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ON a night of star power and elegance, Faydeha King proved she could shine the brightest when she captured the hearts of the judges to win the coveted title of Miss Bartica Regatta 2013. 
The event got underway after a slight delay at the Bartica Community Centre Ground last Saturday before a crowd eager to witness who would be crowned queen.
The evening opened with the eight beautiful delegates introducing themselves via an opening dance, majestically adorned with pieces designed by fashion celebrity Sonia Noel, setting the tone for an evening of glitz and glamour.
King, a 20-year-old resident of Scotsburg, Corriverton, captured the crowd from the inception, declaring that her passion was to assist in the eradication of violence in schools, and that she enjoys bicycle riding and a good game of ‘hop-scotch’.
The Master of Ceremonies was none other than Elton Irving Washington, an overseas-based Bartican who returns to his homeland every year to lend support to the regatta festivities. His insight accumulated over the years allowed him to strike a rapport with his audience and he deftly took them through laughter, contemplation and informative rants.
The swimsuit competition sizzled as the delegates took to the stage in metallic spandex pieces with matching sarongs, sheer caftan tops and colour coordinated shoes, designed and styled by pageant title holder Meleesa Payne.
As the young ladies made their way across the stage, it was clear that the scoring would not be an easy task for the judges. Celebrated runway and model coach and regional fashion impresario Richard Young served as the chief judge. Rounding off the rest of the panel were Sonje Marslowe-DeBaros, Miss Bartica Regatta 2004, Tangerine Clark, acclaimed writer and journalist for the Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine, Harry Gill, overseas-based graphic and costume designer, and Chandra Persaud, an eminent Bartican living overseas.
The delegates then presented their platforms in the form of a talent segment. It was evident that each piece was creatively and intelligently put together. The young ambassadors breezed through this portion of the programme, vivaciously endorsing their passion for their respective platforms.
King’s platform, the eradication of violence in schools, created a stir when she played a school teacher lecturing to her pupils (the audience) on the dangers and effects of the particular social ill.
Alicia Bess, judged first-runner up and an immediate crowd favourite, did a very dramatic speech on the disrespect women receive from men in today’s society while second runner-up Jamilah Jones combined the art of interpretive dance and poetry to highlight domestic violence.
Eksi Edwards, who copped fourth place, fired up the crowd with her satirical portrayal of a drunkard who sits on the roadside lecturing her onlookers on the effects of teenage pregnancy. It was not enough though as King’s steadfast performance won her the prize of Best Platform presentation.
The evening gown segment seemed to be the most anticipated portion of the proceedings as the eight elegant beauties paraded in original designs by some of the country’s talented young designers.
Faydeha wore a heavily adorned white sequined corseted gown, designed by Nelsion Nurse, aptly titled: ‘Still Waters Run Deep’; she was awarded Best Gown. Bess wore her own design: a black satin dress, heavily styled with silver sequins and a daring slit on the left leg, called ‘Shine Bright Like a Diamond’.
Jones, wore a multi-blue, multi-layered chiffon dress, designed by Sade Richardson called ‘Bartica Blues’, and Edwards went with a lime-emerald green silk gown with an exotic fish-tail and an open back, designed by John Quelch, called ‘Green Goddess’.
The other designers were Mwanza Glen (Tenecia Ferrier), Marcie DosSantos (Sahsha Hamza), Andy Cummings (Tekeisha Taylor), and Mishana Cox (Shellon Fraser).
While on stage, the delegates were serenaded by Tyon Alleyne and given a spoken word from Jennifer Thomas as the MC prepared to offer them his ice-breakers and platform questions. This is where King and Bess started to break away from the rest of the pack as they were spot-on with their responses. Edwards also seemed to be in tune with her answer.
The top four, up to this point, started to see some shifting as the competition grew intense and the girls became more determined. The final question separated the queen and first runner-up from the others in the final four. King’s question was: “What was the proudest moment of your life?” and she responded that it was when she completed her secondary school exams and her mother who had made a lot of sacrifice to assist told her how proud she was of her. The sincerity in her response gave her more than enough points to gain the judges’ nod and the crown.
Apart from Best Platform Presentation and Best Evening Gown, King also copped the prizes of Best Introduction and Miss Body Beautiful. Tekeisha Taylor, delegate number two, won Miss Personality, which is a prize given by the facilitators and trainers to the girl with the most genuine character traits and behavioral ethics.
Miss Congeniality was awarded to first runner-up Alicia Bess which was voted on by the delegates themselves, and the People’s Choice Award went to Sahsha Hamza, delegate number one who secured the most votes as the favourite to win, through Missosology Guyana’s webpage.
Opposition Leader David Granger and his wife were on board to sash and crown the new queen. For her feat, Faydeha King will be given over half a million dollars in cash and prizes and will also obtain the opportunity to represent Guyana in two regional pageants in St Kitts, and in Grenada, on the platforms of Tourism and Culture.
Sonia Noel, coordinator of this year’s pageant, said she is very proud of the girls’ efforts and achievements. She announced also that the young ladies, in advocating their social platforms, have decided to form a non-government organization (NGO) to visit schools and other institutions to plug their causes.
