Junkanoo Live!

April – July 2008

Hosted by the Carnival Learning Centre in partnership with Thirty Six Hours (Hastings) and Henley Festival (Oxford). Funded by Arts Council England.

Junkanoo is a unique festival celebrated in the Bahamas on Boxing Day and New Years Day every year. It has its roots in slavery and has a very distinctive African flavour. Junkanoos wear brightly coloured handmade costumes and perform on the streets in very energetic choreographed dance routines accompanied by goatskin drums, cowbells, horns and brass. Junkanoo is little known outside the Caribbean and has never been presented in the UK before.

The Carnival Learning Centre has worked very closely with the Ministry of Culture for the Bahamas, the National Junkanoo Museum in Nassau and Junkanoo World to make this project possible.

Eight Junkanoos will visit the Island in April for two weeks to offer educational and training places to artists to learn Junkanoo skills. In July they will return with a full compliment of 30 ‘backline’ musicians to undertake a national tour.

Tour dates:

April 21 to May 2: Isle of Wight. Workshop and training programme. More Info
July 5: Arts Parade, Isle of Wight.
For above gigs contact Carnival Learning Centre

July 6: Chichester Festival.
July 9 to 13: Henley Festival.
July 15 to17: London South Bank.
July 19: St Leonard’s Festival.
For above gigs contact Mandy Curtis at Thirty Six Hours (01424 717464)

Links:

Thirty Six Hours (www.thirty-six-hours.co.uk)
Junkanoo (www.Junkanoo.com)