Mokos steal the show at Traditional Individuals mas

THE night belonged to moko jumbies at the Traditional Individuals mas competition at Adam Smith Square, Port of Spain, on Tuesday.

Sporting black top hat and skeletal face paint, Russell Grant not only looked mystical as the folkloric Baron Cimetiere, but mid-motion could suddenly change from a run to a stride. Machel Montano’s Shell added to the primal mood.

Tekel Sylvan portrayed Oops, Lets Play, designed by Alan Vaughn.

Its minimalist form of black top and flaming pants gave him the freedom of athleticism to hop up on both stilts together, to lean back dangerously and to cross-leg his two stilts. Vaughn himself portrayed Hope ­– Archbishop of the South American Cathedral of the Rain Forests.

Daniel Bascombe, The Dancing Dream Catcher, mesmerised all with his skilled stepping of stilts, all while the pattern on his outfit gave a slow-motion effect.

Joel Lewis portrayed Judge: Splash of Colours, designed by Alan Vaughn. Huge dreadlocks flowed and bounced, endorsed by Pierrot Grenade-like streamers on his pants from which vertical ruffles bobbed up and down. Several other characters came on, then came more mokos.

Stephanie Kanhai wore all-white bridal wear in Ka-Laama: The Soucouyant Torch of Fire, designed by Adrian Young.

Young himself ran on stage to fly his huge wings in Daddy Jumbie. He jumped from one leg to the other, all while flapping his wings while twirling them, the effect all exaggerated by their stripes in black, white and orange. At times he looked like a huge lionfish in the air.

Among the burrokeets, Maria Nuitter de Espinal swirled and twirled in a very lively presentation, set to Spanish music. Matthew Wiley shimmered his bat wings to keep alive his father’s legacy, the late Edgar Wiley. Baby-dolls, minstrels, clowns, pierrot grenades and midnight robbers and other characters were also portrayed.