Talent Expression Grand Final - Southern Marines Steelband Foundation

[Pan Times]

 

Southern Marines Steelband Foundation

2011-11-16

MEDIA RELEASE

The semi-final round of Talent Expression, the leading performance art talent competition in the South organised by the Southern Marines Steelband Foundation has been dubbed the best show since it began in 2001. The audience was shocked and delighted when one of the contestants, Tony Wizard, after performing the song My Girl went into the audience and proposed marriage to his girlfriend, who, of course, said yes.

Twenty five performers faced the judges on Sunday 6^th November 2011 and twelve will face the judges at the Grand Final on Sunday November 20th at 5:00 pm at the Southern Marines Pan Palais in Marabella. The semifinals were dominated by two vocalists: sisters Moricia and Marsha Cagan Only one point separated the two. The magnificent dancer Damini Soogrim is lying in third and is quite capable of sweeping the floor on Final evening.

The duet of Nigel O’Connor and Kadijah Jeremiah certainly charmed the crowd and are poised for a home stretch run as are the evergreen Deryck Hinds, his young calypsonian son Joshua Hinds, Baron clone Wendel McBurnie, Lystra Nurse, Bernard Brereton and Stephan Furlonge – all vocalists.

Talent Expression aficionados are looking keenly at Runako Williams with his SOE social commentary and use of audiovisual props and the smart money says if conditions are right the schoolgirl duet of Tyeesha Alexander and Rachel Diefenthaller playing the national instrument could sneak off with the big one. There will be guest artistes including last year’s winner.

Talent Expression has been staged for the eleventh consecutive year by Southern Marines Steelband Foundation and is in keeping with its mission to foster creative talent by providing performance space and incentives to performance artistes. It is open to performance artistes and has more than $36,000 in prize money at stake with a first prize of $5,000. All finalists receive money prizes and there are category prizes. For the first time there will be a People’s Choice category, the winner of which will receive the Everton Smith Trophy.

The twelve finalists in order of appearance are: Marsha Cagan, Nigel O’Connor & Kadijah Jeremiah, Deryck Hinds, Bernard Brereton, Joshua Hinds, Lystra Nurse, Runako Williams, Stephan Furlonge, Moricia Cagan, Wendel Mc Burnie, Damini Soogrim, Rachel Diefenthaller & Tyeesha Alexander.

The judges for the finals are: Nubia Williams, Carolyn Callender, Clarence Morris, Dianne Dupre, Josephine Taylor, Aquil Arindell and Kenny Phillips.

Past winners of the Talent Expression competition include: Sammantha Flores, La Donna Rouse and Denicia Smith (dancers); Keisha Codrington, Junior “Wiggy” Hinds and Richarde Bereaux (pannists); Mark Eastman, Megan Walrond and Melissa Phillip (vocalists) and Lucy Regis (dramatic performer).

Entrance fee is $40.00 payable at the door.

For further information contact Rae Samuel at 1 [phone] or Michael “Brother Scobie” Joseph at 1 [phone].

 

Contact Michael Joseph @ # 1 [phone] or email [e-mail]  or [e-mail]