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| Animated sequence of a race horse galloping. Photos taken by Eadweard Muybridge (died 1904), first published in 1887 at Philadelphia (Animal Locomotion). (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The
K2K launch published as an event at Queens hall on 9:08:12, and it
was indeed my first band launch in Trinidad in over a decade I must admit while
I was happy it was a K2K launch the idea
of dressing elegantly or ‘dressing up’ for a launch did bother me a bit, but in
the theme of things this was not just a band launch /
fashion show it was an ‘event’
so I resisted the rebel in me and went with the flow.
At
Queens Hall, I felt this was indeed the theme playing out
in real life, or
life imitating art imitating life...but just not mine. Sitting watching masqueraders and potential
masqueraders walk in mixed with public figures I noticed a complete absence of
music of any sought; I constantly had to remind myself this is not a band launch...it’s
an event.
The event started (fashionably?) late as they do and while I
walked past the seats reserved for the special people and found a seat I was
happy with I could not help but noticed that the audience was made up of about
every possible age group, leaning towards the mature, (maybe $ 450.dollar price
of the tickets had its part to play with the turnout...) and then the show started.
Billed as a Gala event
the show had a dramatic enough start but in my opinion failed to create the drama excitement
or general atmosphere a
horse race or even a horse race themed show might
create.
I somehow looked forward to a show that mixed the best of a fashion
show with the best of dramatic band launch with story line plot a protagonist
etc, instead the audience was treated to a fashion show...(and if I had to be
honestly critical while all of queens hall was used in the production, It
seemed no better in execution than some I seen in my school days),while I did enjoy the sound track during the presentation I did take note that there was no soca either... not even the
names of the sections were announced as the costumes came on stage, so the
audience had to guess through observation who was horse rider and spectator...depending
on who held a crop or wore or posed with a horse head or helmet.
By now we all know the theme of the band and its fractions
made up of horse, rider/jockey, and spectator. But this well publicised show
did not do much if anything for the theme, while I went to the show with an
open mind ready to accept something different I feel an opportunity to
captivate and fascinate future masqueraders totally, may have been missed by
the show’s lack of storyline or basic information in the names of the sections
being announced when the costumes were on stage.
The Mas
From the stylised horse headpieces with golden manes, to
riding crops, with gloves and riding boots and goggles all indicate the
equestrian theme of the mas, multi layered rhinestone covered dresses, lace
covered umbrellas, and top hats reflect the pomp and glamour in the horse races
of high society of another period.
This band seems to emulate the bourgeois from launch to costume
design; this gave me the impression that this ‘human race ‘ was not a comment
on the pressures and misdirected material values of modern society, this was a
celebration of these values the race was not the high pressured battle of ambition, goals,
and hurdles and but a celebration of high society where even the jockey’s could
be spectators, or kings they seemed so ...established, and the horses (our
ambitions) have all been achieved...
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With this presentation K2K’s mas dances even more than the waters,
on the border between
high fashion and high mas, leaving some potential
masqueraders questioning the road worthiness
of the costumes in terms of comfort and practicality, masqueraders who played
with k2k last carnival however, (the ones I spoke too) seemed more positive
about the mas and the sections they were interested in or definitely going to
play in. Once again the costumes display in construction, and tailoring craftsmanship
way above that of the regular mas band,
a quality that will no doubt see K2K claiming more awards on the road come
2013.
The band also echo’s silhouettes from last year’s mas in
both the male and female designs, half jackets, caged apparel, skirting for the
men , this may be a trademark look of the Norman twins, or a reoccurring theme that might join the trilogy
together, but when the fashion world is
your pool of inspiration such reoccurring styles can be bypassed.
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All said and done, in their launch, K2K have provided
another visual spectacular in the ‘Human Race’, the Norman twins in their second outing have in my opinion strengthened their grip on
the leaders of the new school title, using more vision imagination and
originality than any of their contemporaries, they have succeeded in getting
other designers and band leaders scampering around their search engines looking
for themes and designs in an attempt to add some depth to their presentations
and legitimise their presence by contemplating competing for a title.
A title that is already within the grip of the twins once
all goes as planned for them.
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The release of the Nicki Minaj video ‘Va Va Voom’ over the weekend had bloggers and carnivalist alike asking if K2K‘s mas had somehow been ‘copied’or replicated for the video like the ‘Merry Monarch was for Janet Jackson's 'Escapade' video back in the 80’s. Or were such costumes and headpieces already out there?
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