The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ELEVEN groups participated in the 2016 New Year’s Day Junkanoo Parade in Freeport, displaying brilliant artistry, talent, cultural pride and entertainment.

Although the official results were not released up to press time on Monday, it is believed that the unofficial winner was The Swingers.

Under the theme, “A Tour of the Amazon Rainforest,” The Swingers costumes depicted the tropical rainforest scenery of the Amazon, plant life, waterfalls and wildlife.

The off-the-shoulder dancers were costumed as various indigenous plants and animals that thrive in the Amazon rainforest.

The group’s choreographed dancers depicted scarlet macaws and orchid flowers. There were cowbell ringers costumed as butterflies and drummers as mosquitoes. The brass musicians were depicted as deadly Piranhas.

The Swingers’ lead costume was titled “Exploring the Beauty of the Amazon.”

The Superstar Rockers took fans to “A Night At The Movies” with Hollywood’s box office film characters, with costumes depicting Rocky, James Bond in Casino Royale along with characters from The Last of the Mohicans, Lord of the Rings and Transformers.

The group’s lead costume was from the movie Avatar, with blue alien creatures.

The choreographed dancers were painted blue and depicted Smurfettes from the movie The Smurfs.

The group’s banner was comprised of the MGM and 20th Century Fox emblems and an Oscar statue.

The group’s off-the-shoulder costumes depicted movies like The Mummy Returns, Finding Nemo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Lion King and Passion of the Christ.

The free dancers represented various movie characters, including Star Wars’ Darth Vader and The Predator. The cowbellers and drummers were dressed as pirates from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

The music section was also well represented by characters in the movie Straight Out of Compton and the brass section was outfitted in costumes depicting Spartans in the movie 300.

The New Life Classic Dancers took spectators on a journey of ‘The Beauty of Nature,” with costume pieces depicting a nature’s trail, a butterfly garden of Hibiscus flowers, and beautiful birds such as the peacock.

Another crowd favourite was Platinum Knights group. Under the theme, “Welcome to Platinum Supermarket – Shop ‘til You Drop,” the group strolled down Pioneer’s Way with costumes depicting grocery items.

The group’s lead costume depicted a trolley full of groceries and a big happy family.

The Sting Junkanoo Group’s theme was “Just a Little Bit More,” referring to a song composed specifically for this year’s New Year’s Day Parade and performed by Dillion “DMAC” McKenzie.

The group displayed a variety of colourful costumes and people’s desire for material things, including money, clothing, shoes, etc.

Kingdom Culture’s theme was “Spreading the Gospel Throughout the World.” Their banner comprised of two angels on either side of a globe.

The lead costume depicted a Bahamian evangelist spreading the gospel around the world, featuring the late Dr Myles Munroe riding in a safari vehicle escorted by African warriors riding large cats.

The group’s costumes also represented Mayan Indians, The British monarch, with Queen Elizabeth on the throne. There were also various nations and continents depicted, including Antarctica, France, Italy, USA, Haiti, Trinidad, Australia and The Bahamas.

The group’s choreographed dancers featured two groups of African dancers with feathers, spears and weapons. The music section featured Asian culture, including a Japanese Samurai warrior, and cowbellers carrying rice houses, and water bearing pheasants.

The Showtime group brought the “Circus” to downtown Freeport, with costume pieces featuring a circus train. The off-the-shoulder dancers were costumed as an “admit one” ticket, clowns, a Ferris wheel and jesters.

Top Performers’ theme was “A Journey Through Africa.” The group’s banner consisted of Pharaoh and Queen Nefertiti in their chariot being pulled by two stallions.

There were depictions of the River Nile and Egypt. Fans were also taken on an African Safari tour. There were also depictions of the Coat of Arms of Botswana, Ghana, and the South Republic of Sudan.

The group’s lead costume was titled “Africa Unite” and depicted all African nations coming together as one.

The Rotary Club International Junkanoo Group and Bush Whackers paraded in the Fun Groups category.