Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer
Scenes from the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Bob Marley Ital Food and Fashion Show, held at Ranny Williams Centre, Hope Road, on Sunday, February 4. - Winston Sill/ Freelance Photographer
Bob Marley's music was put to fashion, dance and, naturally, performance on Sunday evening at the Ranny Williams Centre, Hope Road, St. Andrew, as the Ital Food and Fashion Show 2007 started a week of celebrations for the Tuff Gong's 62nd birthday.
ITAL FOOD AND JUICES
Before and during the relatively short stage action, which started at 7:00 p.m. just as there was a spatter of impatient handclaps, there was the food, Earl's Juice Garden, Country Farm House Soy Products, Natural Juice Bar, Eden Vegetarian Restaurant, Vegetarian Delites and Everything Natural providing healthy eating and drinking choices.
With the lights being turned off after MC Leighton Jones' introduction, there were some giggles from the appreciable, though nowhere near capacity audience, as three figures in black and white horizontal stripes took their places on stage. "Look like comedy inna it," one woman commented. It was not funny stuff, though, as the lights and music of 'Natural Mystic' came up on three male members of the Arnett Gardens Dance Troupe, who moved sinuously to the music, which changed to Crazy Baldheads. "Ballet," the woman commented as the dance ended to applause.
Coming In From The Cold was utilised for fashion from the Wardrobe Collection and Shades of Africa, the models ranged from little misses to adults. By the time a young man in red and gold bowed to a young lady in matching attire to applause from the audience, Marley was into Give Thanks and Praises.
Style fused with song as four young adult female models remained on stage for one member each of the male quartet A2O (Against All Odds) to serenade briefly and escort off stage as they sang She's Still Loving Me to a recorded track. They went original with Never Gonna Change, the ladies yelping as one member came forward to hit a falsetto.
COMPETITION AND DANCES
And the evening's only other foray outside of Marley music territory came with a dance to Indian music by Shakelia Williams, applause coming as, with her back to the audience, the runner-up in the Little Miss Caribbean 2006 competition started undulating her slender mid-section.
From there on, from questions about Bob Marley's life and career to more fashion and song, it was all Marley, the tiny and teenage girls displaying clothes to Bad Card, Simmer Down and One Cup of Coffee.
Aliyah Young and Shanae Lawson delivered poetry, the former decked out in jeans and fake locks in a representation of a customary Marley performance outfit and the latter dropping in a 'dutty wine' before ending with 'me waan yu bib up Bob Marley an him family. Maaga maaga me alone cyaan big him up'.
As the festival wound down, A2O came back, one member seated and playing the guitar, to deliver Chances Are and Could You Be Loved in acoustic fashion. Models came out to intermingle with the singers before the Ital Food and Fashion Show 2007 ended on the customary One Love note. Singers and a mass of models waved to the music as a few hands in the audience waved back.
