AS SOON AS the nine-member Reactive Squad positioned itself on the stage of the Garfield Sobers Complex just before 8 p.m. on Monday evening, the competition was all over. And the crowd knew it too.
Perennial finalists at the Community Dance Fest, the eventual winners made it clear they were the ones to beat with their strong Welcome
To The World Of Dance Fest. The performance showcased popular sequences from past winners, sampling the Demolition Squad, Xtra Hype and Blu Tooth Breakers, along with some magic thrown in for good measure.
The Multifarious Dancers put up a good fight, however, to place second with a performance which must have scored quite high on presentation value. Themed Heroes, the task was to distract the sizable audience as mission control tried to find a “bomb” that was planted in the gymnasium.
An explosive of a different nature landed the Motivation Dancers in third place. Through dance and mime, the dancers played out the Shanique Myrie saga – Caribbean Court of Justice hearing and all. Aidonia’s Bubble And Turn was the soundtrack for the controversial cavity search of the Jamaican national, while other well known tunes were used to portray Barbados’ and Jamaica’s positions on the issue, culminating in a Happy Time For Myrie when she received the cheque, or did she?
Of notable mention in the senior’s category would be the Praise Academy Of Dance: Destiny and its strong message of the long-lasting effects of teenage motherhood and child abuse.
Despite the fact that not all of the finalists in the junior competition made it to Wildey on Monday, those which did gave a great showing.
The SPS Dancers from St Thomas learned Bajan Studies well in the first performance to truly fire up the audience. Following close behind them was the formidable force of God’s Army, presented by Praise Academy of Dance: Promise. Defending champions St George Commanders aimed to make it To The Top but had to settle for third place with a colourful old-school number filled with cheer lifts, ballroom swings and tons of energy.
