First Queen of the Bands | Massassination2

First Queen of the Bands | Massassination2:

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Esther Theodore

TRINIDAD'S first Queen of the Bands, Esther Theodore, had ascended the throne in 1959 in the midst of controversy over the disparity in prize money paid at the Dimanche Gras show.

Ironically, the calypso finalists in this year's competition threatened to boycott the event over the failure to increase the top prize to $1 million.

The Carnival Queen was then a beauty pageant and received several thousand dollars in prize money.

The Calypso King prize was a mere $50. Out of the disparity came the restructuring of the show by removing the Carnival Queen segment and replacing it with the judging of a Queen of the Bands.
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Historic ten wins for Eustace (other reports say nine by the way)

Strong winds toppled costumes at the finals of the King and Queen of Carnival competition on Sunday night, causing disappointment, tears and led one participant to seek medical attention. However, when the chaos, calamity and confusion came to an end, Curtis Eustace portraying Spirit of Mandingo-An African Legend—whipped his nine opponents to capture the 2010 King of Carnival title, while Rosemarie Kuru-Jagessar depicting Waka-Nisha-The Scared Water Bearer, was crowned Queen of Carnival. It was her first victory. Kuru-Jagessar described her victory as “long overdue” while Eustace has created history as the only competitor to capture ten titles—a feat never done before.


Eustace attributed his triumph to his years of experience, stating that he used the wind to his advantage just like a surfer would in water. It was a night of upset and disappointment for veteran mas maker Brian Mac Farlane, who did not retain the King or Queen of Carnival titles. Under dark blue skies, the queens were the first to grace the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah, starting with Patricia Bailey’s costume, Vegas Showgirls on Stage, which went skating down the ramp due to a strong gust of wind. But as the show picked up speed, so did the breeze, causing Sevel Nicholl’s costume Dame Gwo Bunda, an oversized dame lorraine on stilts, a Brian Mac Farlane creation, to lose its balance. Even Queen Savitri Holassie had a hard time fighting off the breeze as she paraded with her beautiful Jewel Sunbird costume, which was a crowd favourite.


Joan Mohammed came out of her splendid Queen of D’ Desert costume before crossing the stage, as the wind had her going in different directions. The breeze, however, also left several kings buckling under pressure, among them Aaron Kalicharan, whose costume Donhyang Desa, collapsed. Kalicharan, who was assisted by members of his camp, rose to his feet and continued dancing, but threw in the towel due to extreme pain in his right leg. Hobbling offstage, Kalicharan had to seek medical attention. This mishap threw a damper on Kalicharan’s camp, causing all his members to vacate the savannah before the results were announced.
Fareid Carvalho who was also a heavy contender for the crown with his Seid Delirium-D Morroccon Fever costume, also faced the wind’s wrath and had to terminate his presentation, dashing off stage. Leaning against a fence, tears streaming down his airbrushed face, Carvalho had to be comforted by members of his camp. “I am really disappointed. The winds ruined everything,” said Carvalho, unable to contain his emotions. Carvalho said all evening there were strong gusts, which brought no end of worry to him. “Knowing that I am carrying my costume I was up to some problems. But I wasn’t expecting this much trouble. I have to cut my losses and move on.”
Within minutes of Carvalho’s catastrophe, Mac Farlane’s costume, Dragon Can Dance portrayed by Gerard Weekes, came crashing down, as the entire savannah fell silent. The life of the gold-coloured dragon came to a premature end. Having placed first in the preliminaries and semifinal rounds of the competition, the fall left Weekes in a state of shock.


Public relations officer of Mac Farlane’s camp, Maurice Chevalier, said both their King and Queen costumes, valued close to $175,000 were carried by the masqueraders. Chevalier said if the competition was pushed to a later time, the breeze would not have been so powerful.
Results
Queens of Carnival
1 Rosemarie Kuru Jagessar - Waka-Nisha—The Sacred Water Bearer
2 Peola Marchan - Red Sails in the Sunset
3 Anra Bobb - Vision of Fantasia
4 Kay Mason - Sweet Sumintra.
5 Gloria Dallsingh - Wings of Freedom
6 Patricia Bailey - Vegas Showgirls on Stage
7 Sevel Nicholls - Dame Gwo Bunda.
8 Inez Gould - Sorceress of the Ruby
9 Savitri Holassie - Jewel Sunbird
10 Joan Mohammed - Queen of D’ dessert Sun
King of Carnival
1 Curtis Eustace - Spirit of Mandingo—an African Legend.
2 Leroy Prieto - The Masquerader Eyo
3 Roland St George - Fantasma
4 Glen Dave Lakhan - Mystery of the Deep
5 Fareid Carvalho - Seid Delirium-d Morroccon Fever
6 Theophilus Simmons -Tipu Sultan
7 Glen Turnbull - God of Paradise
8 Aaron Kallicharan - Donhyang Desa
9 Ronald Myers - D-Music Man
10 Gerard Weekes - Dragon Can Dance
SHALIZA HASSANALI
SOURCE

