Tag: pageant

No, we’re not kidding. Bourda market has its own queen; yes, the Bourda market downtown.

The queen is Shavonne Brown, who enjoys wide acclaim, it would appear, at Bourda. She has been described as a role model by her fellow marketers.

When East Coast International Restaurant, situated right next to the market, decided to honour someone and to show that something “good” can come out of the market, it teamed up with a group of businesses to put on quite a show.

But first, they had to find a queen. And Shavonne was the unanimous choice. She has been working in the market for the past 20 years or so. So, she was selected, given a make-over, dressed up and crowned.

But that was not all. The market decided that it had to do something for someone else – Earl Solomon, otherwise known to most as a junkie. Solomon has been a vagrant and on the streets due to his mental illness, but apparently has a voice of gold.

The organisers of the event decided to also clean him up and have him perform “Unchained Melody.” The audience was stunned, and could not hold back tears, said Claude Sinclair, one of the promoters of the event.

It turns out, Solomon, was a past teacher. He graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education with a trained teacher’s certificate in 1995. He majored in English Language.

However, a mental illness pushed him to the streets.  You could imagine then the surprise of the audience to see him clean-shaved and decently dressed, and oh, the voice!

Georgetown Mayour Hamilton Green showed up for the event.
Among those who teamed up to make the event possible were Deslyn Hair and Nail Salon, B. Sukhai and Sons Fruit Stall, East Coast International, Terry’s Grocery Stall, Fransons New Look Boutique, Banks DIH, Star party Rentals and Shelly’s Dressmaking.

By Mondale Smith

The Simpli Royal team is set to continue its quest at shaping the lives of Guyana’s young beauty ambassadors to be confident, eloquent and fashionably conscious through the staging of the 9th Miss Guyana Talented Teen pageant.

Ten local beauties will vie for the coveted Miss Guyana Talented Teen 2009 crown billed for the lawns of the Duke Lodge Hotel tomorrow evening. The beauties are drawn from Linden, Berbice, East Coast and West Bank Demerara. They will compete in segments of national wear, swimsuit, talent, and evening wear for a spot in the final five.

Based on responses to a final question, a queen will be crowned. Aged 14-19 the delegates are Ruqayyah Boyer, Madona  Ghannie, Annalisa Austin, Criselle Alleyne, Kiswana Jefford,  Teneisa Piggot, Jnelle Babb, Sarah Gannie, Meenashki Khubir and Marissa Adams.  They, unlike most local pageants, were trained for five months under the stewardship of international fashion consultant Lester Rauseo of Trinidad and Tobago followed by members of the Simpli Royal committee. They also underwent etiquette training with Jillian Phillips.

The queen walks away with $50,000 cash and assorted prizes and a chance to represent Guyana in St Kitts in December. A prize will also be awarded to one of the beauties to represent Guyana at the upcoming Miss Teen Universal Pageant in Barbados and another beauty will go to the Miss Cariabes Hibiscus in St Maarten in November.

The pageant has been in existence since 2000 but was shelved last year to accommodate   CARIFESTA X. Past queens include Ulex Atwell, Asha Pieters-Roberts, Shamaine Davis, Shonette Moore, Keran Devi Singh, Kendacy Edwards, Jennel Cox and Trissana Cox.  These queens as well as runners up have gone on to win the Miss Guyana Universe titles and also represented Guyana at international and regional pageants.

Even as Guyana‘s quest continues to win an international pageant crown through efforts of the Miss Guyana Talented committee, several regional crowns were won in recent times. Asha Pieters Miss Guyana Talented Teen 2001 copped the Miss West Indies and Miss Carival crowns while Meleesa Payne her runner up in the 2001 pageant copped the Miss Carival crown and the first runner up prize for the Miss West Indies pageant. The reigning Miss Guyana Universe is Janelle Cox. Atwell copped the 2nd runner up prize at the Miss Cariabes Hibiscus pageant.

