Sinister mixes fashion and theatre

Feroce.tt put on a fantastic concert and fashion show at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) which was titled Sinister. The event featured a combination of fashion and theatre.

The Feroce.tt group was born out of the bowels of the Arima North Secondary School but also includes volunteers from various organisations.

Produced by the school's vice principal Arianne D’Abreau, Sinister’s theme was "bad associations spoil useful habits" and fashion was the primary vehicle used to demonstrate this last week Thursday at Napa, Frederick Street, Port of Spain. Sinister was well received by the audience.

D’Abreau said the group was created to combat school violence and bullying. "I targeted students who were deemed leaders, some of whom were ‘at-risk’, in an attempt to change the culture of the school. The focus was to build the self-esteem of students as well as to teach them negotiation skills through peer mediation."

The students were trained in modelling, sports, speech presentation, spoken word/writing poetry and dance. The success of the venture thus far, birthed an after-school programme which also gave students from other schools the opportunity to participate.

"Every show we have put on was an attempt to raise funds for persons who were in dire need of help. However, for the first time we were attempting to raise funds for their own group (Feroce.tt), the purpose of which is to locate a space to continue many of our social programmes, free of charge, for children in the Arima area," said a passionate D’Abreau.

She said most times the group’s requests for assistance are often rejected and she is told that saving the nation’s youth is an impossible cause. She believes that if, however, a few corporate sponsors come to the rescue, the production of the show can continue.

Among those who have assisted the group are China Railway Caribbean Construction Company, Ricky Raghunanan, NH Construction Company, Moosai’s Hardware, Armstrong’s Funeral Home, Garfield Tall and Hoi Kam (Arima).

The group has staged 19 shows since 2015. Its other projects include a visit to Disney World; creation of an anti-bullying advertisement with soca artistes and past student Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann Lyons-Alvarez and Jigger, and its own magazine in September 2017.