RBL MD among entrants in Senior King of Carnival competition

THE infamous winds that sometimes damage costumes during the Senior King and Queen of Carnival competition at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain made their might known again this year.

What didn’t make itself known as of press time however, were the results of Tuesday evening’s preliminary round of competition.

Those are expected to be released today, at which time the 31 queens and 38 kings will finally know who has made the cut for the finals during Dimanche Gras on Sunday.

One of the kings – Joel Roney John – had to complete his performance sans his costume, Perpetual Light, after the winds got the better of it.

Dressed in white, John was framed by a large iridescent fan-like structure which towered above him while the lower back of his costume was made of a wide skirt in the many colours of the rainbow. Unfortunately, a gust of wind pushed the skirt up against the fan, causing John to fall to his knees.

Several people rushed to help but as John later told Newsday, “The breeze bent the entire frame, so I couldn’t put it back on.”

Rather than walking off in defeat, John chipped and waved his way off stage as several men carried his damaged costume away. The audience applauded his positive attitude.

Another notable moment was when Republic Bank’s managing director Nigel Baptiste portrayed Victory Dance of Shaka. Wearing a loin cloth in shades of black and silver with gold accents and a wide collar in matching colours, Baptiste showcased a large figure representing Shaka Zulu.

Baptiste told Newsday, “Like many other Trinbagonians, Carnival is one of my most loved cultural events.”

“I’ve been a masquerader for many years including playing as an individual character with Trini Revellers. In the same way that I am proud to place a deep focus on the preservation of the mas art form as a member of the bank’s team, I am proud to deepen that support of the tradition in my own way, this year, as one of the Kings of the Band.”

Peter Minshall’s, Death and The Maiden The Fancy King Sailor Play Pegasus, portrayed by Earl Thompson was a crowd favourite. Quite a few people left their seats to get a closer look and to capture the moment on their smart phones/cameras.