With less than one month to go for the Ms Renaissance pageant, Coordinator Negla Brandis says preparations are well ahead with contestants “fine tuning” their presentations.

Negla Brandis

Speaking to The Scene recently, Brandis said everything was going according to plan and the 13 mature and professional contestants will be ready come November 1 when the fourth staging of the pageant is held.

At present, she said the contestants are meeting for rehearsals twice a week but this will shortly increase to five times a week.

Brandis said Bonita Hunter is listening to the verbal presentations to ensure that pronunciation and the grammar are correct. Dance teacher, Vivian Daniel is handling the chorography for the opening dance and this is one of the things that the contestants have picked up their pace on. Desiree Edghill is on board too and is ensuring that the women’s talent pieces are of the highest standard.

Brandis stressed that all the contestants “are ready to go” and are showing their commitment to the pageant. She said that two contestants, Rita Thomas and Donna Austin live many miles from the city, in Berbice and Mainstay respectively but they make every effort to attend sessions.

During their months of preparation, the women have had several lectures on issues such as skin care and make up application, violence against women and breast cancer and self examination.

Earlier this week they were guests of the In Style show hosted by Clairans and modelled  evening, casual and cocktail wear. According to Brandis, 11 of the contestants were present for this shoot which will be aired on VCT 28 tomorrow afternoon.

On pageant night there will be a dance production in the first half of the show. The women will compete in the evening elegant, cooperate attire and cultural presentation segments before the question and answer to determine the new queen.

This year’s pool of contestants has a wide range of qualifications with several being multi-talented. There is a teacher, a journalist, a housewife, a dancer, a caterer just to name a few.

Donna Austin, Andrea Bollers, Renita Crandon-Duncan, Carol Fraser-Lindo, Claudette Fredericks, Quacy Mc Gowan, Marcia Harris, Patricia Helwig, Gracelin James, Jacqueline King, Esther Moore, Lourianne Pluck, Karen Pratt and Rita Thomas are all striving hard to take the crown from reigning queen Simone Beckles.

The women were sashed during a simple ceremony at Plaza Hotel back in May.

The Ms Renaissance pageant caters for women aged 28 years and over, allowing them to show off their  accomplishments, inner beauty, maturity, leadership skills, cultural awareness and talent.

During the talent (cultural presentation) segment of the competition on pageant night, various aspects of our culture are displayed as the pageant is held under the theme ‘Visions of our Culture’.

(zoisa_f@yahoo.com)