This lady was a hot commodity on the dance floor as the men lined up to dance with her. She shows off her aerobatic moves as she wines on the floor just before her partner gets ready to lift her in the air. - Nathaniel Stewart

by Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

The vibe went on and on like the waistlines of the women on the roof of the Portmore Pines Plaza at Gym and Juice last Saturday night.

With a show of musical excellence from the likes of Arif Cooper, Base Xcess and Pepsi from Renaissance Disco, the packed venue kicked into life for hours on end. When the STAR team reached the venue after 12 pm, persons were dancing at the sides of the roof to older hits like Beenie Man's Dude, Signal Di Plane and others. The women were in their skimpy shorts and slippers or sneakers - ready for a good workout.

Although it was a female themed dancing party, the men took over the centre at first with a Passa Passa-like dance-off to Gimme Di Light and Sizzla's Pump Pump Har.... One man shouted to the selector "wheel and come again" lifting his lighter in the air.

As the promoter for Gym and Juice, DJ Kurt Riley urged the ladies in their short shorts to step forward, a group of women took up the challenge, stepping forward in time to Bogle, Row the Boat and Blaze.

Sound system Bass Xcess followed hard, hitting the women with some old soca, making them do the Dollar Wine as they raised their hands in the air. As the selector moved into the new soca, he teased with tunes from Munga Honourable and Mavado that had the crowd going wild.

By 1:30 a.m., the venue was almost filled to capacity as the crowd moved closer to the stage. Arif Cooper switched it up, going into the guardian riddim as he dropped some soulful reggae that made the vibe blaze even higher. A slew of Sizzla classics hit hard: Rise To The Occasion, and Dry Cry among them before he teased the crowd with Busy Signal's These Are The Days.

The musical selection for the night was different from the usual party, utilising a wide variety of music rather than the gangsta tunes that usually play. Kurt Riley emphasised Gym and Juice is all for the ladies.

Choreographed dance

As Pressure's Love and Affection blared through the speakers, the men went on the prowl as they edged behind the females dancing in the centre. It was almost a choreographed dance piece in the centre as the crowd danced to Mavado's Dying. This signalled the beginning of the real hardcore dancing time with Ukku, Stookie, Goodas, Back It Up and many other songs being played. The ladies really got wild as men hoisted them in the air.

To cool off a little, DJ Pepsi took over with a little R&B, playing So Cold, Rihanna's Umbrella, among other tracks. But the vibe never failed as the now very packed venue danced and moved as the gears shifted to some old dancehall with Position and Backshot.

Hands went on the floor as women backed it up, split and moved to the music. Soon Pepsi had the crowd in his hands as feet clapped on the floor to Raging Bull and Crazy Hype. Being in Portmore, Pepsi dropped a wicked dub from Vybz Kartel that had the crowd crying "pull up".

The dancers in the crowd were wet with sweat but at 3:30 a.m. Kurt Riley apologised that the police had called a stop to the fun. Disappointed, the crowd took a long time to trickle out of the venue, as they obviously were not done partying. Overall, Gym and Juice volume 6 was a blazing success.