‘Dancehall Divas’ reality series to add value to Ja’s culture – producer
Published:Friday | November 1, 2019 | 12:26 AMStephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer
On the verge of announcing its official premiere, LHDT Productions, the producer of the international reality TV series Dancehall Divas are covering all ground to safeguard its stationing as a means to capture its target markets. It has been over a year since the cat was let out of the bag about plans for the new drama-packed production, which, according to the company’s CEO and content creator, Heather Elliot-Whitehead, “is already breaking barriers as the first dancehall-centred reality show of its kind”, showcasing females from different areas of the genre.
Initially, the concept was designed to feature women in Toronto titled ‘Dancehall Divas of Toronto’ – but it reached a roadblock. It never got the green light. Word got out about the show’s concept around the time the production engines were in high gear with the recruitment of the first set of divas, and the producers returned to the drawing board.
“The issue was that we spoke too early about the project, and it confused a lot of people, which subsequently caused some unfortunate leaks about the concept. One thing led to the next, and despite the many hours of footage that were filmed, we had to revamp the show to be more inclusive,” Elliot-Whitehead told The Gleaner.
She added: “What we have now is a more diverse show representative of all major overseas dancehall markets. Though it has taken us a longer time to get the series off the ground, to be quite frank, it has happened in reasonable time.”
Danielle D.I. anticipates that the local community will be proud to see history in the making.
Excellence in entertainment
Jamaica is predominantly known for excellent entertainment and sports, so Dancehall Divas will play a major role in bringing broader global recognition and shedding more light on the dancehall culture/community as it becomes a household name,” Danielle D.I. said.
The dancehall entertainer also shared that the production fell perfectly into this chapter of revamping her career.
“It definitely adds more motivation to the entire newness as it will help to promote me to whole a new audience, and as this is the first reality show of its kind showcasing Jamaican people, viewers can expect to be super engaged and love it just as they do the various Love & Hip Hop series and other major reality shows from the US. This is ours, and we all should support it,” she concluded. While reality shows generally make for inherently disposable TV, Elliot-Whitehead said.
“There is a better chance for these characters to linger in the minds of viewers a bit longer. Just by virtue of being the first show of its kind anywhere; already its unforgettable. I am confident that over time, the concept will grow on people and the show will develop a cult following.”
The producer said that this venture was not the simplest of undertakings, financially or logistically, for any television production, since all the divas are, for the most part, spread primarily across four countries – the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Jamaica – and securing sponsorship for a new feature of this magnitude has its challenges. LHDT Productions is actively working on the first season, which is approximately 10 episodes, inclusive of a live reunion show. Plans for season two are already under way. The company recently secured a broadcast partnership with SportsMax Limited, a subsidiary of the Digicel Group, for the show to air on its international network, CEEN Caribbean TV.
“Overall, we are anticipating long-term partnership. Truth is, there is an opening and an appetite for richly flavoured mainstream dancehall content, and we believe that our series will fulfil that, especially where the reality-TV space is hungry for it. Additionally, we are pretty sure that this is will be among CEEN Caribbean TV’s highest-rated productions to date, so people came subscribe now and mark their calendars.” Elliot-Whitehead said.
Unlike the majority of reality shows which pit the characters against each other, Dancehall Divas is not meant to be a platform for the cast to compete, and neither do the producers want it to portray the women in a negative light.
“Dancehall is outwardly viewed as an aggressive culture, from the music to the communities and party scene,” she said.
“So persons cannot expect it to be a conservative, ‘rated G’, family-oriented production, but what will be different is that perhaps what is assumed, you won’t see any of the main cast gyrating on speaker boxes. This is not that type of scenario, although I doubt anyone who does this type of TV is in it to be a role model for youth. Viewers will see women who are bosses, interacting with one another, dealing with their real-life issues in public, as they march to the beat of their own drums.”