National Finals begin in Traditional Folk Forms, Drama, Speech, Music and Dance
The highly anticipated National Finals of the National Festival of the Performing Arts will take centre-stage at the Little Theatre in Kingston come Monday, April 9. Organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the annual Festival will see performers from across the island compete in Jamaica’s premier cultural showcase for a chance to take home a national title in the areas of Traditional Folk Forms, Drama, Speech, Music and Dance. Performances will be held daily, beginning 10:00 a.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are available at the gate at a cost of adults $400 and students and children under 12 years $200, with a special group rate being available.
Performances will be held in Traditional Folk Forms from April 9 – 11; Drama, April 12 – 13; Speech, April 16 – 20; Music, April 24 – 27 and Dance April 30 – May 4. The annual Deaf Dance Festival, which showcases dance pieces from the deaf community across the island will be held on Thursday, May 3, beginning at 4:00 p.m. The 2018 staging of Drumfest – a purely percussion event, will also be held on Monday, April 23, at Emancipation Park in New Kingston, beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the JCDC, Stephen Davidson notes that the JCDC stages the Festival of the Performing Arts annually to unearth, develop, showcase, preserve and promote the creative talents and expressions of the Jamaican people.
“Jamaica is well known for its creativity and talent in areas of music, dance, speech and drama and the Festival of the Performing Arts provides an excellent avenue for participants to showcase their talents and for patrons to enjoy wholesome family entertainment,” Davidson said.
