Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Launches Virtual Performing Arts Competitions

Entries for the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s (JCDC) performing arts competitions can now be submitted online.

The JCDC, with support from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund, recently developed a digital platform that will facilitate the uploading of entries and videos via the Commission’s website – www.jcdc.gov.jm.

Acting Executive Director, Marjorie Leyden-Kirton, tells JIS that the Commission opted to go digital at the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020, when it was forced to halt the finals for parish-level competitions and cancel the corresponding national finals.

Despite this, she says the national festival and gospel song competitions were held via virtual shows, with online voting by the public being facilitated to determine the winners.

Mrs. Leyden-Kirton informs, however, that the biggest challenge was identifying a safe medium that would enable young participants, especially students, the elders and members of cultural and community groups to participate in the competitions.

“We realised, then, that we had to digitise our entry forms and find a way for the participants to submit them online, and that led to the development of our virtual competitions for 2021,” she explains.

Mrs. Leyden-Kirton further says the digital platform is designed to allow participants to do video recordings of their respective entries and upload them virtually after submitting the registration forms.

She advises that approximately 500 persons have registered for their JCDC IDs and about 326 entries of photographs and videos of creative writings and visual arts have been submitted via the digital platform.

“We anticipate that as people begin to do their registration, get their identification numbers, fill out the entry form and upload their videos, we will see the numbers climbing,” Mrs. Leyden-Kirton says, while noting that performing arts entries have, over the years, averaged more than 10,000.

Entries are now being accepted for: the Jamaica Festival Song, Jamaica Gospel Song, Miss Jamaica Festival Queen, Jamaica Culinary Arts, Jamaica Creative Writing, and Jamaica Visual Arts competitions, and the National Festival of the Performing Arts, in the categories of dance, drama and theatre, speech, and music.

Mrs. Leyden-Kirton says persons not having access to the internet or smartphones, can get assistance to register and upload their entries at the JCDC’s parish offices.

She advises individuals to call before going to these locations to avoid a large gathering.

The Acting Executive Director says that in keeping with COVID-19 physical distancing protocols on gatherings, the JCDC has developed a solo concept for the performing arts competition in the categories of dance, drama, speech and music.

She informs, however, that group performances, such as the traditional folk forms and the Reggae dance competition, will not take place this year.

“So [this is] the year of the soloist. It is [about] your strength as [a single] performer that will shine this year, and they will receive the gold, silver, and bronze [medals] and the certificates of merit, whatever [the] level that you give us,” she adds.

Mrs. Leyden-Kirton says the JCDC is likely to see the “best performances” from participants this year, in light of the fact that they will be preparing their videos in their “comfort zones” with the assistance of trainers, family members and friends

She says that the culinary arts competition will be done online and adjudicators will see the dishes being prepared by participants.

Mrs. Leyden-Kirton notes that despite the fact that the meals will not be tasted by the adjudicators, other elements and factors will be incorporated to grade the participants.

“There will be more emphasis on the recipes; and [what] you may have [is an] adjudicator who will take that recipe and test it by doing it,” she indicates.

Mrs Leyden-Kirton says videos submitted will be viewed by the adjudicators, who will select the gold medallists for the national level finals.

She advises that the judges as well staff members are being trained to work in the virtual space.

“We are still in that process now. We have had to train our staff to receive and monitor those entries as they come in on a parish basis, then to organise for the adjudication process,” she informs, adding that judging will continue until July.

Mrs Leyden-Kirton says some elements of the virtual competitions format will be retained in the post-COVID-19 era, citing digital registration and submission of entries as an example.

“So going forward, it is going to be a blended way of doing things. It is a far easier way than to have a lot of people rushing to come to the office to submit their entries,” she further states.

Established in 1963, the JCDC, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, has been unearthing and promoting Jamaica’s premier talents in the visual and performing arts.