Three-night NIFCA Finals begins Sunday

The National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA) Performing Arts finals in Music, Dance, and Theatre are set for an “explosion of talent” to begin Sunday at the Frank Collymore Hall, according to the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) as it urged support for the participants.

Kicking off three nights of competitions, the music segment will begin at 7 p.m., featuring nonprofessional adult and junior participants displaying their musical prowess across various genres as they vie for top honours.

Chief Cultural Officer at the NCF Andrea Wells said she expected a series of excellent showcases as she urged the public to get tickets early due to the anticipated high demand as the NCF gears up for the first NIFCA finals show since the pandemic.

“[There is] lots to see and do and tickets will go very quickly. So, those of you who look forward to evenings of excellence in NIFCA get your tickets early. We urge you to come out and give the participants your support as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of NIFCA,” said Wells. “It’s full steam ahead for the team here at the NCF. As you know these will be our first performing arts finals since 2019. So we are both eager and excited.”

Under the theme, Melodies of the Soil, the music finalists encompass a range of performers in both the adult and junior categories. These finalists will contend for numerous prizes and awards, including the Prime Minister’s Scholarship and Prime Minister’s Award for the Best Original NIFCA Music Entry, the James Millington Award of Excellence, and the Jackie Opel Award for the best locally written, arranged and performed musical selection in any genre.

New awards include the Emile Straker Award for the best locally written, arranged and performed folk selection; the Business Entrepreneur Prize; the 50th Anniversary of NIFCA Award for the Most Outstanding Presentation in the NIFCA Music 2023 and two Barbados Community College Scholarships for an Associate Degree in Music.

The finalists in music in the adult category are Arlington Daniel, Kibibi Greenidge, Athalia Crump, ZZ Cumberbatch, Johnathan Jordan, MLVP Elite Vox and Jaleesa Greaves.

The finalists in the junior category are The Cyptones 70 Voices, St Cyprian’s Boys Band, Shontae Alleyne Clarke, Christ Church Foundation Steel Orchestra, Nikhyl Burnett, Coleridge & Parry School Choir, Roneisha Alleyne, Skyy Dowridge, Christ The King Boomwhackers, The Ellerslie Choir, Haynesville Youth Club and the St Bartholomew Primary School Choir.

The theatre finals, themed Voices, follow on Tuesday, promising an evening of captivating performances and Bajan humour. The finalists are Milton Lynch Primary School, La Shawna Griffith, Reynold Weekes Primary School, Alister Alexander, Roland Edwards Primary School, Cyndi Marshall (Cyndi Celeste), Akeem Chandler-Prescod (Stoned With Cupid), Theo Greenidge (Deo.The.Poet), Nikolai Worrell and Natalie Thornhill (Double N), Deighton Griffith Secondary School, Sandra Squires and NH Productions.

A special 50th Anniversary of NIFCA Award for the Most Outstanding Presentation in the NIFCA Theatre Arts leads several new awards in theatre, including the NIFCA Earl Warner Prize, the Alfred Pragnell Challenge Shield for Acting; and two Barbados Community College Scholarships for the Theatre Associate Degree and the Theatre Access Awards. These are in addition to the general awards like the Prime Minister’s Scholarship, the Daphne Joseph-Hackett Award of Excellence, the Bruce St John Award of Excellence in Speech, the Prime Minister’s Award for the Best Original NIFCA Theatre Entry; the Founder’s Trophy; the Ricky ‘Babu’ Parris Challenge Shield awarded to the Speech entry which best explores workers’ struggle, black history or Barbadian culture, and the Cynthia Wilson NIFCA Producer’s Prize.

Concluding the Performing Arts competition is the Dance Final, themed Sankofa: A Night of Discoveries, scheduled for Thursday. Contestants from various dance schools and groups will compete for accolades such as the Prime Minister’s Scholarship, the Richild Springer Award of Excellence, the Madame Ifill Award of Excellence and four Associate Degree in Dance scholarships to the Barbados Community College and the TVET Council for dance-related training.

The finalists in dance are Pearls Dance Academy, Gentle Steps Arts Academy, Harold Nurse Community, Kendra Leacock, Barbados Dance Centre, Bajans in Movement, Anika Small, Haynesville Youth Club, The Ellerslie School, Shaunelle Neverson, Praise Academy of Dance, Akil Ifill & Faith Williams, Kemal Marshall, Sneverson Dance Company, Elevé Performing Arts Centre, Multifarious Dance Crew, Gem.In.I Project, Dreaming Black Boy Productions, Issachar Arts, Dancin Africa (Jada Best) and K-Eve (School of Performing Arts).

The dancers will be vying for new awards: the Gene Carson Award of Excellence for the highest scoring junior entry achieving a score of 91 per cent or greater in NIFCA Dance finals; the 50th Anniversary of NIFCA Award for the Most Outstanding Presentation in the NIFCA Dance 2023; and two scholarships to the TVET Council will be offered towards training in the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Dance Choreography.
(PR/BT)