UNION Village at Number 53, East Berbice, Corentyne Coast, came alive when 21 contestants battled to advance to the finals of the Banks Calypso Competition on Friday night.

The contest, held on the Corentyne for first time, saw a small but very energetic and vocal crowd kept on their feet from the moment MC Malcolm Ferreira took to the stage.

Graced by Social Cohesion Minister, Dr. George Norton, the event started a little after 21:00hrs on Friday night and closed shortly after 01:00 hrs on Saturday morning, with many still singing their favourite lines on their way through the gates.

The contestants serenaded the crowd with songs that touched almost every topic, from domestic abuse, intellectual property rights, racism, oil and gas sector and the ‘green’ economy, to the beauty of Guyana, leaving them wanting more.

The contestants were aided by MC Ferreira who got the crowd involved in each performance and even took humorous jabs at the judges, camera persons, the band and members of the audience throughout the night. Humour mixed with serious messages were all part of his delivery.

After over three hours of lively performances, 10 persons were short-listed. They were Rudolph “Sweet Kendingo” Kendall, who belted out “Guyana Nice”; Cromwel Mentis, who sang “Mixturise the land”; Ingrid Harris, who performed “Me Horrific story”; Dawn “Lady D” Edwards who did “Ask them judges”; Samantha Grant, who sang “Black Gold”; Abigail James, who performed “Copyright law”; Diana Chapman, who delivered “The Killing of another woman”; Roger “Young Bill Rogers” Hinds, who had the crowd going with “No Third Term”; Kenroy “The Mighty Believer” Fraser, who performed “Guyana must be a paradise”; and Junior calypso Monarch, Jamal Stuart, who belted out “Miss May old car engine’’.