Added: 11/14/2005 |
Forty five years of the carnival history: Harts carnival 2005Harts Carnival first began in 1961 with Edmond and Lil Hart and their Carnival presentation "Was this Greece". For the next thirty years Edmond and Lil continued to produce successfully Carnival bands. Edmond was famous for patterns, Lil for designing and production was a family affair. During these years Lil became known as "The First Lady of Mas", since a bandleader was traditionally a position held by men. Confusion occurred when Lil broke the tradition and designed a band with a fantasy theme rather than a historical one, which was very common.
The Band has continued to design and produce costumes of the highest standard and quality, which has led them to Harts Carnival 2005 to become one of the largest, safest and most popular bands in the Caribbean. No other Band can compete with the Harts forty one year experience.
Harts Carnival 2005 also marked another milestone for the Harts Carnival Band, as this carnival was the 45th Carnival presentation. The Harts continued to set precedents in the Carnival arena, beginning with the fact that they are the first and only Family run Carnival Band with second generation Bandleaders.
Their pivotal focus from inception has been the Masqueraders. As a result, the Harts Carnival 2005 band leaders have made decisions and changes that have not only made an impact on their Masqueraders in a significant and highly positive manner, but have been emulated by the other bands and thus, they have a wider positive influence on the Carnival industry as a whole.
The Harts were the first to introduce amplified Steel band music on the road, Carnival Monday and Tuesday, bringing an entirely "new" experience to the people that played in the band.
Drink Carts? The cart, which was packed with what these young men referred to as their "vital supplies": rum, whiskey, beer and "chasers", and was pushed by hired hands and was first seen in the Harts Carnival Band. By the following year, several variations of the "Drinks Cart" were out...long handle carts, broad handle carts and even a few more "grocery carts" suddenly appeared with additions like Roti, Pelau, Chinese food and other goodies.
As you know, the Carnival bands and music go hand in hand. The younger generation of the Harts, Luis and Gerald, nagged their parents to let them mount Purple Haze, the boy's Disk Jockey title on the trucks. Purple Haze put together a concoction of amplifiers, mixers, microphones, cassette players and, according to Edmond Hart, " boxes the size of a short man" on top of the trucks to play for two whole days of the Carnival.
Beads and under-wire two piece bathing suits for women? Yes...again the Harts were the first to take such a dangerous risk. They tried it with only one section at first and won.
By the end of the 1980s, security of the Masquerader had become an issue. The Harts responded by being the first to introduce an organized security in a Carnival Band. It was a bold step and many thought they were mad to do it, though the response from the Masqueraders was astounding. Nowadays, you will not find any large band without a security force.
Harts is a costume design and production house as well. They produce over four thousand costumes for the annual Trinidad and Tobago Harts Carnival 2005, as well as for Carnivals around the world. The Harts house also designs and produces costumes for International shows, pageants etc. From simple designs to more elaborate costumes, the Harts will produce cutting edge designs and top quality costumes.
With a team of over sixty experienced costume producers it took only over three months for Trinidad Harts Carnival 2005 band to be produced.
With weeks of partying behind them, many masqueraders by now are running on pure elation, sustained by the music and the desire to make it to the big moment when their band crosses the big stage. For a while, the stage will be theirs; for a while, they know they are the centre of the world. It is an experience that cannot be put into words.
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