Caribbean comes to Green
Valley Park, Payson, Arizona as Students re-create Carnival Village.
By Richard Haddad -
Payson Roundup Publisher
People at Green Valley
Park Friday afternoon witnessed angels and eagles walking among fairies,
dancing flames and skipping musical notes.
The spectacle was part
of a special event hosted by Julia Randall Elementary School and the
culmination of a week-long artist-in-residence program, mixing education and
entertainment.
During the week,
students, teachers and parents took part in workshops and demonstrations of
steel drum playing and carnival costume making under the direction of Rawle
Fraser and Marsha Thomas of the Phoenix-based "Caribbean Zone" steel
drum group.
"It was non-stop
excitement," acting principal Will Dunman said. "Students wanted to
learn. Many students really came out of their shells and were very creative
with their costumes and the questions they asked the instructors.
Costumes were related to
the music being played during the festival, referred to as a Caribbean Carnival
Village. The more elaborate costumes, such as an eagle with an 18-foot
wingspan, were provided by Caribbean Zone and came from past Fiesta Bowl
celebrations.
The workshops and
carnival involved the entire JRE student body and were made possible through a
grant from the Arizona Arts Commission with matching funds from Credit for
Kids.
During the final event
at the park Friday, JRE fifth grade students presented an energetic musical
performance on authentic steel drums.
"The drums were
cool," said JRE student Sean Ford. "They looked really complicated to
play at first. I was really glad we got to do this."
"I saw students
that haven’t been exposed to a lot of different cultures get really excited
about this," Dunman said. "It was very well received by our students
and the community. We thank the people who came out to watch and the town parks
and recreation department for their support."
This program was brought
to Payson through the efforts of JRE Principal Ardyth Potter, who had
coordinated a similar activity in Blue Ridge. Potter was unable to attend the
event.
"We’ve
got lots of pictures for her so she’ll see it was a huge success," Dunman
said.
Caribbean transplants share their culture
By Jenni Dillon
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 31, 2001
"Sit down, if you can find a spot," Marsha Thomas says, leading the way into her and Rawle Fraser’s west Phoenix home.
She’s
not kidding. She passes through a studio on the way to the kitchen. The
room to the left is filled to the ceiling with wire costume frames and
bright, glittery fabrics. To the right, a maze of steel drums takes the
place of couches and coffee tables.
The
small kitchen appears to be the only part of the house not overtaken by
carnival paraphernalia. But at times, even that haven is jammed with
Caribbean cuisine and students.
Since
1998, Thomas and Fraser have run Caribbean Zone, an organization
designed to bring Caribbean culture to life in Arizona through
educational programs and community events. The house is a testament to
their dedication.
"We’ve
kind of grown out of where we are," Thomas said. "We’re looking at
different places, but a lot are our of our cost range."
In the meantime, a cramped house isn’t about to halt their work.
Caribbean
Zone uses an artist-in-residence program, steel drum lessons, cooking
workshops and community outreach events to teach people about Caribbean
culture.
"We try to bring three main aspects of the culture," Fraser said. "The costumes and carnival, the steel drums and cuisine."
Though programs are for all ages, much of the organization’s work focuses on children.
The
artist-in-residence program allows Fraser and Thomas - he and she are
both natives of Trinidad and Tobago - to go into schools and work with
teachers to make the Caribbean culture real to the students. Children
learn about the geography and history of the Caribbean. They also learn
to play steel drums, help create carnival costumes and even cook
Caribbean food.
"The
culture is rich. If you go to Trinidad at carnival (the yearly period
of celebration just before lent), you’ll see a little bit of every
culture," Thomas said. In America, children need to see how other
cultures perceive them and how they can relate."
Claire
Liston’s 11-year-old daughter, Alexia, learned about the program when
Caribbean Zone came into her school and has continued with the program
outside the classroom.
"My
daughter and our family like the exposure to different and diverse
cultures," said Liston, of Phoenix. She gets to become friends with
children from different cultures."
Alexia
is a member of Caribbean Zone’s Junior Steel Drum Serenaders and has
performed with the group at the Orpheum Theatre, in the Fiesta Bowl
parade and in other community events.
"It’s
a full program, so she gets the experience of Caribbean cooking, gets
to participate in costume making, gets to march in parades and has a
chance to perform and get used to being in front of a large group,"
Liston said.
Caribbean
dishes students learn to prepare include roti, a burritolike dish that
includes yellow split peas, and accra, a meatball-size deep-fried
mixture of cod and spices. Many are served with rice and fried
plantains.
Carol Lloyd is a Phoenix resident born in Trinidad. Her daughters, Kesia, 13 and Kiara, 12 are learning to play the drums.
"It helps my kids know more about their own culture, though they are born here," Lloyd said.
The
girls also get a chance to help with costumes and to perform. Thomas
explained that teaching is the focus of Caribbean Zone. The two make
ends meet by catering events and by running the organization out of
their home. Eventually, however, they want to find sponsors. Thomas and
Fraser would also like to find an outside location for their
organization or store and display costumes in a public museum so that
more people could be exposed to Caribbean culture.
In
the meantime, however, Caribbean Zone will continue education and
outreach. The group is looking for more people to make and wear
costumes, learn steel drums and participate in the upcoming carnival
parade season.
