TRINIDAD EXPRESS - By Wayne Bowman - Taking the words of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as gospel, chutney artistes are already excited over the 2011 Chutney Soca Monarch competition where they may be competing for a $2M first prize.
Reigning monarch, Ravi B declared at the prize distribution ceremony for the 2010 Chutney Soca Monarch that he was coming with a, "two million dollar performance" in defence of his title next year. Producer of the competition, George Singh also expressed the hope that the Government will deliver on the promise made by Persad-Bissessar.
Singh is, however, not waiting on the Government, announcing plans to turn the finals of the completion into a global event.
The founder of the Southex Events Management Company also unveiled at the prize distribution ceremony held at the Kapk Hotel, Maraval, three new events to be held for Carnival 2011. Singh told the Express he is not and never was a fete promoter, but one seeking to develop Indo-Trinidadian culture and see demanded worldwide.
The 2011 Chutney Soca Monarch finals will take place on February 19 at Skinner Park, San Fernando. There will be three events running simulteanously in Miami, New York and Toronto where patrons at these venues will be entertained by live artistes and bands and view the Chutney Soca Monarch finals live on large screens. These people will also be able to vote for their choice of winner via text messaging.
"We will employ the Skype online video phone system so that the people in Miami, New York, Toronto and those here in Trinidad will be able to see each other enjoying the event. We are also seeking to have at least 100,000 text votes coming in and there will also be online voting since the show will be streamed live. In the coming three years we are seeking to have a pay per view audience of at least 50,000 viewers," Singh said.
The first new event is titled Dhamaka, which is a talent competition featuring singers, dancers, music bands and other aspects of local Indian culture. This takes the form of a live television series the finals of which will take place at the Space La Nouba Nightclub on January 22. Singh said Dhamaka means "explosion" and the concept is to create a platform from which young people can launch their entertainment careers in a grand way.
The other new event is Chutney Champs, a champions in concert that will feature the finalists of the Chutney Soca Monarch as well as winners from Dhamaka. Singh said he wants to present this event at the National Academy for the Perofrming Arts on Carnival Thursday, March 3. He said the limited seating at NAPA is not a problem for him as the event is not about making huge profits, but to promote the culture.
"I know NAPA has only about 1,300 seats, but that is not a bad audience for what we are setting out to accomplish with this show. I want to create something theatrical taking elements from the chutney Soca Monarch finals and incorportating them into this production. We will create a format that flows smoothly and will be enjoyable to sit and look at. We are looking at this show as something we will be able to take out of NAPA and present to an international market. This event will be unique to Port of Spain during Carnival," Singh said.
The third new event Singh introduced is the Chutney of the Sutton on Carnival Monday night. The plan here is to present a free event featuring chutney bands and solo artistes on Sutton Street, San Fernando. There will also be large screens set up around the area allowing for thousands of people to see what is happening on the stage that will be erected. "We want this event to eventually become the one people from across the island will head to every Carnival Monday night from next year," Singh said.
