Over 7000 Performers Competing At JCDC’s Parish Finals

The exciting parish finals of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) Festival of the Performing Arts is now underway, with more than 7000 performers in the areas of dance, drama, music, speech and traditional folk forms.

JCDC Director of Community Cultural Development Services, Marjorie Vernon, told JIS News that participants from schools, community groups, youth clubs, social clubs, performing arts clubs, churches as well as individual performers, are competing for top parish honours as well as a chance to move on to the national finals.

The parish finals, which got underway on Monday, February 15, followed auditions held in January. Competition will be held throughout the month of March and into the first week of April.

“At parish finals our participants compete for medals and at this level we award gold, silver and bronze medals and certificates of participation,” Mrs. Vernon informed.

Gold medalists are eligible for the national finals in April where they will compete for trophies and cash awards.

The parish finals continue on Monday, February 22, with persons displaying their musical talent at the St Mark’s Anglican Church Hall in Brown’s Town, St Ann. On the same day the speech finals will take place at the Shortwood Teachers’ College Auditorium in Kingston.

On Tuesday, February 23, competition in traditional folk forms will be held at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church Hall in Falmouth, Trelawny; music at the Anglican Church Hall in Brown’s Town; speech and drama finals at the Shortwood Teachers’ College Auditorium;  and drama at the Cedar Grove Academy Auditorium, Portmore, St. Catherine.  All events begin at 9:00 a.m.

The Festival of the Performing Arts is the flagship programme of the JCDC, which is designed to unearth, develop, showcase and award talent across the island.