By:Curtis Morton
Gingerland –Nevis- The Gingerama Village came alive on the evening of Thursday 15th December when the Gingerama committee hosted the first ever G-EXPLOSION. The dynamic Nelia Jones was the host of the show and her opening remarks followed the national anthem presented on fife by Chris Freeman.
It was an explosion of singing talent which featured five young persons from throughout the island.
The five finalists who were selected after preliminary competitions, performed in the following order:
Senovia Vaughn who in round one, sang ‘JAMMING’ by Stevie Wonder and in round two, ‘Have you ever needed someone so bad’ by Def Leppard
Zinzelly Kelly who in round one sang ‘Hero’ by Mariah Carey and in round two, ‘Right now’ by Miriam Webster
Devorn Cornelius who in round one sang ‘Put that woman first’ by Jaheim and ‘Practice what you preach’ by Barry White
Kisean Warner who in round one sang ‘You know how I feel’ by Volvo and ‘Ordinary people’ by Barry White.
Ladonna Pemberton who in round one sang ‘Could you be loved’ by Bob Marley and ‘I rise’ by ETANA.
The panel of judges reflected top musical talent from across the island: Dellison X-Man Roper; Nichole Lawrence; Calver Lee GHARLIC Swanston; Rhianna Wong-Jeffers and Lorrin Barry.
The judging criteria involved the following:
Vocal skills: Pitch; breath control; dynamics; phrasing; enunciation and tone
Presentation skills: Eye contact; poise; body expression; facial expression; attire and microphone technique
Audience response-Based on judges’ observations
Judges overall impressions of performance based on their discretion
All of the competitors thoroughly wowed the audience but at the end of the evening, it was the 16 year old, Devorn Cornelius who got the judges’ nod as the historic first winner of the competition.