Guyanese Roots and Rhythms, a cultural splash of song, dance, drama and drums fused with interesting items of local history is set for the Sophia Exhibition site this Thursday when the Guyana Craft and Gift show opens to visitors for Cricket World Cup and the public at large.
Director Gem Madhoo-Nascimento said the show offers a cultural taste of Guyana and is as entertaining as it is educational and informative. She said the 100-odd performers were pulled from across the country to deliver an interesting show.
But the group which includes the Classique dancers, Korowka singers, the Cove & John Ashram drummers, the Joker is Wild Masquerade band and several seasoned theatre actors has had a short time to prepare, though Madhoo-Nascimento said they will be ready for the opening night.
Madhoo-Nascimento wrote the show in February immediately after being approached by the organizers, and according to her, it did take time to get everyone on board. However, within a few days every leg of the show had been catered for. She said there was no reason to panic because many of the performers have worked with her in the past and they understand fully well the amount of hours they need to put in and the kind of show they are putting on. Mahdoo said Guyanese Roots and Rhythms takes a look back on various aspects of Guyanese culture while at the same time celebrating it.
"It will be a sort of conversation where the younger folks will be asking the older people many questions about Guyana, and they are going to open up. In addition to song, dance and drama we are going to have video documentary on Guyana… which is going to be very interesting."
She said the show is 90 minutes long and will start at 6.30 pm on the opening night. It will run every night of the exhibition but from 8 pm after Thursday, and is free since the gate charge covers everything that is happening inside the Sophia Exhibition Site. She pointed out that the show has no breaks.
Mahdoo-Nascimento said she has no qualms at all about the quality of show that people will see because the performers are mostly veterans in their respective fields. However she said there is some cause to worry about whether everyone will be there and perform as scheduled. So many things are happening in the country around the same time, she explained, and the performers are in demand. But they have given her commitments and she is hoping they all keep them.
Describing the show in a little more detail she said the dialogue is about half an hour and will feature actors such as Henry Rodney, Kirk Jardine, Michael Ignatius, Shawn Cadogan, Raynard Sober, Sherry Ann Dyal and newcomers Simone Persaud and Oceana Hoppi. An Amerindian group will also take the stage to share how life in the interior is at present. She said the Korowka singers will perform sweet folk songs in a market-place setting.
Rehearsals are ongoing everyday for two hours and according to Mahdoo-Nascimento, there will be a dress rehearsal at the Sophia Exhibition site on Wednesday. She is hoping to have another rehearsal at Sophia before Wednesday.
She mentioned that Burchmore Simon of Kross Kolor Records has written two songs for the show which will debut on opening night. Madhoo-Nascimento said anyone who is interested in knowing more about their local roots as well as people who just want to celebrate the local culture will enjoy the show.