Antourage’s 2 kings, 2 queens in finals

SEETA PERSAD

Sangre Grande band Antourage Promotions will be well represented at tonight’s Dimanche Gras with two queens and two kings in battle for the King and Queen of Carnival crowns.

The band’s king finalists are Ravi Lakhan, who placed fourth in the preliminary round with the costume Balrog–Bringer of the Apocalypse, and Joseph Lewis, who came in seventh portraying Lux Venificus–The Bearer of Light.

The queens are Savitri Holassie, who leads the standings as Salicia, Queen of the Seas and hopes to seal the final victory tonight, and Roxanne Omalo whose portrayal Lilith, Mistress of the Eternally Damned earned her seventh spot in the qualifying round. Their costumes were designed by Leo Lakhan, whose also designed Omalo’s costume Sheera--The Ice Queen, which earned her second place in the 2017 Queen of Carnival final.

The kings and queens will lead Antourage’s band Dance of Mystery From Dream to Reality on the streets of Sangre Grande.

The band from Mottee Street is led by Leo, who feels overwhelmed to have four of his creations in the finals.

“For me this is quite an accomplishment,” he said, adding that he worked hard at producing these costumes with the help of designer Sheldon Lewis. Leo said he has received great support from the people in Sangre Grande and he feels proud to represent them in Carnival. Leo, a fitness instructor, established Antourage Promotions eight years ago.

“I really wanted to organise a band for the youths of my area who could not afford to play mas in Port-of-Spain,” Leo said, adding that he started off with a few players and the band has grown to having 200 masqueraders.