Soka in Moka 2010 Date: Sun 3rd January 2009
Location: Trinity Grounds, Maraval, Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad
Promoters: Soka in Moka Committee
Carnival 2010 in Trinidad and Tobago is certainly in full swing and it is DancehallSoca.com’s privilege and pleasure to document all of the action and key events leading up to what known as the greatest show on earth.
Kicking off this exciting season of festivities was the highly anticipated TrinityCollege all-inclusive fete affectionately titled “Soka in Moka”.
Soka in Moka remains one of Carnival’s must go Soca Soirees as its attendants look forward to congregating each year on Trinity College’s basketball courts for an exhilarating evening of fun, food and fraternising.
As usual Moka did not disappoint when it came to ambience, amenities and entertainment. Their use of culture and creativity was especially apparent upon entering the venue when guests were not only greeted by beautiful Bmobile girls but by actors portraying traditional Carnival Characters such as Baby Dolls and Wild Indians.
There was absolutely no shortage of food and drink on this special evening. The different bars boasted a variety of premium drinks and spirits as well as exotic cocktails while the food booths provided an assortment of local and international delicacies which catered to the eclectic tastes of Moka’s loyal audience. The food selections ranged from Roti, Wantons, Pork Dumplings and Jamaican Patties to Suckling Pig, Creole dishes, Crab and Dumplings, and Corn Soup.
Soka in Moka is always praised for its selection of live entertainment.
This year marked the first time appearance of popular Chutney-Soca crossover band Dil-E-Nadan to the Trinity stage. With frontline vocalists Raymond Ramnarine, Candy Hoyte, Derrick Seales and General Imran, the band moved the crowd with numerous up-tempo, groovy Soca and Chutney numbers and made a great first impression in their Moka debut.
Roy Cape All Stars was next to take the stage. The famous ensemble expressed their musical talent and aptitude while taking the audience on a joyride of current and past Soca hits and even touching on some 1970’s pop classics. The band consisted of three singers, Olatunji, a returning Rita Jones and the always excitable Blaxx who rendered a jazz version of his 2009 Soca hit “Tusty”. Blaxx also took time to introduce fans to his new Carnival 2010 song “Zombie”.
It was very noticeable to the DancehallSoca team that despite the global recession, it did not seem as though Carnival and its avid supporters were severely affected.
This was evident as practically all patrons displayed the latest in high end, fashionable apparel, nonetheless exhibiting style and elegance while jumping, waving and wining.
Soka in Moka has become a mainstay in the annual Carnival calendar attracting not only past pupils of TrinityCollege but also other notable members of society. This year, Government ministers Peter Taylor and Donna Cox were seen enjoying themselves in the fete alongside His Excellency, the President of Trinidad and Tobago, George Maxwell Richards and his wife and national swimming coach/TV host Anil Roberts.
The Boss, Neil “Iwer” George together with Supa Jigga TC had the masses eating out of their hands with their one of a kind performance.
Iwer had everyone singing along as he delivered many of the Soca hits from his extensive repertoire including “Fete after Fete”, “Bottom in de Road” and “Carnival Come Back Again”.
The last of the night’s acts was Kes the Band.
Lead singers Kees Dieffenthaller and Nadia Batson pulled out all the stops in delivering a memorable performance complete with original songs, tributes to Soca legends and an enjoyable cover of the Black Eye peas’ “I’ve Gotta Feeling”.
The Kes set included surprise appearances by Trinity College alumnus Shal Marshal and MC for the night Jason Williams with partner Blaze performing their 2010 smash hit, “Palance”.
Soka in Moka 2010 was certainly a resounding success and judging by the reactions of patrons upon exiting, the fete was the perfect way to commence the Carnival 2010 action.
Dancehallsoca.com extends our thanks to Mr. Dexter Charles for ensuring our media access to the event. We look forward to providing coverage at Soka in Moka 2011.
To our readers, stay tuned to Dancehallsoca.com for more Carnival 2K10 happenings.
