg) |
| Dalton Narine, Peter Minshall and Tony Hall. Photo from http://repeatingislands.com |
10 BUNJI AND FAYANN BOTH PULL OUT OF FANTASTIC FRIDAY.
 |
| Bunji and fayann. Photo:jayblessed.com |
What would have been the
final outcome if they had stayed?!
Friday, January 04, 2013
www.studiolafoncette.com
I received this press release
from photographer / blogger Leslie Robertson Toney today about her 2013 carnival series ‘Blogging de
Carnaval’, on her website http://studiolafoncette.com.
From what I've seen so far I for one will be following her as this carnival season progresses.
Have a read of the release and
then enjoy her work on her website.
Leslie Robertson Toney
Studio Lafoncette Photography
www.studiolafoncette.com
studiolafoncette@gmail.com
1-868-774-2160
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, 4th January, 2013
Carnival blog series launched
On January 1st, Studio Lafoncette Photography launched their third Blogging de
Carnaval series on the Web site: www.studiolafoncette.com. The series focuses on the
rich heritage, history and evolution of Trinidad Carnival. The blog uses original
photography by Washington DC-based Trini photographer Leslie Robertson Toney.
Every day, in the weeks leading up to Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Studio Lafoncette
will post photos and text related to mas, mas construction, Carnival performance art,
music, Carnival trends, and much more providing thorough background information to
readers. Studio Lafoncette will also post original photos and interviews with Carnival
veterans and masters such as the acclaimed fancy sailor Senor Gomez.
overlooked or forgotten in mainstream coverage. As Toney said in this year’s first blog
post, “Sankofa, the Adinkra symbol of the Akan people from what is known today as
Ghana, teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is,
we should reach back and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we
can achieve our full potential as we move forward...And today we also celebrate that in
our respective carnivals we have evolved and created something that is uniquely
Trinidadian (or Tobagonian, Grenadian, Vincentian, Brazilian, (New Orlean) American,
Bahamian, etc.) but that has a connection to The Motherland and other Motherlands.”
She invites followers to “Discover a culture beyond your imagination.” Blogging de
Carnaval can be accessed directly by visiting: http://studiolafoncette.com/blog/ Also
check out Studio Lafoncette on their Facebook page: Studio Lafoncette Photography or
follow them on Twitter @StudioLafoncett.
About Toney: Leslie Robertson Toney is a self-taught photographer with more than a
decade of amateur and professional experience. Her work has been featured in the
international exhibit Roots & Wings, FotoDC’s Cherry Blossom Photo Exhibit, the Art
Society of T&T’s members’ exhibit 2011 and at the New Horizons Gallery of the
Children’s National Medical Centre in Washington DC. Her work has also been
published in Photographer’s Forum Best of Photography 2011 catalogue when she was
a Best of Photography Finalist.
Monday, December 31, 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
MAS ASSASSIN
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
JOY THE FINALE': "Its gonna be a spectacular band"
On Sunday the 11th of November I attended the launch of Brian Mac Farlane's 2013 presentation 'JOY the finale'.(Thanks for the invite Ras Conrad)
The band is definitely his most colourful in years, and although he stated it was his last band for Trinidad's Carnival, we all know winners hardly ever walk away from the game, whatever the circumstances.
So time will tell.
In a press conference right after the launch MacFarlane said that Joy was 'gonna be a spectacular band' on the road in 2013.
The launch held as the Woodbrook mas camp was well attended by his supporters who, witnessed a colourful dramatic presentation that had a Cirque du Soleil feel to it. I will give you a review and footage of the press conference in another post, but for now here are some photos and a little video footage at the end of 'JOY'
Mac Farlane's last launch?
You can see the entire collection of my pictures here.
The band is definitely his most colourful in years, and although he stated it was his last band for Trinidad's Carnival, we all know winners hardly ever walk away from the game, whatever the circumstances.
So time will tell.
In a press conference right after the launch MacFarlane said that Joy was 'gonna be a spectacular band' on the road in 2013.
The launch held as the Woodbrook mas camp was well attended by his supporters who, witnessed a colourful dramatic presentation that had a Cirque du Soleil feel to it. I will give you a review and footage of the press conference in another post, but for now here are some photos and a little video footage at the end of 'JOY'
Mac Farlane's last launch?
You can see the entire collection of my pictures here.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
MAS JUMBIES PRESENT: De Posey & Bedsheet Brigade
Brian Wong Won's Mas Jumbies is back come J'Ouvert 2013 with "De Posey & Bedsheet Brigade".
Mas Jumbies will be drawing inspiration from the post emancipation carnivals known as the 'Jamet carnivals', where characters such as the Dame Lorine, Jab Molassie, and the Jamet, ruled the road in a Mas that was both performance and protest.
Mas Jumbies will be drawing inspiration from the post emancipation carnivals known as the 'Jamet carnivals', where characters such as the Dame Lorine, Jab Molassie, and the Jamet, ruled the road in a Mas that was both performance and protest.
The Mas Jumbies website is now open, go see the costumes find out about the histories behind them and 'book yuh mas' with 'De Posey & Bedsheet Brigade' !
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