Junior Calypso Monarch Semi-finalists in the 8-12 category announced

by Bajan Reporter / May 17th, 2015

Attitude and image – building a personal brand regardless of age! That must have been but one of the many messages on the minds of the junior calypso monarch hopefuls as they took to the stage at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed in the first round of Preliminaries in this two decade-long Junior Calypso Monarch Programme on Saturday 16th May 2015.

Junior Monarch is labelled as a programme and not a competition because its many facets are designed to aid in the academic growth and personal development of the some 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 Dr. 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.

Of the twenty entries received in the 8-12 age range, twelve participants and one reserve will go forward to the semi-final round, to vie for a chance to compete in the final round against the reigning Monarch in this category, Ranaan Hackett. The 13 – 18 semi-finalists will be announced this evening on the completion of the second round of preliminaries.

The semi-finalists and reserves 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 Saturday, June 13 at the Lester Vaughan School and on Sunday, June 21 at the Combermere School. Both events will begin at 6:00 p.m.