The Story of the theme for 2006 Tribute to New Orleans
When Katrina struck the city of New Orleans, I am sure that we all, up to that moment, had seen the city as one of a Fantastic Carnival, Jazz, and to give it its popular name The Big Easy.
The realisation of what really existed in that part of America, led us a Flamboyan to feel humbled, and wishing to pay tribute to the people of New Orleans.
There is a marvellous history and heritage about New Orleans that we will be encouraging our members and attendees to our workshops to explore.
ITSY SEMINOLE
New Orleans has always been a big gumbo pot of cultures, African, Caribbean Spanish Irish, Italian, and French, these are just a few of the influences that made this city the big easy. Another part of the cultural landscape is the moan of the chants from the Delta cotton fields, the heat of the Rhumba from the Caribbean, the tribal cohesion of Africa, and the warrior spirit of the Native American. These worlds combine in probably the most unique cultural expression in America, the Mardi Gras Indians, therefore within our costume representation you will see our tribute to these Indians, the ITSY SEMINOLE,
Slavery brought Africans to New Orleans, either directly from Africa or from the plantations of the American south, and the Caribbean islands, there has long been a sympathetic relationship between these two, as many escaped slaves were welcomed in to native tribes and protected.
JAZZY
On Sunday slaves would gather in Congo Square, now called Louis Armstrong Park, to drum, sing dance chant, the rhythms of West Africa, and the Caribbean meshed in to new grooves that are still played to this day, hence another of our sections JAZZY a tribute to the Jazz greats who came out of the struggle
TWO STEP
Unique to New Orleans is the ritual of the funeral, which starts with the reverence expected, on the way to the persons last resting place; umbrellas are a very visual part of this ritual,as is the dance know as the two step. hence another of our costume portrayals, TWO STEP.
Many of the other portrayals of the costumes refer to areas or inciidents within New Orkleans, and this is how we celebrate with them their survival not only of Katrina, but of the abject poverty they live in
