In its debut portrayal in the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade on Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway, the Grenadian-owned SkyMaxxMas will be portraying “Fantasy Is.”
“’Fantasy is a preview of life’s coming attraction, subtle and quick; mundane reality shifts into an illusion,’” band leader Kison Ventour, who carries the sobriquet “Keyy Sky Maxx”, quoted Shaun D as saying in a Caribbean Life interview.
The Grenadian-born and bred Ventour, also a DJ, entrepreneur and carnival enthusiast, said his love of music, primarily soca, “good times and friendship” led him to form SkyMaxxMas in 2015.
In addition, he said many years spent during his youth watching his uncle produce costumes in Grenada helped him to create SkyMaxxMas.
“With a name like SkyMaxxMas, it speaks for itself,” Ventour said. “The sky is not the limit, and we are here to give you our maximum effort.
“SkyMaxxMas draws its inspiration from the beautiful islands surrounded by the majestically blue Caribbean Sea,” he added. “From animals — both land-cruising and air-soaring — to plants and flowers, to culture, including food, fun and lifestyle, there is no limit to where inspiration is drawn from.”
Ventour said while he has participated in New York’s Labor Day Parade, Miami Broward Carnival, Atlanta DeKalb Carnival, Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, and Grenada’s Spice Mas, his band is yet to “headline” in the West Indian American Day Carnival Parade.
“The ultimate goal of SkyMaxxMas is to provide our maxxeraders (masqueraders) with endless vibes, a plethora of good memories and, most importantly, alluring costumes,” he said, stating that masqueraders in “Fanstasy Is” are of Caribbean and American descent, and that the production “caters to a variety of ages.”
Ventour said each of the six sections in “Fantasy Is” comprises at least 25 masqueraders.
The sections are: Goddess of Flowers (male option available); Phoenix, Luminous (male option available); Caribbean Mermaid (male option available); Maleficent Jab; Khaleesi; and Mother of Dragons (male option available.
Ventour said SkyMaxxMas’s “international cast of DJs” will provide masqueraders with “the best in Caribbean music on the road.”
They are: DJ Chris Colossal, DJ Shakiera and DJ Dee Fire, representing Grenada; Black Dynasty, representing Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica; Selector MC, representing Trinidad and Tobago; and Militant Jay, representing Barbados.
“Until we meet on de road, remember is mas we come to play,” Ventour said.
The mas camp is located at 634 Remsen Ave., between Church Avenue and Avenue A in Brooklyn.
Ventour can be reached at (347) 615-9430 or on Instagram: @SkyMaxxMas.
