'It's a Reggae Christmas' - Ardenne highlights students' talent and culture at annual pageant

The annual staging of the Ardenne High School Christmas Pageant on December 14 continues to highlight the institution's reputation as a catalyst for student involvement in the performing arts.

This year's pageant, held under the theme 'It's a Reggae Christmas', displayed the performances of more than 100 students, representing a kaleidoscope of clubs and societies that complement school life.

Spectators not only witnessed modelling, but were also entertained by both a pre-show performance and a play.

Interwoven into this pro-duction were performances from the Sign Language Club, the Fashion Society, the Music Club, the Steel Orchestra, the Junior and the Senior Dance Troupe, the Drum Ensemble, and the Drama Club.

This demonstration of the St Andrew-based school's prowess in the performing arts highlights the reason why Ardenne continues to be a facilitator of youth involvement in the field.

This sentiment was echoed by student Mercedes Thompson, who noted that "the pageant helps to develop students who do performing arts because they get a chance to showcase their talent to numerous people".

It was a 'Silent Night'

A crowning moment for this year's staging of Ardenne High School's Christmas Pageant was the play Silent Night. Written and directed by the school's drama teacher and creative consultant, Joel Miller, it depicts the importance of sacrifice and pursuing one's dreams. In keeping with the pageant's theme, 'It's a Reggae Christmas', this was done through the lens of both reggae and Christmas.

"The school wanted to do 'It's a Reggae Christmas' because every year, they do an American version of Christmas. I also wanted to tell the story of perseverance because that is what I think Christmas and Christ are about," Miller said.

Co-curricular coordinator Marsha Lawrence-Davids said that "the central message is let us appreciate our culture".

She also emphasised the role that culture plays in creating societal harmony.

"Let us celebrate reggae and even more so because this is a time of togetherness, and let us see how it is that we can celebrate the things that we have in common. One such thing is our culture," said Lawrence-Davids.

This sentiment was reflected in the array of performances and was emphasised by the surprise guest appearances of Oliver Samuels and Michael Abrahams. The two comedians participated in a sound clash, which saw the audience hearing Feel Good by Beres Hammond, Chatty Chatty by Tony Rebel, and Skankin Sweet by Chronixx, among other songs.

A new and rewarding experience

Participants in this year's staging of Ardenne High School's Christmas Pageant noted how the 'It's a Reggae Christmas' pageant proved to be a new and rewarding experience for them.

Llaura-Lynn Beersingh, a lead character in the play, explained: "This is my first time being the star of the show. It was a new experience. It was somewhat challenging."

She added that it was her teacher who had selected her for the prominent lead role and highlighted the importance of friends encouraging her. Her advice for students interested in the performing arts is to be disciplined.

According to Beersingh, the most important thing to note was characterisation, followed by important cues and the interactions with other performers. Moreover, with repeated rehearsals, the execution of the performance becomes much easier, she noted.

Beersingh's moving performance reflected only an inkling of the school's potential with regard to the performing arts.

According to co-curricular coordinator Marsha Lawrence-Davids: "We have a very strong co-curricular programme here. In fact, Ardenne High School boasts that we have won the Marcus Garvey Awards for Excellence in the Performing Arts for the last eight years. The very fact that we have such a strong performing arts group means that funding is needed in order to allow the performing arts to be even stronger."

Thus, the proceeds from the event go towards those activities.

Lawrence-Davids further hinted that there were even greater feats that the St Andrew-based school planned to accomplish going into 2019.

Her beliefs exemplify Ardenne's motto, Deo Duce Quaere Optima - With God as Guide, Seek the Best.