Holly Betaudier dances with friend
TriniView.com Reporters
Recorded: August 25, 2007
Posted: September 13, 2007
The Independence Queen of the Ball and Dance Competition took place on Saturday 25th August, 2007, at the SWWTU Hall to hundreds of Ballroom dancing fans. Audience members were treated to a dance competition and Independence Queen pageant that showcased fancy national coloured fashion and fast footsteps. This year the dance was held in celebration of the life of Jonah Regis, the founder of this competition who passed away in February 2007.
Jonah Regis
The show, which was co-hosted by Holly Betaudier and son, Holly Betaudier Jr., began at quarter past eight, starting with the National Anthem rendered by Daniel Phillips on the Steelpan.
Sharing a few words at the start of the programme were President of the National Ballroom Association, Carl Edwards who proclaimed his pride in the number of people involved in dancing and who announced that six dancers would be going to Cuba in September to promote the culture of Trinidad and Tobago; and Reverend Fr. Wilford Turton Carrington who rendered the opening invocation.
Before the start of the Independence Queen of the Ball segment, the Julia Edwards Dance Troupe entertained the audience with their brilliant dance moves.
Nadlyn Thomas
After the audience was revved up by this scintillating performance, the various Queens entered the stage to show-off their dresses which bore the national colours: red, white and black. Although those three colours recurred in all of the outfits, their were several differences in cut, texture and design that separated one garment from another. The participants in this competition were: Crystal Solomon, Linda Inniss, Janelle Green, Dianne Devinish, Nadlyn Thomas, Ann Dyer-Hosten, Yvonne Cielto, Alana Doyle and Natalie Cumberbatch. The MC for this segment was Sharon George.
Immediately following the pageant was the Independence Dance Competition. This segment began with a guest performance by members of the Jonah Regis Dance School doing the Fox Trot to the delight of the audience.
Couples on the dance floor
Couples had spent many months preparing for this competition and had hoped to take home the coveted first-place trophy. Some of the dancing showcased were the Bolero, the Cha Cha Cha, the Bounce, the Fox Trot and the Calypso. The ladies were clad in flamboyant outfits that accentuated their quick-paced movements and their captivating twists and turns while the gents looked sharp in their scissors-tailed coats and steel-tipped leather shoes which added extra spunk to their confident strides. The dance couples were: Michael O'Neil and Avion O'Neil, Hector Lewis and Kywana Morgan, Lyndon Maynard and Michelle Lewis, Keichour Gosein and Nicole Thomas, Jennifer Boucher and Carlton Boucher, Andy Lawrence and Judith Persad, Derek Griffith and Raque Carribon, Robert Glasgow and Antoinette Frank, Annette Bascombe and Eric Alleyne, Derrick Charles and Ruth Charles and Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver.
Before the line dancing competition had begun, Merle Sanchez and Trevor John demonstrated the Bounce which is another Ballroom dance that is popular in some of the dance clubs in Trinidad and Tobago.
Exclusive Dance Group
In the line dancing competition, the groups that participated were: Exclusive Dance Group, Footlight Dance Group and Dance Connection. Some of the groups demonstrated interesting steps and were able to fuse more traditional forms of Ballroom dancing with new dances that appeal to the young and the young at heart. Others struggled to gain cohesiveness in their routines and as a result, some members fell out of sync with some of the dance moves. However, all managed to entertain the audience and had fans present who voiced their support.
Before the results were announced, members of the audience danced in honor of Jonah Regis who had founded the competition in 1963. Couples arose from their seats and had danced to wonderful music provided by the DJ, ranging from Calypso to Pop to Reggae.
Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver
Finally, the winners of the two competitions were announced:
Queen of the Ball
1st / Nadlyn Thomas
2nd / Natalie Cumberbatch
3rd / Janelle Greene
Fox trot
1st / Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver
2nd (tie) / Keichour Gosein and Nicole Thomas
2nd / Lyndon Maynard and Michelle Lewis
Bolero
1st / Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver
2nd / Hector Lewis and Kywana Morgan
3rd / Robert Glasgow and Antoinette Frank
Cha Cha Cha
1st / Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver
2nd / Lyndon Maynard and Michelle Lewis
3rd / Robert Glasgow and Antoinette Frank
Calypso
1st / Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver
2nd (tie) / Robert Glasgow and Antoinette Frank
2nd / Hector Lewis and Kywana Morgan
Bounce
1st / Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver
2nd / Robert Glasgow and Antoinette Frank
3rd / Hector Lewis and Kywana Morgan
Line Dancing
1st / Exclusive Dance Group
2nd / Footlight Dance Group
3rd / Dance Connection
In the dance competition, Alana Doyle and Christopher Oliver were the clear winners and their victory was openly celebrated with members of the audience showing clear approval.
Overall, the competitions were interesting; audience members can't seem to get enough of the Independence Queen of the Ball and Dance Competition. Next year's competition promises to be just as entertaining, with beautiful Independence gowns and great dance moves to captivate interested supporters.
Independence Queen of the Ball and
Dance Competition 2007 in pictures:
www.triniview.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=204160
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