Children’s Mash Costume Competition…
THE Cliff Anderson Sports Hall came alive during the Costume segment of the Georgetown Children’s Mashramani Competitions, yesterday, with a kaleidoscope of dancing colours manipulated creatively on the bodies that carried them around the hall. The music added to the hype and pretty soon the applauding audience was ‘addicted’ – singing along to the song ‘Soca Junkie’, among others, and taking the lead set by Chairperson Travis Chase, who the Guyana Chronicle apologies to for the name mix up.
Chase danced, sang and described the work that went into the costumes – eliciting screams from the children who packed the Sports Hall in support of their schools.
And the performing schools did not disappoint with entries in two categories, Fantasy and Topical for individual and group performances, which covered a cross section of social issues – everything from Guyana’s own Champion of the Earth to support for the troubled sugar industry.
East Street Nursery zoomed in on the need to be more environmentally friendly with a costume that featured President Bharrat Jagdeo’s photograph perched at the top.
Solar panels and other alternative sources of energy were also featured on the costume and the cause of conservation was championed by a next generation Champion.

Another ‘Champion of the Earth’ was presented by Happy Hearts Nursery with a very colourful costume fitted with Guyana’s natural resources.

The confidence of the youngest of the competitors was quite obvious and the Sherman’s Nursery tot even stopped to pose for the cameramen moving about the Hall.
The costume depicting the ‘Queen of the Waterways’ was paraded around for all to see, with a matter-of-fact, superior air.

There was more than one show of royalty as St. Christopher Nursery presented their entry, ‘The Beauty of Royalty’.
However, not everything royal translates to superiority, and a shy disposition common for many children showed its face, but while the young performer was a bit shy, it was a commendable show nonetheless.

The shy monster did not stick around for too long and then South Ruimveldt Park Nursery presented ‘Guyana’s Rainbow Princess’.
Bursting with colours – lots of reds – the nursery child walked with an air about her and waved at those in the Hall, as a princess would.

Turkeyen Nursery conveyed its message of support to the sugar industry with their entry ‘Sugar cane is my business’.
Coming back with the sugar workers themselves – a little short maybe – Turkeyen Nursery’s group entry was titled ‘With sugar cane we uphold our dignity’.
Whatever is was, the messages advanced through the costumes were clear.

Support for sugar at the lowest level

Houston Nursery’s message was simple, but nonetheless impactful – Education is the key to progress.
In an entry titled ‘Wheels of Progress’, the youngster pranced around to not only impress the judges with her agility – top heavy and all – and got her message across.
The youngster’s peers jumped on the bandwagon to stress the importance of education in the school’s group entry.

Wheels of Progress – join the bandwagon

Another cause being championed was the efficient use of water done by Alexander Village Nursery’s entry ‘Friendly Waters’.
The costume of a dripping faucet fixed with the message that water is life sent home the message.

Ascension Nursery campaigned for a return of the mass games, and their ‘Queen of the Mass Games’ stirred up a storm with her little dance.

Ascension Nursery, continuing in the same spirit of sport, presented in another category an entry titled ‘Golden Jaguars’.
The audience was treated to a miniature footballer swivelling around the floor, excited as ever.

Shifting from just the expression of support for certain themes, Headstart Nursery brought energy to the floor that had even the teachers bouncing throughout the tot’s revellery.
The entry, titled ‘United for a Better Guyana’ was coupled with a popular tune.

The audience was even more enamored by the group performances, which in many cases resembled a mother duck being trailed by her ducklings – some of whom seemed intent on doing their own thing at times.
“There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do…,” or so the poem goes; and the entry that brought the popular rhyme to life was one of the more interesting group entries.
The entry came from Turkeyen Nursery and truth be told, the tot in the shoe really did not seem to know what to do with the ducklings who were having a good time, mixing things up.

Much was brought to the floor yesterday and the many causes championed could not have been done in a better setting, done by children for children –Guyana leaders of tomorrow.
However, a point of concern for many was the level of crude maneuverings by even the youngest competitors, the nursery school children, in particular the girls who mimicked popular dance moves by the likes of Shelly G, among others, which were not considered particularly age appropriate.
While these concerns were noted, it is hoped that next time the children would be exposed to choreography that see them behaving as children should.
The Georgetown’s Children’s Mashramani Competitions are expected to conclude today at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the physical display segment.