Alton Aimable, the St. Lucian-born producer and founder of the Brooklyn-based Tropicalfete, Inc. says the cultural group hosted on Sunday an historic and spectacular “TF Pop-Up Caribbean Carnival” in Times Square.
Aimable told Caribbean Life that “the famous Vibesman Redman Crew and Tanisha Burke” also co-hosted the event, which included steelpan, stilt dancers (Moko Jumbies), masquerade dancers, dance, theater and music.
“Tropicalfete brought the magic to the epicenter of New York City — Times Square,” Aimable said. “Topicalfete is on the front line in advancing Caribbean Culture throughout the year. Having this event in Times Square, which is known as ‘The Crossroads of the World’, is a fantastic way to honor our ancestors that built a foundation for Tropicalfete to stand on.
“The event also has additional significance, as Tropicalfete is designated by New York City as part of the Coalition of Theatres of Color (CTC),” Aimable added. “The audience got a taste of Carnival Street Theatre.
“raditional carnival costumes such as King Jab, Midnight Robber, Dame Lorraine, Flag Woman, Sprit of Carnival and Blue Devil as well as modern day carnival with feathers, moko-jumbies and steelpan made Times Square their carnival stage,” he added.
Aimable said performing cast included: Tropicalfete’s Stilting Unit; Tropicalfete’s Steel Pan Ensemble; Tropicalfete’s Masquerade Body of Vibration & Theatre; Tropicalfete’s Voices; JouvayFest; CocoriteHouse NYC; Urban Dance Opportunities; Free Up Fitness; Jammin Jeff; Mr. Putty; and DJ Weezy.
Before the festivities got on the way, Aimable said Miss New York USA Heather Nunez and celebrity host Todd Wharton “popped into the TropicalFete’s Caribbean Carnival in Time Square.”
Aimable said Nunez spoke about domestic violence as part of her platform and the upcoming pageant, where she will be representing New York at Miss USA 2022, to be held in Reno, Nevada on Oct. 3.
He said Nunez played the steelpan with Nature Fortune, one of Tropicalfete’s young members.
“She took the time to recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion as a child of immigrant parents from the Dominican Republic,” Aimable said.
