Ideas to wake up Dimanche Gras

THE EDITOR: Hello, Mr Dollar Wine, Colin Lucas (NCC chairman), here are some pills (ideas) that could improve the Dimanche Gras show which has now degenerated into a sleeping-pill exercise.

The show should showcase the early Carnival and its traditional masquerade dance, mas, pan and calypso. The National Junior Calypso Monarch and Junior Extempore Monarch should lead off the calypso segment. The senior Calypso Monarch is already settled with 20 singers doing one song each, bringing his/her A-game.

There should be appearances of the:

* King and Queen of Carnival.

* Performances by the champions (first and second place) in the extempore war.

* Performance by the champion steelband (large band).

Then there should be the handing out of awards to senior pan arrangers, pan tuners, mas designers, veteran calypsonians, soca, chutney and entertainment writers, and radio deejays who push calypso, pan and soca. These awards must be accompanied by an envelope with a financial reward.

There you have it.

KEITH ANDERSON via e-mail