7 News Belize

Movements At Mas Camps
posted (August 27, 2010)
On last night's news we showed you two carnival mass camps - and told you that the carnival spirit was present but it wasn't quite at its peak. But that is because the engine was just warming up. Last night it was in full swing when we went out to the camps and Monica Bodden has the story. :…

Monica Bodden, Reporting
The second day of junior carnival mass camps was much more intense - as the atmosphere was kinetic with pure energy.

Our first stop was the Pickstock Carnival Band - where its one hundred and five revelers showed off their dancing moves to the camera and a throng of spectators.

Gareth Gill - Pickstock Carnival Band
"This year Pickstock Carnival Band is depicting "green and recycle go green" the reason why we pick "green and recycle go green" is because we have a lot of flies and sicknesses going around nowadays and we have to prevent those stuff. Like for example we have the dengue, the malaria we have a lot that is just attacking our young people today killing out them and in order for us to protect ourselves we have to do something like what the bible said ' God help those who help themselves" we have to help ourselves in order to prevent these things from attacking us and this year we have 105 members strong and each section we are full."

Monica Bodden
"Nobody can't join?"

Gareth Gill - Pickstock Carnival Band
"Nobody can't join even if they want to plead to me I can't take them because we are full."

Monica Bodden
"Now tell me about the hours with those costumes? I see people back there working."

Gareth Gill - Pickstock Carnival Band
"We stay up many nights working and working, we eat, we work we just keep the energy in order to keep the work pumping because I always tell my children in order to be a champ you got to lose some."

Monica Bodden
"Now you think your 105 revelers ready?"

Gareth Gill - Pickstock Carnival Band
"Well they are more than ready, if you all went out there you can see them, they are dancing their shoes off, their head is hurting and their feet are swollen, they are doing a thing. Pickstock will be in the competition."

Next Stop was the Mahogany Masqueradors - where Band Leader - Nadia Avila - confidently boasted about her 85 revelers - who she says are all pumped and ready for carnival road march 2010.

Nadia Avila, Mahogany Masqueradors Band Leader
"We are more than ready my dear; I must say thanks to God, thanks to my supporters, my band assistant Jackie Meighan and others like Andrew Middleton who is my designer."

Monica Bodden
"Tell us what is the secret? Your masqueraders have a lot of energy they are jumping up."

Nadia Avila, Mahogany Masqueradors Band Leader
"Every day when they come to practice, my secret is exercise; you have to come and do about 3-4 laps every day before you come to work out and I teach them how to breathe in and out, I teach them that whenever they are tired its doesn't means that they need water. I have a a lot of secrets and that's what keep us through the road march. On carnival rain, thunder, lightning we will dance all the way to Marion Jones Stadium or to BTL park."

Monica Bodden
"Now Ms. Avila, tell me a little bit about the costumes?"

Nadia Avila, Mahogany Masqueradors Band Leader
"Ok my theme for this year is "you betta Belize it" we are Belize, flora, fauna we have nature with it, we have the flower section, we have animal section and we have nature, second section is Belizean faces, red, white and blue, third section is places; beautiful blue hole and our Maya ruin Xunantunich."

And even though they were last on the list of mass camps - Jump Street Posse junior band provided no letdown in energy…

Band leader Marina Welcome told us even though they will be ready for carnival - the journey has been a tough one financially.

Marina Welcome - Jump Street Posse
"I am ready from yesterday, so it can happen tomorrow."

Monica Bodden
"Tell me a little bit about the costumes?"

Marina Welcome - Jump Street Posse
"Our theme this year is "Myth of the rainforest" we are fantasizing the rainforest. We will start off with cat dancer and the mango tribe then we will go deeper and we will meet Altun Ha and the animals because you know the jungle is not a jungle without animals and when you go deeper down into the jungle you will come around with Ixchel, she is the goddess of earth and moon and she will be follow by the Mayans."

Monica Bodden
"Now, how do you come up with these fancy things?"

Marina Welcome - Jump Street Posse
"I sleep with my book and my pen beside me and whenever something come to me I just write and that is the way I came up with the theme."

Monica Bodden
"How long did it take you?"

Marina Welcome - Jump Street Posse
"Like 2-3 months."

Monica Bodden
"2-3 months to put the whole idea together?"

Marina Welcome - Jump Street Posse
"Yes, the whole thing together."

Monica Bodden
"Now I mean work wise of getting those costumes together. How hard is it?"

Marina Welcome - Jump Street Posse
"It's very hard because you know no 'mula' is not there. I keep saying it every year if the business people and the government would come out and help us I think we can bring carnival much bigger and better. But the problem is we are not getting the money, the people are not helping us. Like me, right now I don't have any jewellery; everything is in the pawn shop. Some is already gone, some is about to go because we don't have any money, I split my pay in 2; half for the house and half for carnival. I think we don't have to do that, everybody love carnival, so why can't everybody give you a little something, I have a neighbor that comes and gives me $20 every pay day for carnival, so why can't the business people give you a little something? We have a bank book that they can deposit it in there from the beginning of the year so when carnival time comes it's there."

And that's it for the juniors. Next week they will be having the senior carnival mass camps starting on Wednesday night with Jam Jam Mass Band and Mother Nature's Creation. …

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