{"id":5887,"date":"2025-12-30T15:51:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T15:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/cultural-gift\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T15:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T15:51:11","slug":"cultural-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/30\/cultural-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"Cultural Gift"},"content":{"rendered":"
The Brooklyn-based Tropicalfete, Inc., presented \u201cThe Finale: A Cultural Gift for the Community\u201d on Sunday, Dec. 21, at the BMS Playhouse Theatre in Brooklyn.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe free, family-friendly event brought together residents, artists, educators, and cultural leaders for an afternoon of music, dance, theater, remembrance, and celebration,\u201d Alton Aimable, the St. Lucian-born founder and president of Tropicalfete, Inc., told Caribbean Life.<\/div>\n
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He said the event was hosted by artist and educator Tanisha Burke, who guided audiences through a \u201ccarefully curated program highlighting both emerging talent and seasoned cultural practitioners.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Aimable said the program opened with a \u201cdynamic\u201d ventriloquist performance by Docta Gel (Nigel G. Dunkley), \u201cimmediately setting a tone of creativity and intergenerational engagement.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\"Tropicalfete

Tropicalfete teaming performance and dancing to \u2018My Little Drum\u2019 by Vince Guaraldi Trio and arranged by Jeanine Ruiz & \u2018Santa Tell Me\u2019 by Ariana Grande and arranged by Shania Prescod.<\/span>P hoto by Collicia James<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

He said, \u201cA deeply moving moment of the afternoon was the reading of the names of arts and cultural practitioners who transitioned in 2025, honoring their enduring contributions to Caribbean and community arts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThis tribute underscored Tropicalfete\u2019s ongoing commitment to preserving cultural memory while uplifting the next generation,\u201d Aimable said.
\nEvent performances included the Steel Pan Ensemble, TF Voices, TF Dance & Theater, TF Mas, TF Stilting Unit, and Mesha Steele, featuring a tribute to Jimmy Cliff with audience participation.<\/div>\n
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Aimable said Tropicalfete also \u201cpushed the envelope with classical ballet on stilts with steelpan.\u201d
\nHe said the event welcomed new members into Tropicalfete\u2019s artistic family and showcased original visual artwork, reinforcing the organization\u2019s multidisciplinary approach to arts education and presentation.<\/div>\n
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\"Zene

Zene Willoughby from Tropicalfete, Paul Dolor Tropicalfete Board Member, Tansha Bucke Host, Shania Prescod\/Tropicalfete, award recipient Keith Marcelle, Alton Aimable of Tropicalfete, Inc. and Keran Deterville, Tropicalfete Board Member. <\/span>Photo by Kamella Carmino of Bago Life Ltd<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Aimable said a central feature of The Finale was Tropicalfete\u2019s Scholarship and Youth Award presentation, which recognized outstanding young artists for their \u201cdedication, discipline, and artistic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He said scholarships were awarded to Imani Woodward, Devon Jarrette, and Kiara Job in recognition of their commitment to cultural arts education and their continued excellence within Tropicalfete\u2019s programs.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe awards reaffirm Tropicalfete\u2019s long-standing investment in youth development and its mission to ensure that emerging artists are supported, celebrated, and given pathways to advance their artistic and academic pursuits,\u201d Aimable said.<\/div>\n
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As part of the evening\u2019s formal recognition, he said Tropicalfete\u2019s Award of Excellence was presented to Cultural Historian Keith Marcelle for his decades of dedication to the development and documentation of steel pan culture in New York.<\/div>\n
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\"Art

Art work by Vladimyr Walter. <\/span>Photo by Kamella Carmino of Bago Life Ltd<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe ceremony also included scholarship and award presentations to outstanding youth, affirming Tropicalfete\u2019s mission to invest in artistic education and leadership,\u201d Aimable said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He said Marcelle received a citation from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso for his years of dedication to the development of steelpan in Brooklyn.<\/div>\n
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Aimable said community support was reflected through the presence and citations of elected officials, partners, educators, parents, and long-term collaborators, \u201cwho continue to champion arts access and cultural equity in Brooklyn and beyond.\u201d<\/div>\n
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He said citations from New York City Council Members Chris Banks, Rita Joseph, Farah N. Louis, and Crystal Hudson were provided to scholarship recipients and outstanding staff of Tropicalfete, Inc.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe Finale stood as a testament to the power of community-rooted arts, honoring those who came before, celebrating those who lead today, and inspiring those who will carry the culture forward,\u201d Aimable said.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Brooklyn-based Tropicalfete, Inc., presented \u201cThe Finale: A Cultural Gift for the Community\u201d on Sunday, Dec. 21, at the BMS Playhouse Theatre in Brooklyn. \u201cThe free, family-friendly event brought together residents, artists, educators, and cultural leaders for an afternoon of music, dance, theater, remembrance, and celebration,\u201d Alton Aimable, the St. Lucian-born founder and president of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5887\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/islandflavaradio.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}