KINGSTON, March 30, 2012:
Auditions for the World Reggae Dance Championship 2012 start Easter Monday, April 9, in the Eastern Region.
The audition, all-day event, will be held at Colonel Cove, Morant Bay, St. Thomas. Dancers should attend ready to display their skills, if they want to be in this year’s competition.
The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) says the event will take the form of a family fun day, that will include exciting rides such as Bounce-A -Bout, Merry Go Round, Ferris Wheel, Fire Trucks, Water Slides and Trampoline. The children can also participate in face painting and enjoy the clowns.
Entertainment will be provided by the dancers, as well as guest artistes including Specialist, Apache Chief and Sarge, Granny, Tuner-the Magician and Jamaica’s “Michael Jackson”. Gates open at 10 am.
Interested dance groups should submit their entries before the closing date, Friday June 1??. Entry forms can be collected at any JCDC parish office, and can also be submitted on the day of the audition.
The other auditions and family fun days will on: Sunday, May 6, Northern Region – Family Fun Day & World Reggae Dance Audition, PrioryBeach, St. Ann at 10 am; Saturday, May 26, Western Region, Family Fun Day & World Reggae Dance Audition, Jockey Factory, Lucea, Hanover at 10 am; and, Friday, June 1, in Kingston at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, an audition only event which will begin at 4 pm. Competitors may perform at any of the four Auditions of their choice.
The JCDC World Reggae Dance Championship is a major calendar event. The primary aim of the competition, which began in 2006, is to expose young adults skilled in the areas of reggae and dancehall dance expressions. The competition continues to be a success each year, pulling in vast audiences and attracts dancers of the highest calibre.
In 2009 the competition received its first entry from a Japanese Dance Group who placed second that year. It is open to groups of 3-6 persons, 16 years of age and over, residing in or out of Jamaica. Participants compete in the categories of Roots Reggae, Dancehall, Reggae Contemporary/Classic, Reggae Dancehall and Dance Narrative. The national finals will be held on Saturday August 4, 2012.
Balford Henry
WORLD REGGAE DANCE CONTEST STARTS EASTER MONDAY