If the response of our audience to a show that ran for approximately three hours was any indication of the appeal (especially when we competing against the World Cup), then the Anancy Festival was a resounding success. There was dancing, singing, and, of course, storytelling about the hero of Caribbean-American Heritage Month in South Florida, Anancy.
Anancy was on tablecloths, caps, books, and pamphlets. He was everywhere. Anancy was also the star in the premiere showing of an animated series from the Ananse Animation Project, “Ananse and Bald Head Chicky.” It was one more step in making Anancy a part of the lives of our children and I was proud to be associated with this annual celebration.
The organizers, Dr. Andrea Shaw and Xavier Murphy, are to be congratulated for putting together this stellar line-up of performers:
The Ananse Animation Project is a joint partnership between Steadyimage Multimedia, Inc. and Frame by Frame Productions, Inc., namely, the principals, Adrian Allen, Vivienne Chance and Lukkee Chong. The project’s objective is to entertain and to assist with the re-socialization of the Afro Caribbean Diaspora through animated cartoons. These cartoons are developed to attract an audience through stories with a moral, while acquainting the viewer with their ancestry, culture, and history: www.anansespider.com
Beryl Johnson has played piano professionally for several years in musical theatre (including Jamaican pantomimes), rhythm and blues cover bands, and various settings as a soloist. She recently graduated with a Master of Music degree in ethnomusicology from the Butler School of Music at UT Austin.
Cherry Three is delighted to participate in this years’ Anancy Festival and to showcase the work of Afua Hall, Asha Darbeau, Melinda Desire and Katherine Alvarado. Movement is Cherry Three’s primary medium of communication, occasionally along with the aid of music, theater, the spoken word and the visual arts. The movement vocabulary is based largely on contemporary modern dance with West African, European, and Caribbean influences. Cherry Three is rooted in its commitment to service and excellence.
An enthusiastic lover of the worlds of theatre and music, Dawn Forrester Price is author of the novel Run to Freedom, as well as an award-winning actress, singer and writer. She teaches English in her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Father Easton Lee is a playwright and poet as well as an amazing performer and storyteller. He is also an ordained priest in the Anglican Church. One of his numerous publications is Heritage Call: Ballad for Children of the Dragon.
The Jamaica Folk Revue was started over 30 years ago in the South Florida community. Over the years, this group of Jamaicans—men and women, from all walks of life—has done outstanding performances promoting the country’s rich cultural heritage through song, dance, oral history and drama. Through this effort, the group has showcased the historical interconnections between the various art forms, dating from early forms of Jamaican music to the internationally acclaimed music genre, reggae.
Please follow this link, for more photos: http://www.anancyfestival.com/?p=67&nggpage=2&pageid=67
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