Members of the Infernos Carnival troupe staged a repeat win from their 1999 debut for King and Queen of the Band before an impressive crowd estimated at about 2,000 Wednesday night at Lionel Roberts Stadium.
The judges picked Darryl Donovan and Cheryl Hermon to rule again along the route of the Adults Parade for Carnival Y2K on May 6 with towering costumes reflecting the theme of "Fire and Ice."
The judges also issued a split decision for the titles of Junior King and Junior Queen of the Band, awarding the titles to Kory Davis of the Class Is Class Too troupe and Tinese Lockhart of the Sun Children.
The winning adult entries shimmered with the colors of fire and ice in designs that rose to a height of about 12 feet and spanned out to the sides almost as far. Donovan represented a risen phoenix in gold and orange glitter that indeed flashed like a blazing fire as the stage lights bounced off hundreds of small reflective decals. His phoenix tail streamed behind in gleaming bronze. Hermon appeared majestic in sliver and white, the arched, plumed panels of her costume radiant with oval appliqués, sequins and silver rods extending from the center.
The reigning king of the band added a touch of playfulness to his presentation, spraying cans of silly string out toward the audience.
Some junior division entries showcased the talents of students from the New Horizons Alternative School. The concept for the electronic hand-held game design worn by King Kory came from a New Horizons student and was reproduced in teal green lamé.
Junior Queen Tinese captivated the judges in turquoise, silver and white. The upper panels of her feather-fringed skirt were a translucent blue. A band of downy white feathers at the waist gave her the appearance of a baby chick. White lamé mesh along her wedge-shaped shoulder shields provided the backdrop of silver radiance spanning from shoulder to waist.
The annual costume competition shared the stage Wednesday night with the Culture Night event featuring folk dancers, calypso singers, a French heritage scratch band and Milo's Kings. The crowd grew in numbers throughout this first part of the free show, viewing adult and secondary school dancers performing the Virgin Islands quadrille and Latin merengue. One troupe of dancers plaited a Maypole carried up onto the stage festooned with pastel colored ribbons. At one point the Kings broke out of their quelbe rhythm and sent the Maypole dancers into a circle-dance rendition of the Electric Slide.
Calypsonian Glenn "Kwabena" Davis sang a medley of traditional folksongs and told the stories of their origins. Culture Committee co-chair Myron Jackson said this year's event offered more variety and was more reflective of Virgin Islands expression than those of recent years and added that he was pleased at the size of the turnout.
As the king and queen part of the show began, more spectators appeared, many of them members of the troupes represented on stage. As their kings and queens sailed up the stage ramps, cheers and pennants rose from the audience. The other troupes represented on stage included Jus' Action, like the Infernos a new entry from last year, and Elskoe and Associates, a perennial favorite.
