Mello Go Roun' still brings out the fans

Hasani Walters, Gleaner Writer

The land of wood and water was evident on stage as the decor brought the idea to life with several trees, mountains, and rocks.

Out in the audience there were smiles in abundance on the faces of many.

For the most part, Mello Go Roun' was well received by the audience that gathered at the Golden Jubilee Village at the National Stadium's parking lot.

The youngsters seemed to be having a whale of a time as they clapped and waved hands in the air while adults took a no-holds-barred approach to showing their approval.

The performances of drama, dance, and song from the 2012 Festival competition finalists flowed smoothly throughout the night.

Denbigh Primary's eight performers did a quadrille piece and received hearty cheers from audience.

"Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!" one female at the front of the audience shouted.

A group of young schoolgirls from Retreat Primary School made the stage their playground as they sang and danced to "I was going to a circus, I was going to a fair, I met a señorita with a flower in her hair; Shake it señorita, shake it once again", among other folk songs.

A scintillating performance of Who's Loving You by a youngster from Ardenne High earned several rounds of cheers from the audience as he hit high notes like a singer much more mature than his years would allow.

A bow later, he made his exit.

"That's my boy! Woo! Woo!" shouted one patron, obviously related to the talented teen.

Little London Primary's six boys did a dramatisation suggesting "the church is a business, down to the blind can see that".

It was humorous and went down well with the audience.

Reggae medley gets mixed reactions

At the request of visiting President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, a special medley of reggae legend Bob Marley's songs was done.

The young man who did the performance was met with mixed reactions from the audience as his interpretation of the songs was different - it was not reggae.

Waiting In Vain was followed by Redemption Song after which the performer, who also struck keys on the grand piano, was joined by Paula Brown-Powell on One Love.

Her appearance and performance onstage got the same mixed reactions from the audience. Many commented that her joining in on the song did not help.

"It look like shi waan mi sing di song, 'cause shi a pwile up 'e song!" one female in earshot shouted.

After a 15-minute intermission, it was time for the 'grand jubilation', the final stage of the event.

Pon Di Ole Country Bus was delivered by a 'young granny' in headtie, and with walking stick - the whole nine yards.

It seemed she had a case of 'bad memory' as she forgot a line, but after a few tries, was in the game again.

Boscobel Youth Club was next with a kumina piece.

The Voice In The Box drama piece was a hit among the audience as it evoked a bellyful of laughter.

Richard Darby in Papa Dance explained how the parishes got the dances for which they are known. He went from the traditional forms such as the maypole and the jonkonnu to the more modern dances - Propeller, Raindrops, Gi Dem A Run, and Tek Weh Yuhself.

Jjopa from St Thomas represented dancehall with an energetic dance routine before Ardenne High performed 'Symbiosis' and the Tivoli Dance Troupe followed with the entertaining 'Jambilation'.