TWELVE young calypsonians and one reserve have been picked for the semi-finals of 8-12 category in this year’s Junior Calypso Monarch Programme after the preliminary round was completed Saturday night at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed.
They will be seeking to dethrone reigning champion Ranaan Hackett (below). Twenty entries were received in this age group.
The semi-finalists and reserves in the 13-18 category will be announced Sunday evening on the completion of the second round of preliminaries.
Performers in both categories will make their first public performances for the season without the added pressure of the competition stages at the two upcoming Scotiabank Junior Monarch Calypso Tents in association with IGM Stage Lighting on June 13 at the Lester Vaughan School and June 21 at the Combermere School. Both events will begin at 6 p.m.
The Junior Monarch is labelled as a programme, not a competition because its many facets are designed to aid in the academic growth and personal development of the roughly 2 000 young calypsonians who have been participating in the programme over the years.
After three consecutive Saturdays of developmental workshops, this year’s crop of familiar names and some new talented junior entrants in the 8-12 category, now armed with advice on improving their confidence and onstage presence, belted out their melodies with enthusiasm for a chance to compete in the semi-final round.
The workshops also provided helpful tips on and off the stage, like the pointers on preparing for a healthy financial future given by Ryan Bascombe of longtime sponsor Scotiabank; guidance on personal and professional growth from Actor and Public Relations Consultant, Antoine Williams; words of wisdom on the importance of every aspect of performance in telling your story, including costume selection from Jennifer Sealy of Dancin’ Africa; cues on the dos and don’ts of lighting for stage performance by Stephen Brathwaite of the other longtime associate sponsor IGM Stage Lighting; and finally, training in the areas of songwriting, voice and other performance preparation techniques offered by mentors Chrystal Cummins-Beckles, Adonijah, Adrian Clarke and Anthony ‘Gabby’ Carter.
With lyrics penned by veteran composers, parents and guardians, and current and past Junior performers, this year patrons can again look forward to social commentary addressing a mixture of prevalent topical issues through the lens of these young Calypsonians. (PR/SAT)
