Moving to the circus beat

Students of the St Gabriel’s showing off the costumes to be featured in their school’s 2012 Junior Kadooment band on July 28.

Rayne Inniss wearing the costume of the Fortune Teller section for girls.

Shelly Hassid (left) and Annika Armstrong posing in the costumes for the all-girls Cotton Candy section. (Pictures by Sandy Pitt.)

Students Akil Alleyne (left) and Mayela Hickling modelling the costumes for the The Lion and the Lion Tamer section of the band.

Fri, May 25, 2012 - 12:05 AM

A circus will be in this year’s Junior Kadooment on July 28.

It will be put on by the little jumpers from the St Gabriel’s School band when they play some of the characters from a circus following the band’s Under The Big Top theme.

Scores of excited students from the Henry’s Lane, St Michael school viewed the colourful costumes for the five sections of the band during its launch yesterday at the school.

Pupils modelled the costumes for The Marching Band, The Cotton Candy (all girls), The Clowns, The Fortune Teller (all girls) and The Lion and the Lion Tamer sections, designed by regular contributor to the Crop Over Festival Renee Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe, who has designed for the school for the past four years, told the Press the band – which targeted 130 jumpers – was initiated for children to have fun.

“It is their day, and not about winning prizes and trying to beat everybody else. The kids like the theme, they like the idea, they like jumping and it’s about them. I just don’t want them to sit down on a track waiting forever to get across the stage.”

The designer said the band was open to the public, and had received a pleasing response from sponsors.

“The only rule Aunt Renee has in this band is ‘no wukking up’. Let the adults wuk up. Kids should parade and shake their flags and wave and parade down the street and have a good time. This ‘go dung, go dung, go dung’, should never go down, go down, go down,” said Ratcliffe. (AH)