💫 Stars aligned. Three massive theatrical-style recitals in a two-week span. LEAP St. Kitts: The Wizard of Oz (The Yellow Brick Road) – Saturday 27th May, 2023 The Wizard of Oz (The Emerald City) – Sunday 28th May, 2023 LEAP Nevis: It's Magic! – Sunday 11th June, 2023 Never before have I challenged myself and my organization this much. We have outdone ourselves, to say the very least, #LEAPSKN Family! This official vote of thanks is long overdue, but please forgive me as I have been struggling to wrap up and recharge as much as possible over the last days. I still feel like I’m running on ‘E’ (gas light on!) but my heart is incredibly full. I’m overwhelmingly proud of all @leapskn has accomplished as of late, and I want to give credit where it is due:
First and foremost, thank you to God. You alone know the length and breadth of the sacrifices that go into the work we do at LEAP, and you make all impossible things possible. Thank you (as I know you read my IG captions too, lol), for always opening and closing the right doors so that we can chassé into the right spaces.
To my family, you always have my back and I am eternally grateful. Thanks Mommy for the hours you put in behind the scenes, tacking in bulks of costumes after fittings. Thanks Daddy for building me Dorothy & Mabel’s homes, my Emerald City scape & Emerald City Door, to bring my extended-stage vision for The Wizard of Oz to life. Thanks Sissy for your front and back of house work. Thanks Dej (my good-up niece) for gearing up with your headset for the first time and handling our runs so well. Thanks Zendi and Zhuri for being my biggest source of inspiration. Love you all, deep.
Much appreciation to my incredible Team of Tutors – Kenisha, Jemma, Lataunya, Quiandra, Znessa, Angel, Cajoy, Iniyah & Khayla. Thanks for sharing your time, tenacity and talent with us at LEAP and pushing the children under your wings to higher and higher heights. You all are major keys. To my actresses. Oh, my multi-talented actresses. You all so graciously bore the weight of the shows on your shoulders – the heavy responsibility of successfully carrying our huge audiences on a journey through highly imaginative stories to support all the dance performances that complemented them throughout. Most, if not all of you were first-timers in the acting arena, and nobody could tell with the exceptional level of professionalism and skill you brought to the stage for every single scene! This, on top of all your required dance and gymnastics performances! – WHEW! It's been a pleasure working with you all and watching you grow artistically. IThank you from the bottom of my heart for stepping forward bravely to take on the roles scripted, understanding the vision, embracing the plots, developing your characters and embodying them to perfection. DANEIKA – We couldn’t find a better young lady to exude the sweetness and innocence of Dorothy! You got it, hands down.
MALEAH – You bodied the dual role of Mabel and the Wicked Witch from day one! I see a future for you in showbusiness!
ZAKIYA – You understood the assignment with the Scarecrow, 110% - the walk, the talk, the tempo. Thanks for bringing him to life. CAJOY – You were proof that “Man ah lion”!!! You can now add world-class actress to your growing resumé as a performer! INIYAH – My darling Tin-Tin – you put your ‘heart’ into the role of the Tin Man! Proud of you!
ERSHEEN – The ‘goodest’ witch to ever did witch! Thanks for the laughs with some of my favourite lines from Glenda: “Stick bruck off in your ear?” and “Wicked, wicked, wicked dutty witch!”. It will never, ever get old.
CELINA – Nobody could have guarded the Emerald City door better than you. “Who rang that bell?”
YASHICA - Thanks for jumping in to play Monkey Boy and our Distressed Stagehand. Epic.
HADASSAH – Daisy, you are so outrageously gifted. Thanks for playing the role of Merlyn in ‘It’s Magic’ so well, you now know how much it meant to me.
TROTTERS – Best supporting actresses of all time! --------
To my bold, brave, beloved army of dancers and gymnasts, who all so wonderfully performed all their pieces on stage, some for multiple nights, – all the feedback we receive speaks to your noticeable growth and undeniable talents. I see you! Applause also for our soloists for this year – Iniyah, Zakiya & Shevonne – you all were shining stars. Choreography 10/10!
Heartfelt thanks also to our sponsors and donors, who contributed in various ways to make our grand productions, truly grand – Islander Watersports, Ram’s Supermarket, Mapau, Essential Pharmacy, Vinyl Arts, The St. Kitts Nevis Anguilla National Bank, The Windsong Foundation, Pro Video Production, Impel Event Logistics, S&L Stage Lighting, Shadan Production, Modern Elegance Photography, Kidz Club SKN, Cornerstone & The Mark Family. Much love to these kind individuals who also supported us in special and significant ways – Shinelle Douglas, Reanna Isaacs, Kel Williams, Winston Mondesir, Shenelle Farrell, Lisa Cherebin, Cindy Herbert, & Minister Troy Liburd. To all the Parents, Guardians, Spouses, Families and Friends of our Members – THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU again for your tremendous outpouring of love! You remain the unsung heroes of our Program! Last but certainly by no means least, Kenisha Rameshwar – the best friend I could ever ask for. Love you long time! Thanks for burning the midnight oil with me, time and time again, for all you so willingly and quietly do behind the scenes to fuel successful outcomes of our shows, and for all the sentimental gifts. No-one like you!
#IYKYK #FAFO To the general public, I do apologize that we were not able to directly extend invitations to you for ticket sales to our showcases. Please note that we had every intention of doing so, but prioritized tickets for our immediate family members first, and unfortunately they didn’t make it to the planned public advertisement/offer. It’s my hope that some day soon we have a bigger pro venue available to house what we do at LEAP and everyone can be invited to indulge. To anyone and everyone who has said, done or even thought something positive in our direction at LEAP, I say thank you. Please know that if I didn’t mention your name and should have, it should be blamed on my age, and not my heart.
What’s next for us at LEAP? It’s on to Art Saves Lives 2023 in St. Maarten with seven of my superstars for intensive pro dance and performing arts training. Then it’s our annual summer break (July – August), and we welcome new members for September 2023 and welcome back our existing LEAP Family to the dancefloor for what we call our ‘Technical Training’ term. If you are interested in becoming a part of the LEAP Family, please sign up using the link below: www.leapskn.com/register (St. Kitts) or www.leapskn.com/nevis (if you are located in Nevis). I’ve already dreamt up next year’s productions. All I can say is, if you thought 2023’s shows were epic, “You ain’t seen nothing yet”! Let’s goooooo LEAP!
