A Cabaret with talented showgirls
Throughout this month, numerous activities were held to highlight the work, struggles and accomplishments of Belizean women. Naturally, the Institute of Creative Arts put its focus on talent with the annual Women in Arts program. It started with a visual arts display, which brought together the work of thirty women from across the country into an art exhibit themed “Ixchel, Goddess, Eternal… Woman in Art”. That exhibit has been open at the Bliss March first and ICA is now preparing to end Women’s Month with a showcase of performing arts. So get ready for A Night of Cabaret at the Old Belize with an impressive lineup of performers. Director and Producer of the event, Kim Vasquez, spoke to News Five about this year’s cabaret style event.
Kim Vasquez, Director/Producer, A Night of Cabaret
“It’s Women’s Month and we’re about to wrap up Women’s Month and at ICA, what we’ve been doing here, we’ve been having our annual Women In Art Program that’s in conjunction with Women’s Month. Earlier this month, we had the visual arts. We still have that exhibit running and this is the performance arts now that we are looking to wrap up with and that’s what taking place tomorrow at Old Belize.”
Delahnie Bain
“Okay, so what can people expect? What’s Cabaret style?”
Kim Vasquez
“What’s Cabaret style? Everybody keeps asking. What we wanted to do was to find a format in which we could really showcase the performance arts and cabaret allows for that. It allows, rather than just standing up and singing at a mic, you are able to interact with the audience, you can do drama, you can do poetry. We have the Nu Generation Dance Company and they are our backup dancers for the performers. We have two guest stars; Nelita Castillo and Jenny Lovell and we have a young lady, a special guest with us from Connecticut and her name is Aja Wilson.”
“And those will be all the performers?”
Kim Vasquez
“Oh no, we have five more. We have a quintet coming for the third part of the show, that includes Jackie Castillo, Lisa Alvarez, Tricia Gabourel, Edwina Logan and Sherlyn Morris.”
Delahnie Bain
“So what time, where price?”
Kim Vasquez
“Okay, the details. It takes place tomorrow, eight p.m. at the Old Belize Jungle Pavilion. We have tickets here on sale at the Bliss for twenty dollars. You may be able to get them at the door but we advise you to get them early. It’s an entrance fee you pay and then there’s a cash bar and food on sale.”
Delahnie Bain
“Is this the first time you’ve taken this approach for the performance arts aspect?”
“This is the first time we have taken, for Women in Art, the performance arts showcase outside of the Bliss. For the past two years we have included a performance arts showcase on the Women In Art but we’ve done it here at the Bliss but because we decided to do a cabaret show we wanted to go with an all out cabaret feel where you sit at tables, you can drink, you can relax and you can make it a ladies night out. We don’t want to exclude men but this, as I said, is a finally for us for Women’s Month.”
Proceeds from the event will be used for ICA’s annual Summer Arts Institute program.