Oasis takes mas higher

Thinking of trying something new for Carnival 2011? Maybe you’d like to play mas for the first time. After all, truth be told, you haven’t lived until you’ve measured the road with a Carnival mas band.

Oasis, a five-section Carnival creation led by Jody Ann Herde, was launched on July 18 at Saute Trinidad and Tobago, held at QRC grounds. From great food served up to tantalise the taste buds of the anxious patrons, to decor that proved appealing to the eyes, and a layout which emphasised that every single detail received attention to ensure the event began and ended on a high note.

Djinn. Photos: Sean Nero

With sumptuous food the order of the day, the venue saw an influx of guests just after 6 pm. Among them, comedy queen Rachel Price, who told the T&T Guardian she’d come in anticipation of having sushi but was too little, too late. On the tasty culinary list was bake and shark, gyros, pelau, sweets, roti, chinese cuisine, and souse. Lines stretched as many savoured the taste, coming back for more as the evening rolled on.

Striving to define our people

The unveiling of Oasis came just after 8 pm, and the media were privy to a pre-presentation briefing of the band’s main goal and priorities heading into the 2011 season. “Our primary goal in creating the band was to indeed be an oasis for masqueraders who had gotten lost in the desert of large, impersonal mas bands,” said Herde.

She highlighted that Oasis seeks to define the people of this country as Trinbagonians through the designers’ striking presentation of elements. “It is a premium all-inclusive band that features a variety of elements, which will ensure that we continue to raise the standard of our Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago to superior heights. Our band is dedicated to quality, to ensure we create the ideal road paradise,” said Herde.

According to the bandleader, Oasis was born out of Carnival 2010 and seeks to provide a personal family-like experience for its players. The five sections, Golden Eagle, Kolibrie, Gilia, Ghost Flower and Djinn, will amass to only 1,000 masqueraders on the road next year. From hues of the sun to the aquamarines of the Caribbean Sea, each section exemplified the beauty that exists in T&T, causing mas lovers to emit impromptu shrieks of excitement when the models took the stage at around 8.30 pm.

Get ready to wine!

The beauty of any band’s costumes is usually enough to get folks on board, but according to Herde, there is much more to thrill the fun-seeker in their 2011 presentation. “Our masqueraders’ enjoyment, comfort and security are our top priorities. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that our revellers will receive an intimate premium all-inclusive experience.”

Herde said anyone playing with the band will enjoy an efficiently staffed premium bar, delicious meals, music provided by top DJs and above all, room to wine. Stage side, the beauty of each section modelled, was lapped up by the crowd, and even though it was another “bikini and beads” band, those in attendance couldn’t shy away from the reality that there was something mystical and sexually enticing, beyond the ordinary that emanated from atop the stage.

The event climaxed just after the presentation, with a performance by International Groovy Soca Monarch, Shurwayne Winchester and the band YOU. So now you know, and if Oasis sounds like the cream of the crop to you as we head into the season of revelry, link with them by calling 48-OASIS.

ABA A LUKE

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THE LION KING

Now a lot of designers and band leaders especially in the Notting Hill Carnival won't tell the world this but the Lion King Musical has had a massive influence on designers and some of the presentations over the years lets take a peep at some of the elements that has made this show such an influential force in mas...

I love the use of African masking traditions in use here...

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Back to Back MAS MAN.

Yesterday when I got home from work there was a package waiting for me, I got my copy of Mas Man Redux.  I wasted no time getting my shoes off, reading the autographed message from the director (ha haa!) and putting the DVD in the player to see the director’s cut of Mas Man.

When Mas Man the movie premiered in London last November I leaped at the opportunity to  not just to see the move/documentary but to meet Dalton Narine,  because even as a child I always associated the Dalton Narine name to one of my greatest sources of information of anything Minshall.

So I went to the London premier of Mas Man and thought ‘YES! Narine just did it again!’

Now to tell the truth the festival cut of Mas Man is great, for me it was an analysis of Minshalls contribution to Mas made by those who had the opportunity to work with him learn from him, and define his massive contribution to the culture to Trinidad and Tobago ‘s Carnival, through the art form Mas.

I loved it! The only problem I had with it is that growing up watching Minshalls Mas with my own eyes I felt I needed to see more, my childhood memories reignited by Mas Man festival cut demanded more than 87 minutes that Mas man gave me.

The next time I spoke to Dalton Narine he told me about the director’s cut, that it was shorter than the festival cut but more coverage, MORE MAS.

And so about a week later I sat watching Mas Man and then Mas Man Redux, back to back, and trust me, Mas Man is great, but Redux is a whole different creature. While this director’s cut does feature some of the festival footage, there is a whole lot more Mas, probably all of Minshalls presentations are packed into this DVD, and the story is not just told by those who have worked with him and played in his band, a lot of the story is told by Peter Minshall himself.

From the empowerment and inspiration he got from Sailor Mas, in the beginning to the feelings he sometimes gets when he looks at his life in retrospect in the end, Mas Man Redux, is simply the second half of a fantastic voyage into the Mas, and Mind of Minshall. I will recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn more about Mas, to get these DVD’s, anyone who wants to know more about Peter Minshall, get these DVD’s  or if you are simply a collector of Carnival history, get these DVD’s , you simply won’t regret it.
http://www.masmanthemovie.com/

Mas Assassin.

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