Yesterday being a holiday, my day was relatively quiet. A bunch of housework got done whether I wanted it to or not. My evening was spent in an exploration of cultures. First stop was the Asian food Festival at Le Meridien Pegasus.

Ever being the food explorer I was looking forward to sampling the fare. Though the price tag was a bit steep, the all-you-can-eat concept is always a winner. Patrons were offered complimentary wine on entering (and I hear there were complimentary teas as well) before being led to their seats.

The countries on display were China, Japan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, with all the dishes being prepared by visiting chefs. The food was enjoyable in most cases, with a variety of dishes on offer. The most interesting differences were in the seasonings used which created various tastes in the dishes.

The desserts were not as interesting because many of them were of the same kind of consistency. What was impressive was the fruit artwork decorating the table. The cultural presentations added a nice element and I particularly enjoyed the Lion Dance put on by some students of the Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA).

Local food festivals have become the events to host nowadays but it is always good to get a chance to explore other cultures besides our own.

Yesterday evening I took in the NDTC’s show at Little Theatre. Their annual season which usually precedes their international tour is usually well worth watching even with the repetitiveness of seeing the same repertory dances over the years.

This year there are several new dances of which all but one were choreographed by new and young artists. For this fact alone the show is a must-see because the new energy and creativity is incredible to watch. Unfortunately, one must attend at least a couple of times on order to see all the new dances.

The stand-out pieces in last nights show were “Sweet in the Morning”, a solo danced by Marlon Simms which brings forth just how graceful the male form can be all while exuding strength and power, and “Barre Talk”, a new piece choreographed by Oneil Pryce which plays with the use of the (ballet) barre through conventional exercises and more acrobatic ones.

In parallel with the influx of new choreography is a stream of young dancers. This is definitely not the NDTC of yore where you knew all the faces. A few of the dances were less clean than we’re accustomed to seeing but I suspect this will improve as the dancers develop further in the Company.

Overall, it was a great show, led by some very strong dancers. The tie-in between the lighting effects and the music with the choreography was engrossing. I will definitely be trying to attend at least one more show before the run ends in 3 weeks.

Last night I had the opportunity to see some of the fantastic creative talent we have here in JA. The event was the second staging of “I’ll Send You a Postcard”, an event to raise funds for persons looking to go abroad to pursue higher studies in dance. The first one was done back in 2002 for Neila Ebanks now returned here and making her mark in the dance fraternity as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, and producer. This year’s beneficiaries are Shelley-Ann Maxwell and Oneil Pryce.

The show pulled together several dance troupes (Praise Academy, Company Dance Theatre, University Dance Society, L’Acadco) as well as other artistic contributors (ASHE, University Players). The variety of performers led to a superb mix of performances all of an excellent quality since presumably each group put forward one of their best pieces.

Tying the entire show together was a dance in several pieces by Shelley-Ann and Oneil themselves. Creatively and amusingly done, they danced with a globe with LONDON in bold print (the destination for both of them) until their final segment which saw them in warm weather gear bringing a suitcase on stage to collect their gifts (rum, breadfruit, bun and cheese, hardough bread etc.) from all the participants.

On one level it is unfortunate that creative talents like these have to leave to further their studies but luckily, for many of them, their love brings them back home to share their knowledge and experience and to help others achieve similar dreams. Keep an eye out for the I’ll Send You a Postcard Foundation.

Last night I had the opportunity to take in a small, local comedy production, Roson and Nadya’s Fanbelt, that has just ended its run at the Little Little Theatre. Though the show had the occasional redeeming point, I was reminded why I often skip these productions.

The audience was treated to the typical compilation of comedic sketches with a few musical numbers thrown in. Unfortunately, some of the sketches rehashed very cliched scenarios such as the sinful preacher and the babbling madwoman on the street. The over-the-top acting and almost incomprehensible accents and twangs, often shouted at maximum volume, made it even more painful at times.

On the up side, some elements of the concept were particularly creative with the show being introduced by a standard movie/television rating announcement, and the rolling credits at the end. The lighting effects were well-done for the most part, with some interesting synchronisation with the music.

A few of the sketches were cleverly done such as the vampire lamenting this modern society where he is no longer feared, especially here in Jamaica. One prospective meal was reported to have told him “if yu bite mi, mi bite yu back!!” Other highpoints included the policeman who was so caught up in a “suspicious” traffic stop he failed to notice the murders, robberies and weed trafficking happening right behind him, and the handcart man who was forced to pay a toll after prolonged arguing and then whipped out a credit card.

Producers of comedy revues like Fanbelt need to make a serious effort to come up with creative and original sketch material. Overall, it wasn’t the worst show I have seen but it wasn’t the best - there was a lot of room for improvement.

Even though after seeing Air Supply perform live I could have quite happily gone home to Kingston, there was still one more night to go of the festival. I slept until about 1pm (which is unusual for me but I rationalised by saying it was sleep for 2 nights ). We headed to a BBQ lunch at another villa before getting ready for the show.

On arriving at the venue, I again headed backstage for a bit (just to make use of my band, cause I was planning to watch more of the show from in front this time). I watched Maxi Priest perform from backstage which was cool. No pics this time tho as the security tightened up for the Saturday stars - MP went straight from the stage into a black SUV.

When I passed through the artists’ hospitality area, I caught a glimpse of James Ingram headed for the bathroom (no, I didn’t hijack him for a picture) and overheard him doing his vocal warmups. He is really short though, hadn’t realized that.

I headed back to find my group but the crowd was kinda thick so I walked the long way. By time I got settled again, James was on stage and the ladies were screaming. He was followed up by the diva herself, Miss LaBelle. Her performance was good, including her surprisingly funny stand-up comedy attempts - girl’s got attitude. The night ended with the tribute to Byron Lee. My favourite part? The performance of Electric Boogie by Marcia Griffiths.

Sunday saw me finally catching some sun by the pool before we headed back into Kingston. Sorry the weekend was over but glad to be home. Not sure how I will do the Jazz Festival again without a backstage pass tho.