By Daniel Haynes

DESPITE the tears and blown expectations, the children of Georgetown have once again proven they have what it takes to hold an audience captive. And hold it captive they did on a day dedicated to strictly dancing, and, as has been the custom over the years – at this particular time, the National Cultural Centre again played host yesterday to pupils and teachers who came to cheer on their respective schools as the annual Children’s Mashramani Competition entered Day 3.

The Nursery and Primary Schools of Georgetown once again made believers out of the Guyanese public. They not only proved that they belong on the same level as many of the secondary schools with regards to their performance, but also that they can compete with them on their own terms.

CATEGORIES
The categories included religious beliefs, fantasy, legends and traditions, interpretive, games we play, masquerade, and social commentary.
The Primary School age groups were divided into two, namely 5-7 and 8-10.
At the Nursery level, competing in the religious beliefs category were three schools: Gracestock, St. Gabriel’s, and Headstart, with dances titled “Celebration of Praise”, “Uniting as one in 2016”, and “Jubilation” respectively.
First place went to St Gabriel’s nursery, with the second place going to Headstart, and third to Gracestack. Headstart Nursery also competed in the “Games We Play” category with an item titled “Small Days” and got first.
In the 5-7 category, “Religious Beliefs” saw J.E Burnham Primary in place third; St Angela’s Primary gaining second place; and St Pius Primary blowing the competition out of the water to take the first place without any doubts with their piece, “We Shall Rise.”
“Fantasy” featured St. Agnes Primary in second place and East La Penitence taking the first place.

LEGENDS, TRADITIONS
At the Primary 8-10 level the legends and traditions segment saw West Ruimveldt Primary placing third, Stella Maris in second place, and Winfer Gardens taking the coveted first place. In the religious beliefs category, six schools competed, and again, St. Pius swept away the competition, taking first place and wowing the judges, much to the delight of the crowd. Redeemer Primary also acquitted themselves admirably, placing second, while ‘dark-horse’ Tucville Primary came from behind to place third, a decision that gave spectators even more to cheer about.
Interpretive dancing was done by seven competitors, and St. Margaret’s Primary claimed first, Westfield Prep second and St. Angela’s Primary third.

MASQUERADE
The final category of the afternoon was “Masquerade”, which only comprised of four schools; the crowd saw Bel-Air Primary taking third, North Georgetown second, and East La Penitence Primary first in a marginal decision. The final school in the group, Rama Krishna Primary, did not space, and this decision saw the hearts of the Rama Krishna Primary school performers broken, as well as teachers and parents dismayed.
The entire day was filled with entertainment, and this was complemented by local artiste, Jomo, performing in the morning session. Jomo showed his flair and stage presence with performances of two of his songs, “Fireworks” and “On the Road”. He called out the dancers on stage and had them dance backup to his performances.