Carnival In New Brunswick?
/
Carnival In New Brunswick?
Event Recap of Carnival Spice at Summer Soulsa 2022
This Labour Day I had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Fredericton, New Brunswick for Summer Soulsa 2022.
Summer Soulsa can be described as “a vibrant and dynamic music festival that celebrates the diversity and beauty of Caribbean, Latin, and African cultures through art, music, dance and cuisine.”
Carnival Spice was invited as performers to bring our Caribbean Carnival flair to a series of events throughout the weekend.
Although the weekend had a heavy workload for the team and I, we managed to find many bright moments throughout our time in Atlantic Canada.
The People
It was quite lovely to see Black and Brown culture and artistry on full display at the festival. It allowed for many to learn and many to feel connected to parts of themselves that they haven’t tapped into for a while. The most common statements I heard was: “we’ve never had anything like this before in our city” or “we are so happy you are here”. You can tell Summer Soulsa was the first event of its kind and executed in such a way simply by looking in the eyes of the attendees. There was such a sense of joy and inspiration that flickered when they heard the music or saw their favourite acts come on.
I have hosted hundreds of classes in my career and have performed on countless stages, yet it NEVER gets old seeing someone hear soca or dancehall for the first time and watching how their bodies naturally respond to it. It’s quite beautiful actually.
I also met a young girl who reminded me so much of myself when I was her age - she was about 10. She was so curious; I’ll never forget the smile she made when one of the dancers let her wear their costume feathers.
The Music Circle
The Music Circle is a dance workshop concept where instructors from across Canada joined together to lead Frederiction through a day full of dance. The room was filled this day with folks of all ages and ethnicities. I vividly remember the first person to arrive - a gentleman who came alone and mentioned it was his first dance class. I loved this for him and appreciated his courage to try something new. I had a great time hosting the event and leading a Carnival Spice dancehall workshop to the excited audience. My fellow instructors were Cherelle from Soca Fit (Edmonton) who taught a soca dance workshop and Zumba with Corey (Fredericton) who taught us a bachata workshop.
Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiDp2hBJVc7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
The Food
Atlantic Canada never disappoints when it comes to seafood. My diet for the weekend was made up of haddock and chips. As a seafood lover, I was in my glory. Everything was so fresh and flavourful. If only I could bring some of those fresh oysters back in my suitcase.
Di Road
Carnival Spice were one of the groups of masqueraders that lead the Fredericton community down di road for the first carnival parade since the pandemic. The weather was perfect, the tunes were running by Dj CJ, and yours truly was on the mic keeping the vibes going. I had the perfect view of hundreds of smiling faces. The children were my favourite - they were so enthusiastic and kept up with us the entire parade.
Video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjOvV9_q-Ny/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
The Comradery
There were a wide variety of performers from all across Canada present at Summer Soulsa 2022. From latin dancers, to reggae bands, to hip hop artists. I appreciated how everyone supported each other and/or worked together.
Kudos to everyone who was apart of the festival - it truly made a positive impact on the community and I look forward to seeing how it grows.
AND HUGE THANK YOU TO CHEICK FOR CAPTURING THESE PHOTOS!
