By Faith Greene
LEANNE Hernandez and Ja’Nae had the National Cultural Centre on lockdown with their dynamic performance and positive attitude on May 13 when this year’s Mother and Daughter Pageant was held.

A ginormous lotus prop was set on stage, and Ja’Nae came out of it in a magenta dress with green ruffles at the end, to mark the beginning of their stage performance.
This week our publication caught up with Leanne, who shared her experiences.

The happy mother described the evening as one that will continue to live on in her memory. She said the experiences she had during her pageant journey were all good.
The glamorous outfits she and her daughter wore were designed by Quinton Pearson of House of Pearson.

Leanne recalled that it was Pearson’s idea for them to centre their routine on the lotus flower.

On the night of the pageant, Leanne said that while they forgot a part of their performance, they were able to get back on track in the most adorable way. In the end, the crowd and the judges were pleased with their performance.

“Ja’Nae was described as her mother’s biggest supporter behind the scenes, especially when it came to performing.

“She was the one who even helped me even though at one point I was getting nervous and she was like, ‘mommy, no, do not get nervous. Just breathe in, breathe out.’ And she would tell me, this is the step, walk like this.”

Leanne said that the night before the pageant, she was so nervous during rehearsals that her feet shook. However, on pageant night, that nervousness was replaced with excitement.
According to the proud mother, she received an overwhelming amount of support from the time she entered the pageant.

She said that she was happy to be a part of the 30th edition of the pageant
“It really did something for me. I feel so loved from this pageant. I really loved it. So much support. I just feel as though all these people were looking forward to seeing me bringing home this crown. I know I have to go there and do my best. And I did.”

When they announced that she and her daughter had won, Leanne recalled that she stood there in silence for a brief moment.

She said that from the moment she entered the pageant she felt like a winner.

“When I entered this project, I just had this positive feeling and I went with it. I’ve never had a doubt. It wasn’t a big surprise for me,” she said.