Caribbean Fest's Debut Brings Dance and Culture to the Stage
Students dance with alumnus CJ. Photo: Emely Rivas
By EMELY RIVAS and VIENNA CHEN
Arriving with a bang on March 31 and April 1, Midwood’s first ever Caribbean Fest highlighted the school’s cultural diversity through the arts.
The show revolved around the storyline of a family, played by seniors Mohamad Eltahir, Geisha Valdez Munoz, and Krystal Davis, and juniors Kassidy Donald and Kelvin Deng, who are on vacation but end up stuck at the airport. There were several dance performances to represent different Caribbean cultures, as well as clothing displays, famous historical figures, moving poetry, and rhythmic dancing.
The show was supervised by Ms. Princessa Dominique and featured Sesame Flyers International and Pan Evolution, professionals who played the steel pan, an instrument that originated in Trinidad and Tobago.
The show’s president, Patrice McDonald ‘23, said, “From what I heard, a lot of people were really hyped for it. We only had a month and a half to practice on stage for this, but it turned out really well.”
The event was a way for students to celebrate elements of their cultural backgrounds, including whining, a dance to calypso or soca music. “I want whine because I feel like that's just such a cultural thing,” said audience member Maha Mostafa ‘24.
The show also went into the history of each island country.
“We’re more than people who just party,” said performer Prince Thomas, an alumnus (class of ‘14) who goes by “CJ.” “We have a history, we have a story behind it. With our costumes, we are called masqueraders, dating back to slavery time when our people were not allowed to party and have fun. We used to dress up as slave owners and pretend to be them.”
During the modeling portion of the show, CJ and current Hornets displayed the traditional clothing of each country. The audience cheered as students walked down the “runway” as upbeat music played in the background.
“I love that there's high schools that want to show what Caribbean culture is about,” CJ said. “Because oftentimes, we don't get represented. So I love the fact I was able to help my kids showcase what our culture is like on the stage.”
Performers ended the night with a Carnival performance where all dancers came out and danced to the festive music, leaving the audience brimming with energy. Stage crew director Melvin Abraham ‘24 said it was his favorite part.
With the time crunch and limited experience, the performers were anxious. The show’s success brought relief.
“I was worried about how this would turn out," said acting director Godwin Ngadi ‘23. “But as time grew I was like ‘I believe in myself, so I'm gonna make this work.’”
“We actually managed to pull it off, no lie, that's what really surprised me,” said Abraham. “The way we got everything off the stage, the props, and how quickly we got the dancers on, that was really interesting.”
“I wouldn't even say there was a favorite part for me,” said Ms. Dominque. “I think all of the elements came together very lovely and it really contributed to a great event. It was amazing. I would not have been able to do this without my team of teachers who were helping me, of course. I have to give credit to Ms. [Marie] Volcy, who guided me through, as well as her alumni, who’ve done this more times than anything.”
Overall, Caribbean Fest exceeded the expectations of the audience. If you want to see it yourself, be ready to jump on the tickets when they become available next year.