Tyesha Turner sweeps K&SA festival queen competition

Correction and Clarification

In today's Gleaner, in the story titled 'Tyesha Turner sweeps K&SA festival queen competition', Tassia Stewart was credited as finishing third in the competition and Michelle Davis second.  Stewart, in fact, finished second and Davis third behind Turner.  The Gleaner regrets the error.

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

THE CULTURAL pageant catwalk came alive on Sunday with the coronation of the festival queen for the twin parishes of Kingston and St Andrew. After the eight contestants made several appearances, the sectional prizes were the first to be announced. And with Tyesha Turner winning four of the six categories, it was a forgone conclusion that she would walk away with the top prize, thus eliminating the customary outcry of disagreement from an often polarised audience.

Promptly at 7 p.m., on a set that transformed the stage of the Louise Bennett Garden Theatre to look like the front of a house, and accompanied by eight little girls, the contestants: Kaydian Facey, Georgia Rickett, Tassia Stewart, Michelle Davis, Gracia Baugh, Marsha Lewis, Vanessa Foote and Turner, dressed in full white, made their first appearance in an entertaining dance choreographed by Barbara McDaniel.

Interesting talent pieces

This was followed by an introduction section. Dressed in glittering clothes, each contestant stated her name and philosophy, which elicited screams from relatives and friends.

Next was the talent presentation. Generally, the contestants captured the theme of the pageant 'Jamaican Woman - Shaping our Culture'. All, except Baugh, who sang Queen Ifrica's Lioness on the Rise, opted for hybrid pieces, whereby they combined more than two of the performing arts, but failed to have smooth transition from one art form to the other.

However, for Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Executive Director Grace Silvera, and event coordinator Hopeton Murray, the "pieces were outstanding" and the contestants "got into the pieces".

Tassia Stewart was adjudged Best Performer for her humorously written piece titled Ingenuity.

The eveningwear parade was fantastic. The gowns came from fashion houses such as Beautiful Brides and Mr Tux and Shades of Africa. All the ladies wore their gowns like royalty and walked the stage with elegance and aplomb. But it was Turner who walked away with the prizes for Best Gown and Best Poise. She also won Most Culturally Aware and the Most Active in the Community, while Vanessa Foote was judged Most Congenial. But Foote was not included in the top five that comprised Facey, Ricketts, Turner, Davis and Stewart. Later, after much deliberation, Turner was declared the 2010-2011 Miss Kingston and St Andrew Festival Queen, with Davis and Stewart second and third, respectively.

The prizes were lucrative. All the contestants received several gift baskets and a rose while being serenaded and the top three also received cash.

Chief judge Marcia Higgins told The Gleaner that the contestants were great, and that the judges were close in their choices. She also said the ladies who made the top five were the same as in the prejudging.

Turner is a member of the New Kingston branch of the Kiwanis Club and chairman of community service in the club. She described the preparation for the pageant as "intense and gruelling" as she went through various training.

The young foreign-service officer said she was looking forward to the next challenge.

"I am ready to represent the parishes (Kingston and St Andrew) at the national competition. I am looking forward to interact with the other parish winners," she said.

The National Festival Queen Finals is scheduled for July 17.

Live music for the show was provided by Unique Vision band and the master of ceremonies for the event was Norma Bell Brown. Outgoing Miss Kingston and St Andrew Festival Queen, Tamara Dickens, was on hand to make her final appearance and to sash the new queen.