‘We Beat’ opens in St James

ST JAMES shows, through the evolution of its past, that it is entirely possible to live to the simultaneous beats of the drums of many different types.

So declared Prime Minister Patrick Manning in an address at the opening of We Beat St James Live 2003 at the St James Park and Amphitheatre, last Friday night.“We would do well to remember that the streams of our civilisation include many more rivers than the Ganges and the Nile,” said Manning. “Indeed, we would do well to remember the Thames, the Seine, the Tigris and the Euphrates, this last out of present concern. For we lay claim to ancestry which includes them all. I say, therefore, let the drums beat, for they beat for all of us.”A presentation of the St James Community Improvement Committee (CIC), the We Beat festival, a 9-day cultural extravaganza, is paying tribute this year to dancer extraordinaire, Julia Edwards.

The opening programme, titled “Merging of the Cultures,” featured dance performances by Sat and Mondira Balkaransingh, Flamenco Solo Flamenco, Chinese Arts Group, Noble Douglas Dance Company, Malick Folk Performers, and the Julia Edwards Dance Company. Additional entertainment was supplied by the Nada Sangama Steel Orchestra; ace musicians Len “Boogsie” Sharpe and Pelham Goddard; and calypsonians Scrunter (Owen Reyes Johnson) and Baron (Timothy Watkins). Show host was radio personality Phil Simmons. Seated on a decorated platform, borne by six sturdy young men, Edwards was brought on stage to a standing ovation from patrons present to accept gifts of hampers donated by Carib Brewery, National Flour Mills (NFM) and Angostura Limited; a commemorative plaque from the Trinidad and Tobago Crafts and Arts Producers Association; and a plaque and financial reward, courtesy the CIC. The acknowledged “First Lady of Limbo” arrived at the venue as the featured attraction in a colourful and lively parade along a strip of the Western Main Road, that featured vibrant Tassa and African drumming, energetic folk dancers, proud banner bearers and graceful stilt walkers.

In previous We Beat celebrations, homage was paid to Anthony Williams, pan tuner and innovator associated with Pan Am North Stars Steel Orchestra, and Norman Darway for his contribution towards the development of sports, especially weightlifting and bodybuilding. Minister of Culture and Tourism Pennelope Beckles, in an address, observed that paying homage to community elders (persons who have given their lives to community service and the promotion of artistic and cultural traditions) was the hallmark of the We Beat festival. “The city and people of St James have contributed significantly to the cultural life of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said. “The First Lady of Trinidad and Tobago Arts, the late Beryl Mc Burnie, opened up her home on Panka Street, St James, for the establishment of a Theatre Workshop which became a centre for creative exchange of ideas for our young and fledgling artistes, as well as a performance space. Even though We Beat is only three years old, it has already established itself as one of the signature festivals on the national calendar.”

In the varied cultural showcase on the evening’s playbill, the performance of Flamenco Solo Flamenco stood out. The group’s repertoire afforded a look at the dance, song and music of Spain through guitar playing and rhythmic punctuation by handclaps and a wide variety of choreographic expressions that included all the essential elements of Flamenco. We Beat St James Live 2003 continues nightly at the Amphitheatre until Saturday June 7.