Grab your dancing shoes and come on out to Sing St. John’s annual spring “All Ah We” concerts held in Coral Bay on Friday and Cruz Bay on Saturday.
The first event is a dance party at Our Place in Coral Bay, featuring Quelbe Resurrection Band and the St. John Recovery Choir on Friday, April 17, from 5 to 8:30 p.m.; food and drinks will be on sale starting at 4 p.m.
The Cruz Bay concert event will be held on Saturday, April 18, from 5 to 9:30 p.m. in Frank Powell Sr. Park; local vendors will offer food, drinks and refreshments for sale starting at 2 p.m. (There is something for everyone: Roti, conch, goat, fried fish, barbecue chicken and ribs with sides, hearty sandwiches, and fresh salads. Local juices, sangria, cocktails, soft drinks, and fracos will also be for sale.)
Quelbe Resurrection Band has teamed up with Sing St. John’s choirs for the last two years to present concerts that appeal to a wide range of audience members.
“The selection of songs, local as well as from abroad, is the really powerful thing about this program,” said Quelbe Resurrection Band cofounder Tommy “Ulysses” Pilgrim. “For instance, ‘Don’t Stop the Carnival’ is on the program with ‘Aquarius,’ (from the musical ‘Hair,’) and there are soul and reggae songs as well.”
“Anyone would enjoy coming to sit and watch — or dance — at one or both of these programs,” agreed singer and guitarist Sidney Bell.
Both events include performances by Addis Smith of The Addis Revolution (whose album “Paradise” was on this year’s official Grammy ballot for Best Reggae Album), Quelbe Resurrection Band, St. John Recovery Choir, and The Echo People. Saturday’s event also features The Senior Singalong, Ocama Youth Choir, VI for Life Quadrille Dancers, and Bamboula dancer Raven Phillips.
For audience members who want to step into the mix, there will be audience mini-tutorials in quadrille and bamboula dancing from 5 – 6 p.m.
The last hour will be devoted to Quelbe Resurrection’s dance music, so do bring a chair if you need to sit out a song or two.
“The ‘All Ah We’ events are truly celebrations of community,” said Kristen Carmichael-Bowers, director of Sing St. John. “St. John is such a diverse place, and there are so many ways to express ourselves. Shared community experiences bring opportunities to develop and deepen connections.”
“It is a time of great uncertainty on the world stage,” she added, “but on our stage there is good will and a willingness to experience one another organically, in the moment.”
Both the Coral Bay and Cruz Bay events are free and open to the community and visitors.
To help fund concerts like these, Sing St. John is holding a “BIG 50/50 Raffle” with tickets sold in advance by Recovery Choir singers as well as during the events. The drawing will be done at the conclusion of the Saturday evening show, and the winner will be notified if not present.
Sing St. John is jointly supported by a grant from VI Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, a federal agency. Support also comes from First Bank, VI Lottery, Love City Strong, the Kenny Chesney Foundation, community donors, and Martha and Dana Robes.
To learn more or to see samples of previous concerts, use this link: http://singstjohn.org.
