BY CAROLYN JOHNSON, Freelance Reporter
Shady Squad
DOWN TO THE final 10, the MiPhone Dancin' Dynamites had an after-carnival party at the Television Jamaica studio last Saturday.
Though carnival had ended a week earlier, culminating in two massive road marches, the contestants in the competition either had not caught the soca fever, or had lost it. Most also did not have the slightest clue what carnival costumes looked like.
The missing ingredient from most performances was the celebratory aspect of carnival. Guest judge, Shama Harding, born in Barbados, commented on this many times. Another problem was choreography. This was either messy, too predictable or included some dancehall moves. Overall, there was just too much jumping up.
As part of a competition which tests skills in dancing, the judges said they wanted to see more than ordinary gyration and carnival spectacle. The only male/female group, Squad One, was admonished for some moves which were a bit too raunchy for a family show.
Meanwhile, Shady Squad, who tore the house down last week, scored a mediocre 19 points. Though their performance started out well and featured one of the best costumes, the energy did not carry through to the end. They lost the judges and the audience when one member, as part of the routine, ran into the audience danced with a girl then ran back on stage. This was presumably a part of the choreography to the song We Nuh Waan Nuh Chi Chi Man.
G Squad, however, had the best week so far, managing to score straight nines. They had the costume, energy and celebratory aspect the judges were looking for.
As if the moves were not already a disappointment, the costumes were atrocious. Though the contestants tried, many failed miserably in their estimation of what suited carnival. Many simply wore cut up T-shirts that were not even stylish for J'ouvert.
MISSING STYLE
Fox Squad's outfit included T-shirts that appeared to be cut at random and shorts that looked more like boxers. Others just missed it all together. Though Goofy Brothers had the colours going, their floral tops and yellow pants just wasn't cutting it, while Portmore Dancers resembled jesters in yellow vests and green pants.
Vibe Ihatas received commendation from judges for their costumes. They wore short-layered white skirts with fitting white spaghetti strap tops. G Squad, Harding said, reminded her of Crop Over.
This week's competition should prove very exciting as organisers 'mix it up', with each group choosing a different genre of music.
The 10 finalists include: Kreative Boyz, Bad Weadda, Shady Squad, G Squad, Kayas, Vibe Ihatas, Squad One, Fox Squad, Goofy Dancers and Portmore Dancers.
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