Carnival Kings and Queens Two queen ‘topplers’ …fail to get past prelims

Tamara Allenye-Gittens is assisted by members of her Spice Route camp after her costume D’Morrocan Fan Dancer tumbled on the Queen’s Park Savannah stage at the preliminaries of the Queen and King of Carnival competition on Thursday. Photo: Angelo Marcelle

High winds at the Queen’s Park Savannah caused two Queen of Carnival competitors to take a tumble on stage thwarting their chances of moving forward to the semifinal round. Among the hapless participants who lost balance in the Preliminaries of the King and Queen of Carnival competition because of the powerful gusts were Queens, Tamara Alleyne-Gittens portraying D’Morrocan Fan Dancer from the band Spice Route and Keisha Steeling with the depiction Spirit of the Drums.

Organised by the National Carnival Bands Association of T&T, the show which attracted a small crowd on Thursday saw 43 Queens and 49 Kings, gracing the stage in their costumes, some of which lacked creativity, originality and at times did not appear in timely fashion. Minutes into the Queen segment, Steeling had to be assisted off-stage after the wind tore into the front of her costume. Then, shortly afterwards Alleyne-Gittens portraying a glittering and glamorous fan dancer suffered the same fate as the breeze coupled with the weight of the costume caused her to buckle.

Showing a fighting spirit, the masquerader got to her feet and started chipping to the music for a few seconds, but buckled under pressure again and collapsed with her $75,000 costume. Writhing in pain, Alleyne-Gittens was placed on a stretcher by members of her camp and taken to a mobile clinic backstage, where she was examined and treated for minor bruises to her right leg. Yesterday Alleyne-Gittens said she knows her fate rests in the hands of the judges. “I can only hope for the best,’”she said in a telephone interview early yesterday morning. By lunch time, Alleyne-Gittens found out that she did not qualify for the semis, which plunged Spice’s camp into gloom. This is Spice’s second year in Carnival. Steeling also did not get beyond the prelims. Twenty Queens and Kings will move on to the semi finals which are expected to take place this week. However, the portrayal that brought local and foreign patrons alike to their feet was Brian Mac Farlane’s Queen Sevel Nicholls portraying Dame Gwo Bunda.

RIGHT: Sevel Nicholls from the band Resurrection The Mas dances her beautiful stilt costume Dame Gwo Bunda, which top the scores in the preliminaries of the Queens competition.

Parading as the traditional Dame Lorraine costume on six foot stilts, Nicholls dressed in a shimmering bronze-coloured dress, which hugged her inflated chestline and extended rear, teased the audience with fancy footwork and energetic spirit. Mac Farlane’s Queen and King both topped their categories. Remarkably, Mac Farlane fabricated both his Queen and King in three weeks. “I had the concept and design in my heads for months, but because I had to work for the Summit and CHOGM I started making the costumes only three weeks ago”, the designer said. Joan Mohammed’s Queen of D Desert Sun was also a favourite, while Sedley Antoine who depicted D’ Beast Master also received lusty applause. Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs Minister, Marlene Mc Donald, who attended the show heaped praises on Alleyne-Gittens for her bravado and courage. “My heart went out for her.

I am so sorry that she fell. It is really a beautiful costume. To me, you have to expect anything on stage.” Mac Donald said she was impressed with the costumes, insisting that Carnival is in safe hands. “I am beginning to understand the innovativeness of our people. Overall, I think the show was quite good.” Of all the Queens, Mac Donald said Mac Farlane’s was the one to beat. The preliminary round of the King and Queen of Carnival took place at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Thursday night. In all 43 queens and 49 kings graced the stage.

