50 calypsonians to face judges in prelims

More than 50 calypsonians from four calypso tents are expected to face the judges in this year’s calypso preliminaries.{{more}}

The New York based Dynamites Calypso Tent will be the first to go through the selection process this evening at Café Omar in Brooklyn, New York.

Here at home, the 20 man strong On Tour Calypso tent will face the judges on Thursday, June 3.

The tent boasts the likes of former monarchs Ipa, Abijah and Vibrating Scakes, with The Struggler and Zion I also on the cast.

On Friday, June 4, it will be the turn of the Upstage Experience, with its 15 performers facing the judges. Although it has yet to produce a calypso monarch, the ranks are filled with veteran artistes, rural monarchs and prospective title holders who stand a chance of doing so in the form of Gao, G.C, Sunblaze, Shotta, KGB, Ron B, 2010 new song winners Brother Ebony and Skarpyon, Bomani, Pat Ralph, Madddzart, D Lanlord, Tamisha Nichols, Mint and Ron B.

The 16 calypsonians of the Graduates Calypso Tent will have their day Saturday, June 5, and will see former monarch Sulle competing.

The tent also includes extempo champion Blakie, former secondary school monarch Nubian Empress, as well as Black Messenger, Tajoe, Lexi, Sweet Sixteen, Lil Bit, Bo Salt, Jessikiah, and Sonny Banks.

Of the more than fifty hopefuls, only 22 will be selected to compete in the June 18 ‘Fantastic Friday’ semifinals, when they are each expected to sing one song.

That number will be cut by half for the July 4 Dimanche Gras Finals, where the finalists will come up against Joy C for her crown.

This year, the North/ South Leeward Calypso tent is visibly absent from the arena. However, some of its members are performing with other tents. (JJ)