All of us are sailors who came here from distant lands with stories to tell.
The tales of those voyages will be portrayed on the hats of those King Sailors who will grace the stage at this Sunday’s Dimanche Gras show at the Carnival City, Queens Park Savannah.
That’s according to the show’s creative director Davlin Thomas, who said this year’s event will see the Kings and Queens of Carnival competitions returning to the Sunday stage.
Thomas said it is going to be one where all aspects of T&T’s Carnival will be showcased.
This year’s theme is King Sailor Mass.
“If you really want to get a grasp of Trinidad & Tobago, Dimanche Gras is the stage you really want to come to see for there will be 100 dancers in full Carnival costumes, sailor costumes, dancing as they tell a story. We are going to do a theatrical production on this stage. We framed the idea of King Sailor Mass as a congregation of voyagers and sailors. We all arrived here and we will be showing this in the opening and middle of the show to tell stories of our journey here. On these sailors’ heads are the manifestations of the imagination, like town or grapefruit or whatever idea. We will have that motif to tell a story of the people who came,” Thomas said.
In recent years, the Dimache Gras also featured the finals of the National Calypso Monarch Competition. However, that event was taken away last year.
Thomas said the show remains marketable as last year’s event was almost sold out. He expects this year to be sold out as there will be something for everyone.
The show starts at 6.30 pm but a pre-show at 5.30 pm will feature saxophonist Francis Prime, calypsonians such as Trinidad Rio and David Bureaux; comedians Nicky Crosby and Penelope Spencer.
In the main show, there will be soca from Iwer George, Blaxx and D’ All Starz and Olatunji.
There will also be chutney soca from Drupatee, Nishard M and others. Thomas said negotiations are still being held to include a steel band. He explained that it was difficult to have the Panorama champion as Dimanche Gras follows the National Panorama Finals (Large Band) finals, which ends on Sunday morning.
Nonetheless, he said the preparation, including rehearsals, have been going well and promises a thrilling production on Sunday.