The event got underway after a slight delay at the Bartica Community Centre Ground last Saturday before a crowd eager to witness who would be crowned queen.The evening opened with the eight beautiful delegates introducing themselves via an opening dance, majestically adorned with pieces designed by fashion celebrity Sonia Noel, setting the tone for an evening of glitz and glamour.
King, a 20-year-old resident of Scotsburg, Corriverton, captured the crowd from the inception, declaring that her passion was to assist in the eradication of violence in schools, and that she enjoys bicycle riding and a good game of ‘hop-scotch’.
The Master of Ceremonies was none other than Elton Irving Washington, an overseas-based Bartican who returns to his homeland every year to lend support to the regatta festivities. His insight accumulated over the years allowed him to strike a rapport with his audience and he deftly took them through laughter, contemplation and informative rants.
The swimsuit competition sizzled as the delegates took to the stage in metallic spandex pieces with matching sarongs, sheer caftan tops and colour coordinated shoes, designed and styled by pageant title holder Meleesa Payne.
As the young ladies made their way across the stage, it was clear that the scoring would not be an easy task for the judges. Celebrated runway and model coach and regional fashion impresario Richard Young served as the chief judge. Rounding off the rest of the panel were Sonje Marslowe-DeBaros, Miss Bartica Regatta 2004, Tangerine Clark, acclaimed writer and journalist for the Caribbean Lifestyle Magazine, Harry Gill, overseas-based graphic and costume designer, and Chandra Persaud, an eminent Bartican living overseas.
The delegates then presented their platforms in the form of a talent segment. It was evident that each piece was creatively and intelligently put together. The young ambassadors breezed through this portion of the programme, vivaciously endorsing their passion for their respective platforms.
King’s platform, the eradication of violence in schools, created a stir when she played a school teacher lecturing to her pupils (the audience) on the dangers and effects of the particular social ill.
Alicia Bess, judged first-runner up and an immediate crowd favourite, did a very dramatic speech on the disrespect women receive from men in today’s society while second runner-up Jamilah Jones combined the art of interpretive dance and poetry to highlight domestic violence.
Eksi Edwards, who copped fourth place, fired up the crowd with her satirical portrayal of a drunkard who sits on the roadside lecturing her onlookers on the effects of teenage pregnancy. It was not enough though as King’s steadfast performance won her the prize of Best Platform presentation.
The evening gown segment seemed to be the most anticipated portion of the proceedings as the eight elegant beauties paraded in original designs by some of the country’s talented young designers.
Faydeha wore a heavily adorned white sequined corseted gown, designed by Nelsion Nurse, aptly titled: ‘Still Waters Run Deep’; she was awarded Best Gown. Bess wore her own design: a black satin dress, heavily styled with silver sequins and a daring slit on the left leg, called ‘Shine Bright Like a Diamond’.
Jones, wore a multi-blue, multi-layered chiffon dress, designed by Sade Richardson called ‘Bartica Blues’, and Edwards went with a lime-emerald green silk gown with an exotic fish-tail and an open back, designed by John Quelch, called ‘Green Goddess’.
The other designers were Mwanza Glen (Tenecia Ferrier), Marcie DosSantos (Sahsha Hamza), Andy Cummings (Tekeisha Taylor), and Mishana Cox (Shellon Fraser).
While on stage, the delegates were serenaded by Tyon Alleyne and given a spoken word from Jennifer Thomas as the MC prepared to offer them his ice-breakers and platform questions. This is where King and Bess started to break away from the rest of the pack as they were spot-on with their responses. Edwards also seemed to be in tune with her answer.
The top four, up to this point, started to see some shifting as the competition grew intense and the girls became more determined. The final question separated the queen and first runner-up from the others in the final four. King’s question was: “What was the proudest moment of your life?” and she responded that it was when she completed her secondary school exams and her mother who had made a lot of sacrifice to assist told her how proud she was of her. The sincerity in her response gave her more than enough points to gain the judges’ nod and the crown.
Apart from Best Platform Presentation and Best Evening Gown, King also copped the prizes of Best Introduction and Miss Body Beautiful. Tekeisha Taylor, delegate number two, won Miss Personality, which is a prize given by the facilitators and trainers to the girl with the most genuine character traits and behavioral ethics.
Miss Congeniality was awarded to first runner-up Alicia Bess which was voted on by the delegates themselves, and the People’s Choice Award went to Sahsha Hamza, delegate number one who secured the most votes as the favourite to win, through Missosology Guyana’s webpage.
Opposition Leader David Granger and his wife were on board to sash and crown the new queen. For her feat, Faydeha King will be given over half a million dollars in cash and prizes and will also obtain the opportunity to represent Guyana in two regional pageants in St Kitts, and in Grenada, on the platforms of Tourism and Culture.
Sonia Noel, coordinator of this year’s pageant, said she is very proud of the girls’ efforts and achievements. She announced also that the young ladies, in advocating their social platforms, have decided to form a non-government organization (NGO) to visit schools and other institutions to plug their causes.
