Due to a sudden downpour of rain, the CaribFest Culture Show that was initially planned to last an hour with six performances was cut short to roughly 15 minutes and only two performances.

Hosts Martin Thomas and Jenna John-Baptist introduced the show calling it a “Journey through the tropics,” that would showcase the different parts of the Caribbean Islands.

“Even though we have the parade of the bands, it doesn’t show much of the culture of the Caribbean. With the Culture Show, we’re able to go more in depth with it and show the more traditional side of things,” Kamilah Tobin, Caribbean Student Organization chair said.

Masquerade, a dance crew from St. Kitts and Nevis, was the first to perform. The members were dressed in brightly colored baggy pants and black tops along with different headpieces. Elementary through college age students took part in the crew to perform their traditional dance.

Giselle Crooke, Caribbean Student Organization chair, was especially happy that Masquerade was the first to perform so she could watch the performance that has a special meaning to her.

“I look forward to seeing them perform every year since it’s something from my home. It’s neat because I get a piece of home and other students and the community of Wichita Falls gets to see some of that culture,” Crooke said.

Second up was the Soca quartet. The four students performed a medley of traditional Soca songs that ranged from the 80s to present day music until they were interrupted by the downfall of the rain.

One member of the quartet Shanecia Francis, accounting senior, described why she enjoys the Culture show and why she’s participated since 2015.

“The show expresses all of our culture because all of us are from the Caribbean but we all have a variance of cultures and this shows how they intermingle. In a way, [CaribFest] means home to me. It gives me a feeling of being back home and celebrating Carnival,” Francis said.

Once the rain began to fall, audience members began to leave followed quickly by the SOCA quartet.

“I was disappointed when it began to rain because it felt like the hard work went to a waste. It’s something that’s out of our control but the ones who did perform did a good job of showing off some of the culture,” Tobin said.

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