Caribbean Carnival Set For October 20 At Margaret T. Hance Park
By Beverly Taylor
Feature Writer
Arizona Informant News Paper
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Caribbean
Zone is a smaller version of the traditional Trinidad Carni-val
Village. A big part of the festivities include steel drums. Steel bands
originated in Trinidad and developed from a scarcity of available
instruments during World War II, plus the lack of necessary funds to
purchase musical instruments.
Trinidad,
West Indies is where Marsha Thomas was born. She is co-owner of the
Caribbean Zone, a Carib-bean arts venture with costume designer Rawle
Fraser.
On October 20, 2002 the Caribbean Carnival will take place at the Margaret T. Hance Park at 3rd
Street and Moreland from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. This event like many others
coordinated and organized by Thomas and Fraser requires lots of time
and preparation, which includes costumes.
"This
will be our first festival in Phoenix," Thomas said. "We’ve had people
in costume for the last Fiesta Bowl Parades for 2000 and 2001, when we
won best costume. But the highlight of the carnival will be the parade
itself. We want people to come and rent a costume from us to wear and
be a part of the Caribbean event."
The
Caribbean carnival will feature colorful events and activities for the
entire family. Caribbean Zone lets people see how things are in
Trinidad.
A
pan yard, in Trinidad, is a large area where steel drums are set up for
practice sessions. When Thomas was growing up, she said she wanted
nothing more than to be able to play the steel drums. But her dream is
to sing on the Savannah Stage, one of the biggest performance platforms
in the world.
Trinidad’s
culture also includes fire-eating, the limbo, stilt dancers, and the
pageantry of colorful costumes. Her business partner, Fraser, is not
just a costume designer. He is also an instructor and an entertainer.
"We
take our costumes to Las Vegas and Los Angeles for special shows,"
Fraser said. "We’re listed on the Artist’s Roster, which is produced by
the Arizona Commission for the Arts."
According
to Thomas, she handles the non-profit side of the business while Fraser
mainly designs the costumes. Thomas and Fraser work closely together
with the Isaac Middle School at 35th Avenue and McDowell.
She said they have a good parent support group, but additional help is
needed to work with and supervise the youngsters.
Thomas
said, "We’ve been trying to get sponsorship for the last two or three
years. We work with about 750 kids per month. Usually we work with them
for two weeks at a time. But there are some we work with on a
continuous basis."
Thomas
and Fraser costume approximately 200 children every February during a
unique parade held in the west Valley. They have also worked with the
Future Development and Performing Arts Academy at 16th Street and Southern.
Currently,
the Caribbean Zone is in need of donated warehouse space for costume
and instrument storage. A truck large enough to accommodate the
transport of at least 30 music pieces and large costumes is also
needed. Additional cooking areas as well as a copying machine are also
sought.
"We
can also use donated T-shirts for our youth band members," Thomas said.
"If we could get people in the community who have welding skills to
help out, that would be very helpful to us. We need welders to make out
instrument racks and wheels."
The
upcoming carnival will include a science booth where marine life that
is native to Trinidad can be viewed. It will be a day of education and
fun combined.
"Some
people are unaware that our instruments are hand-made," Thomas said.
"People who see our costumes are totally astounded. If you could see
some of the work that the kids helped produce, you would be amazed.
Right now, we are just financially and space strapped. If we had more
room, we could have more kids come in to play the instruments and work
on making costumes.
According
to Thomas, the Adopt-A-Drum program allows parents to rent drums so
their children can practice. She said there is one basic requirement
and that is that the child must demonstrate commitment and
self-discipline.
Caribbean
Zone also includes a catering service with foods native to Trinidad.
Fraser said the venture has grown, but getting funding for community
type projects is often difficult. Oftentimes Thomas and Fraser must
reach into their own pockets in order to bring certain events to
fruition.
"When
I tell people we go into our own pocket some people laugh," Fraser
said. "But we are deeply committed to this and find it very rewarding,
because we appreciate the wonderful exposure that we provide. And the
opportunity to meet other people from the Caribbean is just wonderful."
Fraser pointed out that he and Thomas travel to area schools often to give instruction on Caribbean geography.
January 11, 2003
Dear Marsha and Rawle,
On
behalf of the West Valley Fine Arts Council, it is my pleasure to thank
you for participating in the 2002-03 Arts Advantage Series. Your
presentation of Caribbean music and culture was received well by
everyone involved. The aim of Arts Advantage is to expose fourth grade
students to a wide range of arts experiences to raise their awareness
of arts before they make their 5th grade elective choices. Caribbean
Zone certainly made the students aware of steel drums as a new
instrument, evolved in adversity to great result.
In
addition, I would like to thank you for working with the dance students
to incorporate movement and visual spectacle into the presentation.
Many children in the audience remarked that they loved the costumes,
and you heard the enthusiasm generated by the interaction throughout
the limbo! The dancers also appreciated the opportunity to demonstrate
their developing improvisation skills in a live situation.
I
look forward to hearing of the continuing successes of Caribbean Zone
in the future. In the meantime, if I can be of any further assistance,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
Kris Darroch, Programs Manager
West Valley Fine Arts Council