ABOVE: Gerard Weeks depicts Dragon Can’t Dance, a Brain Mac Farlane creation from the band Resurrection The Mas.

                                           Theophilus Simmons depicts Tipu Sultan from the band Masala.

 

Sedley Antoine’s costume D’ Beast Master from the band Tribute was well received by patrons.

 

ABOVE: Chromatic Reflections portrayed by Joan Mohammed was a favourite with the crowd.

SOURCE

 

MacFarlane's King, Queen lead

Proving that he has wicked moves, Gerard Weekes from Brian MacFarlane’s Resurrection the Mas took the lead in the preliminary of the King of Carnival competition with his portrayal, ’Dragon Can Dance’ on Thursday at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

MacFarlane’s queen, Sevel Nicholas portraying ’Dame Gwo Bunda’, topped the standings in the Queen of Carnival competition on the same night. MacFarlane is defending both titles.
The audience of about 500 people clapped enthusiastically as Nicholas took the stage in her costume, which is designed in moko jumbie style with elements of the traditional Carnival character the Dame Lorraine. Not only was the audience excited over the burst of colours when the lights hit the costume, but they cheered as Nicholas pranced on her stilts, earning her 365 points.

Mainly gold, ’Dragon Can Dance’ evoked applause from the audience. Weekes focused on ensuring the judges got a good look at his costume and made a quick exit, earning a total of 345 points.
Two queens had difficulty crossing the stage because of strong crosswinds. Keisha Steeling, who portrayed ’Spirit Of The Drums’, from the presentation Council of the Chiefs by Keith Steeling and Associates, toppled backwards and had to righted by members of her crew.

Things were worse for Tamara Alleyne-Gittens, who fell under the weight of her costume, ’D Morrocan Fan Dancer’, the frame of which contained steel. Although Alleyne-Gittens got up and was able to walk she was placed on a stretcher and taken to the first aid area to be checked out.

According to a member of her crew, Alleyne-Gittens got a small cut on her knee and hurt her back, but was otherwise okay.
Twenty kings and the same number of queens will advance to the semi-finals scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the Savannah.

Trinidad Express

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Queen Elsie’s legacy

Elsie Lee Heung, who was twice crowned Queen of the Bands in 1968 and 1983, passed away peacefully in her sleep, on Saturday, at age 81.

Father and son:
Stephen Lee Heung son Shane
at their Woodbrook home yesterday. ...

Her husband of 63 years, Stephen Lee Heung, choked with emotion when he spoke yesterday about the wonderful years he spent with his wife, especially the glory days of when they produced Carnival mas bands from the 1960s to the 1990s.

He said, “We were married for 63 years. She was 18, I was 22 years, and I knew her four years before that. Elsie always played the main character in the band. In 1968, she won with “Honey of the Polynesians” and she came back in 1983 and won again when she played “Diana, Goddess of the Hunt.” Together the couple won four Band of the Year titles, the first in 1967 when they produced “China — The Forbidden City” that was designed by Carlisle Chang.

They went on to record a hattrick of wins from 1975 to 1977 portraying “We Kind Of People”, “Paradise Lost” and “Cosmic Aura” designed by Carlisle Chang, Peter Minshall and Tedder Eustace respectively.

Ten years ago, the Lee Heungs called it a day in the mas making business. Lee Heung said, “Mas is what matters to me so it was very difficult.” Commenting on the mas of today, Lee Heung said the portrayals had not appealed both himself and Elsie for some time.

“It is a repetition of nakedness. Since 1983, the standard of costuming has dropped. We stopped taking an active part in mas in 1996.”

Since retiring from producing bands, Lee Heung said he and Elsie spent time a lot of time looking at television programmes until she started ailing, earlier this year.

Elsie suffered two heart attacks, developed kidney trouble after the second. After the third attack, Elsie had to be hospitalised but three days after admittance she insisted on returning home. One week later, she died in her sleep.

For the 85-year-old Lee Heung, who had a stroke that left him without the use of his right hand, only time would tell what’s next for him.

“Time will tell how I go on from here. I intend to just take it one day at a time.”

Lee Heung also leaves to mourn her daughter Maureen, son Shane, grandchildren Lisa and Darren, and great grandchildren Maegan, Kadell and Cheyenne.

Lee Heung’s funeral service will be held at 10 am tomorrow at St Theresa’s RC Church in Woodbrook.

Source : Newsday