Bolt of energy at parties

Whether you measure success in wages or personal satisfaction, at the end of the day, if you do not take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labour, it becomes more of a stress than a success.

From this notion, Usain Bolt is the perfect example of someone who knows how to celebrate his achievements. He has a knack for having a great time, whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. While some individuals may interpret his personality one way and others another, it has been recognised that events live off his energy.

The Gleaner, spoke with a few event promoters who have either interacted with the track star or have had him frequent their events.

Scott Dunn, managing director, Dream Entertainment, says, "Usain has an incredible energy that is infectious. Similar to the way he lights up a stadium, he does the same in a club or a party. However, my most memorable 'Bolt moment' at a party was one that he was not physically in attendance. The year was 2012 and the occasion was the London Olympics during the Jamaica 50 celebrations. Thousands were waiting patiently for the 100 metre finals to begin. It was being displayed on the big screen at Wet n' Wild inside the Kool Running's water park and the usually raucous crowd went silent for the start. Then 9.63 seconds later, the party went wild with dreamers excited for the win, shouting patriotically and splashing water in the air."

All eyes on Bolt

Boom Boom, resident disc jockey at Uptown Mondays, says "When Bolt arrives at Uptown Mondays, everything changes. In particular the place gets busy - the attention moves to him and the dancers. From him forward, the dancers want him do their dance moves. And he always joins them to learn and teach the dances. This really attracts the crowd. Sometimes Bolt takes over the DJ booth to play music and entertain. Most times he takes the microphone to interact with the patrons and him would turn to me and say, 'me a gwaan hol' it fi yuh Boom Boom' and the respect is always there. The energy always up deh."

Phillip 'PP' Palmer, director of Sun Nation and Dream Entertainment, says "Bolt is definitely the life of the party. He is the standout personality at all events. Most notably, Bolt's presence has had an effect at Cabana City Reserve and Sun Nation's Sunrise Breakfast Party. The largest sky cabana is normally reserved for him and no less than 20 to 30 guests will attend the event with him. Cabana City Reserve, has been dubbed as his event. And we have allowed Bolt that freedom. For 30 minutes at the January staging of Sunrise Breakfast Party, he created a positive pandemonium; the energy went from five to 10 in a matter of seconds. It is definite that once Bolt is present at an event, you are attending, you will experience 100% authentic Bolt show."

For Andrew Bellamy, director of Xaymaca International, "Usain is an international superstar and as such, no matter where he goes or what he does, he attracts serious attention from both media and fans. He also surrounds himself with good loyal friends and ensures no one feels left out of the fun.

"Whenever Usain steps into an event, whether it is one of mine or otherwise, the energy of the party observably uplifts. I am not sure if it is owed to the acknowledgement of his arrival by the DJs, which usually spark interests of fans and well-wishers. It is hard not to feed off that raw energy being displayed between him and his friends. As Usain and his crew step into one of our fetes, they own a piece of the landscape. For some strange reason, persons naturally feed off that high intensity and it has this domino effect that propels an event into high gear. I think his wildfire of energy has such a large effect on parties for the same reason he dominates on the track, his greatness completely entertains," Bellamy concluded.