Eustace tops Kings again

REIGNING King of Carnival, Curtis Eustace topped the semi-finals of the King of Carnival competition at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Tuesday night.

Portraying “D Sky is D Limit”, Curtis maintained his lead over the 15 other semi-finalists heading into the finals at the Dimanche Gras show on Sunday night. Second was Geraldo Vieira Jr with “Trouble in de Bamboo”, and Roland St George, third, portraying “Schizo - the Agony of Xtacy”. The other finalists were South King Aaron Kalicharan “Native Warrior”, Juan Maximo “Hannibal - Ruler of Carthage”, Ansel Price “A Zulu Warrior’s Dream”, Dave Lakhan “Blue Moon Visitor”, and Leroy Prieto “Temuchin - the Mighty Ruler and Warrior”. The programme started promptly at 8 pm, and ended at 11.10 pm exactly, much to the satisfaction of the audience gathered at the Savannah in Port-of-Spain on Tuesday night, for the finals of the Junior Queen of Carnival and semi-finals of the King of Carnival Competitions presented by the National Carnival Bands Association (NCBA).

Mixed with the obvious pleasure of leaving the venue at a reasonable hour, was a bit of disappointment at not hearing an announcement for the winner of the Junior Queen Competition. There were 20 contestants in the category, with the majority showcasing a sensible mix of colours and creative designs in costumed portrayals, that in many instances, paid tribute to local personalities, both dead and alive.  For example, there was “The Spirit of the Bele Dancer - A Tribute to Beryl Mc Burnie” portrayed by Nyssa Mendoza from the band “Somewhere In The Caribbean”; “Golden Ray, Tanty’s Secret Recipe - A Tribute to Sylvia Hunte” displayed by Ghaaliya O’Brien from the band “Ah Hot, Hot Trini Pelau, One People, One Pot”; “Ice Carving” portrayed by Alendra Bailey from the band  “Hats Off To The Bailey Brothers”; and “La Femme Fatale Of De Cocoyea Village” by Dena-Marie Blanc from the band “Can You Remember - A Tribute to Stephen Lee Heung”.

Among the other costumes were patriotic portrayals that included “Sweet, Sweet T&T - De Melting Pot”, “The Humming Bird Queen”, “Oui Foute - Dat Is Carnival”, “La Trinity,” and “Paradise Revisited”. Ten of the 20 presentations came from school bands whose tiny competitors were warmly applauded for their efforts at “dancing the mas” on stage.
In the King of Carnival semi-finals, 16 competitors who advanced from the preliminary round appeared in their spruced-up costumes, all in a bid to secure a place in the finals to be staged during the Dimanche Gras Show at the same venue on Carnival Sunday night. Creating great impact were Roland St George’s portrayal of “Schizo - The Agony of Xtacy” and Curtis Eustace’s “D Sky Is D Limit” both from the band “Bedazzled”, while Geraldo Vieira Jr emphasised his competitiveness with the giant puppet that is “Trouble In de Bamboo” from the band “Gathering of The Tribes”. South-based Lionel Jagessar and Aaron Kalicharan showed off classic “Indian mas” in their costuming of “He-Lush-Ka - The Medicine Man” and “Native Warrior”, respectively. During the interval, patrons were entertained by calypsonians Rikki Jai (Samraj Jaimungal) and Black Stalin (Leroy Calliste).