More than 20 local creatives joined forces for a ‘Red Boat Experience’ at the Harquail Theatre Sunday night, to celebrate the tradition of Caymanian drumming through improvisational performances.
The musical event, hosted by multidisciplinary artist, musician and creative director Randy Chollette, in partnership with the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, was wrapped in Cayman’s history, culture and traditions through song, dance, music, rap, poetry, and visual art displays.
The stage was draped with geometric signatures, projected images and colourful lighting. The two-hour event was narrated by Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette alongside Heather Lopez, who took audience members on an imaginary journey out to sea in a new boat. Performers then interpreted the celebration of that journey with music, storytelling and dance.
“We wanted to infuse this show with history and heritage,” Suckoo-Chollette told the Compass.
Musicians and singers created music on the spot, based on how they were feeling or from being inspired by the other performances. Orchestrated by Randy Chollette, the expressions of art were as simple as a few words of poetry, rappers jumping into music with free flow, improvised dance, and storytelling.
“Randy’s passion for music is so strong,” said Suckoo-Chollette, performer and artistic director of the show. “He believes in the transformative power of bringing good people together to create. This show was also the vehicle he used to preserve and promote the traditional Caymanian pan drum.”
The evening was held in honour of the late Aunt Julia Hydes who taught Chollette her drumming technique, as well as the late Harley Rivers, one of Cayman’s best roof thatchers but also someone who played drums and maracas throughout his life. Rivers also built drums for other people.
Randy Chollette was inspired to build his instrument by Rivers’ drum creations, and he is the only Caymanian believed left making the traditional drum. Some of Rivers’ family members were at the event.
The evening also included on-the-spot performances from Eden Hurlston, Glen Scott, Michael Wilks, Suckoo-Chollette, Heather Lopez, Freya Jane, Patrick Lopez, Matrix the Rapper, Beneil Miller, Yohann S. Fitzgerald, Melisha McField of Dream Chasers Cayman, Michael ‘Mlito’ Mothen, Max Kazakov, Lorna Reid, Nathan Barnett, Bill McLaughlin, Brian Watler, and Humberto Scanio.
Visual artists Lorna Reid and Elias Lopez painted during the evening, and illustrator Michael A. Mothen presented an animated video on kitchen dance music within a traditional Caymanian home.
“I wanted this piece to be reminiscent of what a kitchen dance would’ve looked like in the past,” said Mothen, whose artist name is Banana Art Kid. “My idea was to create an artwork that coincides with the music theme of the Red Boat Experience show itself. I always try to capture and bring the Caymanian culture and heritage to life in my works and I’m super grateful to be a part of the show.”
A final piece from the performers featured audience members joining in with dance and clapping.
The Sunday night event wrapped up a weekend of Caymanian music at the Harquail Theatre. On Saturday night, local musicians Stuart Wilson, Chris Sanchez, Miller, Madam Nirosa, Georgie Duarte and James Geary performed.
The inaugural Red Boat event was held in April. The production was made possible by the foundation’s recently expanded Grants for the Arts programme, and CNCF’s new Production Partnership Grant, funded by chairperson Susan A Olde, according to a CNCF press release.
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