Pageant organiser Pamela Dillon said and when the new queen is crowned, she will begin her reign at the insomnia party being hosted just after the pageant at the same venue. Organizers believe the pageant and party concept will bring alive beauty pageants in Guyana. A number of local artistes will perform at the pageant and the girls will be serenaded by a special surprise guest.

By: Mondale Smith

Guyana has added three new queens and princesses to its pageant winners list.

On Saturday night Tikesha Sullivan –Elias and daughter Tyanne, Yvonne Vikerie and daughter Amina as well as Gem Sandord-Johnson and daughter Anastasia were crowned winners of the 2009 mothers and daughters pageant at the National Cultural Centre.

Before a capacity audience they copped the titles of junior, intermediate and senior winners from a filed of twenty two pairs as the Supa-Stylistics group staged it 18th pageant on Saturday night.

Twenty two contesting pairs showcased each other in mostly locally designed outfits that celebrated the bond between mothers and daughters competitively at the junior, intermediate and senior levels.

For the junior competition sections of the audience were in stitches of laughter as little lasses aged no more than eight years old outshone their mothers with twirling hips and feminine, feline struts that bordered on precociousness.

Both mothers and daughters donned and displayed colourful, creative and mostly matching picnic, party dresses and skirt suits that transformed into Capri pants suits.

The designs offered variations that brought out the maturity of the mothers and the playfulness of the lasses and were accentuated by flowers, ribbons and hand paintings in colours of greens, whites, pink.

One presentation bordered on an afro-centric influenced outfit.

For winning this category Tikesha Sullivan –Elias a nursery school teacher and daughter Tyanne will be winged via private airplane to the Baganara Resort for an all expenses paid day trip complements of L’Mart Furniture store. The two will also enjoy lunch at the Up-Scale Guyana Restaurant and a photo shoot.

They sported green and white Olympia Sonoram’s creations. The mother’s look was a matured fashionable lady in a balloon styled knee high dress while the daughter’s white shirt was removed to reveal a green pants suit. The creative skirt was transformed into a hand bag for mum.

The Donna Wong and Aliya and Sacha Paul and Katana pairs placed second and third respectively.

Presentations in the middle category were not as amusing or entertaining as the juniors.’ Bordering on boredom from some pairs some mothers out manoeuvre their daughters and in the process physical bonding was not of the best for most.

In the end the bubbly Yvonne Vikerie and daughter Amina were adjudged winners in the intermediate category and will be treated to a paid trip to Trinidad and Tobago, dinner for two at Glow International and a photo shoot package.

Ambika Persaud and Nadia as well as Donna Edighilo and Akesia placed second and third respectively.

Glitz and glamour and extravagant satin, cancan gowns and evening dresses suited for graduations, dinner with mum and attending the Presidential Inauguration ball was featured for senior category.

The competition was tight in the senior category that featured a line-up of eight pairs. But sporting dresses from designer Olympia Sonoram local model/dancer Anastacia Richards and her mum legal mind Gem-Sandford- Johnson proved the best of the lot.

The two will wing out to Barbados on a return trip compliments of Caribbean Airlines. They also took home two pairs of 14-Karat white gold earrings from Kings Jewellery World, will enjoy an over night stay at Herdminston Lodge with complementary breakfast, a beauty treatment from Hair Force Beauty gallery and a photo shoot package.

Phillipa Amsterdam and Amanda, Tracy Junior and Tremane and Patricia Helwig and Delicia placed as first to third runners up respectively.

Pageant Production manager Ingrid Fung in dubbing the pageant another success said she was again pleased with the audience and participant support. “I’m encouraged and dare say that this pageant is here to stay,” Fung told Kaieteur News. She encouraged that enthusiasts can “look forward for eligible bachelors to strut their stuff next year as compared to the couples who made guess appearances this year.” She reiterated that one can feel good as Guyanese attending her pageant as it cuts across age, gender, class, creed and ethnicity.

Mother and daughter 3:
Caption: Junior winner’s row Junior and middle categories: Junior winner Tikesha Sullivan –Elias and daughter Tyanne stand at center as their runners up look on.

(By Mondale Smith)