A musical T20: Carnival Champions League

CARNIVAL 2021 has been cancelled but this has not halted innovative, Carnival-related events from happening.

One of the latest Carnival-type events to grow out of the pandemic year –which saw many event organisers having to develop creative and innovative ways to sell their product – is Carnival Champions League (CCL).

The virtual series was launched on Monday at Imax Gemstone Theatre, One Woodbrook Place, Port of Spain. The event’s founder Myron “Myron B” Bruce said it is a revolutionary concept that will showcase the skill and artistry of TT’s singers and musicians in a competitive league format.

“The CCL will feature teams of proven champions of Carnival battling for honours in league styled series that will be produced for television and online consumption. It will bring together the franchise element of T20 Cricket and the form factor of reality talent shows like The Voice in an exciting and interactive cultural display,” a release said.

Myron B said the event’s organisers were conceptualising new ways of presenting TT’s entertainment products and the pandemic and the fact that there is no Carnival 2021 presented the best opportunity to present the concept.

He added that TT’s entertainment industry leans toward competitions during Carnival and has largely remained unchanged from the 1940s.

“A lot of people have been saying the calypso dying, the soca stagnating...and no one has been trying to bring some new ideas to the table.

“So a few years ago my team and I conceptualised the idea...the main purpose of it is to package our cultural product in such a way that it would be very easy to consume for international audiences, yet still remain true to who we are as a people and as entertainers.”

He said the league blends three worlds together: culture, the Dancing with the Stars model and the excitement of T20 cricket.

He added it brings together a group of dynamic entertainers in a showcase. Myron B stressed it was not a competition but a showcase of talent in a competitive style.

“Season one of the CCL will feature four challenge episodes and one final night showcase. This first season of CCL is divided into two categories: entertainers and champs of steel (pan).

“During the challenge episodes, teams will test their musical and artistic prowess in themed performance challenges and winners will be determined by audience votes.

“Teams will be awarded points based on their placement after votes are tallied. On the final night each team will deliver a ten-minute talent showcase and points awarded during the challenge rounds will be added to the team’s final score to determine who will be crowned winners of the Carnival Champion’s League,” the release said.

Some of the entertainers on the entertainers’ teams will be Crazy, Johnny King, Myron B, the Camejo clan, Fireball and former calypso queen Stacey Sobers.

He said there will be four challenge nights where a random theme will be presented and teams will have to perform to it.

“The themes would be in line and in sync with our cultural expression which would be calypso, soca, chutney, vintage calypso, vintage soca and much more,” Myron B said.

He said the audience will dictate who comes first on any given night of the challenge phase of the showcase and then each team will be awarded points based on who comes first, second of third. The final night which will be held at Imax where there will be a showcase which will bring everyone together and each team will showcase its own work.

Myron B said all of the points from the challenge phase will be added to night and tallied. This will determine the champion of the league.

The entire show will be virtual but on the final night there will be a live audience with all physical distancing protocols applied.

He said the entire show will be available on iEnt live streaming on Facebook and YouTube. Teams will be able to perform as a group or as individuals, he said.

Myron B said his management were still in talks with other corporate citizens to secure sponsorship for the series and they were also in negotiations with other broadcast networks to show it across the region.

He said the pandemic has created an opportunity for renewed partnership with corporate TT.

Carnival Champions League will be aired live across iEnt Live and Calypso Nite Social Media platforms on the following dates:

• Episode 1: January 26

• Episode 2: January 29

• Episode 3: February 2

• Episode 4: February 5

• Final: February 10