Quickies: L'Acadco shines at Decades of Dance

"The response to us was overwhelming!" is how artistic director and founder of L'Acadco: A Caribbean Dance Force, Dr L'Antoinette Stines, described the company's recent participation in 'Decades of Dance', held from from October 11-16 in Trinidad & Tobago

L'Acadco accepted an invitation from Trinidad's Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism and the National Dance Foundation to be part of this ambitious event, which included workshops, performances and symposia, also presenting a platform where dance practitioners learned techniques and were exposed to traditional dance forms from the Caribbean region.

The company hit a snag in securing sponsorship to cover air transportation for the 15 company members selected for the trip. Stines enlisted the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an appeal was made to Caribbean Airlines, which provided complimentary round-trip travel for the entire group.

L'ADCADCO did four performances and three workshops, and one of the highlights of the trip was a L'Antech (Dr Stines' signature technique) class attended by 85 participants.

ART'ical Empowerment at Edna Manley

The non-profit, youth-led organisation Manifesto Jamaica will stage its second annual Festival of ART'ical Empowerment from November 18-20 at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, 1 Arthur Wint Dr, St Andrew. In addition, in an exhibition which started on Wednesday and runs to the end of November, Manifesto Jamaica, in collaboration with Studio 174 Art Gallery at 174 Harbour Street, Kingston, showcases work by young artists from inner-city communities.

The 2011 Festival of ART'ical Empowerment is a three-day arts and culture exhibition which will cover performing, visual, culinary, literary and martial arts, spiritual matters, and even advocacy for the arts.

Day one, Friday, November 18, begins with a Town Hall Reasoning, a discussion series to bring to light issues and potential solutions in the field of arts and culture. On days two and three, there will be several workshops of the arts. The ART'ical Village, also at the festival, will feature art and craft displays, drumming, performances, booths, live mural painting and a Pickney Park with workshops and activities for children.

Honours for Dubtonic

On November 5, during an appearance at the seventh staging of the annual Reggae Culture Salute showcase in the USA, Global Battle of the Bands winners Dubtonic Kru was again rewarded for their excellence and contribution to the music industry. The band received a Congressional Proclamation from the US House of Representatives, through Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Big Youth also received a proclamation. The Coalition to Preserve Reggae's (CPR) Simba Award was also bestowed upon Dubtonic Kru at Reggae Culture Salute.

Clarke said: "I salute Dubtonic Kru for their service and dedication to our community and highlight that their positive and legendary contributions are what make our nation great, and I bestow upon you the highest honour as a member of the 112th session of Congress." CPR is a non-profit organisation based in New York, with members and affiliates round the globe engaged in a mission to preserve reggae.

Retweet at Boardwalk

The BA Events conceptualised social media beach party will return in December, after a successful first staging in July this year. Retweet will be held at the Boardwalk Beach, St Catherine, and the promoters are promising the same great vibe and energy as the debut party.

Brandon Allwood, a director of BA Events, said December's staging of Retweet will naturally be bigger and better. "Retweet in December is definitely going to be bigger than the one in July. We've not only learned a lot of things, but we've managed to come up with some great ideas for December's staging - especially how we're going to be setting up the venue," Allwood said. "We have a team filled with people that not only work in entertainment, but also love partying - and, most importantly, know the kind of social-media-Twitter-Facebook-fun vibe we are trying to recreate on the beach."

The team includes Kelvin Osbourne and the Clearsound Production team, who are responsible for bringing to life the vision BA Events has created for Retweet. "One of the things we are going to do is a 'VIP' area, but we're going to be doing this in a way we're pretty sure is going to be fresh and exciting for patrons, and we are definitely going to use the space better," Osbourne said.

Styled as the 'MVPs', three best friends and ace turntable talents, DJ Sanjay from Coppershot, DJ Richie Ras and DJ Narity, are slated to provide the musical diet.

Flippa throws words

The self-professed 'Flossing King' is back with a vengeance, his latest release coming on the confrontational War Monger Riddim.

Flippa Mafia has unveiled his newest single, Money Fight War, on the Open Ear Records-produced Riddim, showing his lack of fear for lyrical battles. In the song, Flippa Mafia leaves no stone unturned, calling out some of dancehall's biggest names, such as Bounty Killer, Tony Matterhorn and Elephant Man. Flippa implies that too many artistes are pretending to be rich while entering lyrical clashes. He also takes shots at Vybz Kartel, intimating that the Gaza man ran from past clashes.

This single is the latest effort since Flippa's return to Jamaica.

Strictly the Best concert debuts

Hot97Boston and VP Records have announced the first Strictly The Best Concert, slated for Showcase Live, Foxboro, Massachusetts, on November 22, hosted by Hot97 Boston radio personality Notorious V.O.G.

The one-day music event features Vegas, I-Wayne, Khago, Demarco, Laza Morgan and Wayne Marshall, celebrating the official release of this year's Strictly The Best. The series is reggae's longest-running compilation, established in 1990. Each year, VP Records releases two volumes in the STB series - one each for reggae and dancehall - showcasing the most buzz-worthy hits and biggest artistes in the genres for the year.

"Live music is the heart and soul of reggae music and we think there is no better way to celebrate the release of the genre's longest-running compilation album than with a groundbreaking, star-studded live concert featuring the world's biggest, most exciting reggae/dancehall artistes - all at the biggest college market in the world. This underscores Hot97 Boston's efforts over the past two years to programme and deliver cutting-edge dancehall to mainstream listeners through our digital radio platform, which is listened to locally in Boston and globally on every continent on a weekly basis," said Paul Parara, general manager and programmes director for Hot97 Boston.