Melissa Doughty
MELISSA DOUGHTY
Aaron “Voice” St Louis presumably echoed what lots of people had been feeling after they checked out this 12 months’s Sekon Sunday when he stated, “Yuh know the way lengthy I ain’t really feel so boy.”
The annual Carnival occasion was held on January 10 at Queen’s Corridor, St Ann’s, and merged the digital and the reside viewers, following restrictions brought on by the covid19 pandemic. Whereas many occasions have been stored to the digital realm – with the reopening of efficiency areas – smaller reside occasions have been occurring once more.
Final 12 months, singer John Thomas’ the Imagine live performance and the Nationwide Parang Affiliation’s Tres Noches De Parang had been additionally held at Queen’s Corridor.
The over 100,000 viewers who seemed on by way of social media or tv and the 240 reside viewers members wined, danced and jumped with Nesta “Sekon Sta” Boxill and pals as they carried out many soca hits on the annual occasion. It has been held for the previous three years.
Sekon Sta’s Sekon Sunday gained reward each on and off line. Some commenters on Fb stated, “Dey cyah occasion like we Trinis in any respect. Pandemic and all.”
One other stated, “This was so effectively completed….all of the artistes, dancers, the band, manufacturing workforce….Nice Job.” Others praised the artiste saying that his ancestors had been wanting down and saying that they’re effectively happy.
Sekon Sta is the son of the late calypsonian, Dennis “Service provider” Franklyn Williams.
As has grow to be a function of those reside or digital occasions, as soon as once more, viewers created the “occasion ambiance” as finest as they might at their varied places and with hilarious commentary on-line. Some had been seen on Zoom dancing with coolers, waving flags, drinks and bottles in hand, and even a child held in arms whereas the male holding the toddler danced up a storm.
The occasion opened with a speech from a Midnight Robber, who spoke to the which means and significance of Carnival. After the character’s speech, Sekon Sta was seen sitting between two bele dancers, accompanied by a pannist as he sang his 2016 hit Kings and Queens.
He then dived into his father’s songbook singing Allow us to Construct a Nation Collectively and Caribbean Connection.
He was then joined on stage by Nailah Blackman as they sang the late Ras Shorty I’s Om Shanti Om.
The primary section of the present visited a few of TT’s calypso classics just like the late Shadow’s Dingolay to the late Lord Kitchener’s Sugar Bum Bum.
Blackman, Preedy, Erphaan Alves, Farmer Nappy, Faculty Boy Jesse and Voice had been among the many performing artistes.
Requested concerning the present’s success – which many seen as a template for occasions within the new regular – Sekon Sta stated, “For me, a very powerful factor, as I instructed all of the workforce, on this occasion, it’s covid protocols first, covid protocols second, covid protocols third and fête and leisure fourth.”
He stated the best way it turned out was spectacular. “I couldn’t pray for something higher.
“Whenever you take a look at the numbers over 100,000 individuals have seen this occasion in lower than 24 hours. Which means it received a number of nationwide and worldwide traction and it was an experiment of types to see what sort of template can be utilized to protect our tradition.
“For me, it positively turned out excellent.”
He stated there have been lots of people who believed that one wanted drunkenness or insanity to take pleasure in soca and have some type of Carnival however the present was a reminder that, “as a result of there is no such thing as a Carnival, doesn’t imply there is no such thing as a artwork kind.”
When requested about considerations about bodily distancing on the venue, Sekon Sta stated, Queen’s Corridor can host 850 individuals however covid19 protocols allowed for 50 per cent capability at efficiency areas.
“We went and had 240 individuals which is lower than what was allowed.”
He added that bodily distancing was the order of the day on the occasion. The covid19 protocols had been absolutely enforced at Sekon Sunday, he stated.
“If we felt that we couldn’t handle the viewers we might not have gone reside and we might have completed a pre-recording the place we might have recorded it after which confirmed it to regulate the narrative.”
He stated Queen’s Corridor administration was very meticulous in internet hosting the occasion. When friends arrived, they stayed of their automobiles till they had been instructed by safety to return out of their automobiles to enter the premises.
Every visitor washed their arms and had temperature checks earlier than coming into the venue. Visitors had assigned seats and had been ushered to their respective seats.
Folks additionally needed to inform prematurely who they had been attending with and numbers had been restricted to 6.
“You needed to sit with these individuals. There was spacing after which the opposite individuals with their group of individuals.”
He added that everybody wore face masks and, upon entry, a full contact kind was stuffed out by every attendee.
On the finish of the present, the viewers remained seated after which ushers confirmed the friends out.
“In accordance with Ministry of Well being protocols, all meals was pre-packaged and given out upon exit.”
He added that nobody gathered within the foyer.
Sekon Sta stated this model of Sekon Sunday was one thing that individuals can increase and work on.
— to newsday.co.tt
