Braving blizzard for T&T Carnival

If the lure of T&T Carnival can make revellers jump in the blazing sun for hours along a lengthy parade route, then it seems normal for Chicago resident Diane Buckner to don fishnet stockings, boots and a two-piece costume and romp to Machel Montano’s La Vida in a bitter 15 degrees blizzard for a YouTube video in which she pleads, in her own way, for a taste of Carnival 2011. With not a drop of T&T blood in her veins, the first generation Boricua, who several times complained about the snow in our e-mail interview, didn’t seem to let it affect her 20-minute samba dance. She wanted to make a statement, she told the Sunday Guardian. And after years of hearing about T&T Carnival she felt it was time for her to experience it. In other words, Carnival or bust, as she wrote on the placard she carried in her video. In her other hand was a trolley travel bag which she wheeled around in the snow, stopping only to shuffle her feet.  Buckner’s YouTube video, titled Samba Girl vs The Chicago Blizzard, has since gone viral.

Networks in the US have also expressed interest in her story including CNN, NBC, WGN, FOX Telemundo. At the last count, the video had 9,237 hits since it was posted a week ago. Buckner’s sunny disposition against a cold, grey background is heart-warming and many of those who viewed her video and are coming to T&T for the festival and want to bring her here in their suitcase. T&T viewers have been the most supportive of her, she said. “They laughed at it, called me crazy and hope that I make it to Carnival. It’s been nothing but love and support from the island. “In the States, I had over 55,000 hits on CNN I-Reporters.  I even interviewed live on NBC News Chicago. So, my wacky video has been around. But for me, it was just one very funny day in the life of Diane Buckner.”

Hits from toxic people
Battling the cold conditions in so little clothing was not as challenging as she thought. “It felt like pins and needles after five minutes and then it tickled. That’s why I was smiling a lot. “When I fell on the snow pile, I was done.” The last few months of her life have been testing. Her mas design company took a few hits from toxic people, she found out that she had Type 2 Diabetes (“and that broke my heart”) and her mother-in-law underwent surgery to remove one of her breasts due to cancer. “On the night of the blizzard, I discussed with my husband how crazy it would be to just throw myself out there. My husband told me if I was going to do it, don’t play. The next day I said, ‘The hell with it!’ I felt wotless. I didn’t care what anyone thought anymore and I wanted people to take a crack on me.” The professionally-trained samba dancer found out about T&T when her husband took her to the Bahamas for her birthday and to propose to her.

Embracing other cultures
Following the trip, Buckner won the Chicago Queen of Samba dance competition in 2004.  Her relationship with the organisation that put on the show soon soured and she was not able to fulfil her reign like she wanted to. “During a day trip to Harbour Island, I had a conversation with a friendly tour guide about my passion to dance and my sadness of feeling lost as a performer. She told me to go back to Chicago and reach out to the Caribbean community because the Brazilians weren’t the only ones who celebrated Carnival.” Upon her return to Chicago, Buckner reached out to the Chicago Carifete team, Halcyone Hoagland of Jamaica. She was then introduced to Annie John Baptiste of Dominica and Anthony Pacheco of Trinidad. A couple of weeks later Buckner played her first mas. “I didn’t want the feeling to ever end.”

The Zumba instructor was first trained in salsa and merengue by her mother, Concepcion Ruiz.
Ruiz was financially unable to give her daughter the formal dance training she needed so Buckner turned to Soul Train, American Bandstand, MTV and Calle 8 televised concerts for other types of dance including break dance, punta, house and lambada. Ten years ago, under the direction of Edilson Lima and Ingrid Carillo, she became a principal dancer for the Samba 1 Dance group. She described samba dancing as hard work, especially since she is Puerto Rican. “It is hard work to prove to Brazilians that you have what it takes to be a samba dancer. They start very young! I have never been to Brazil’s Carnival, but I know about the pride of the Brazilians and how they like to keep their traditions and culture alive. “Training is tough and my knees and ankles are paying the price dancing around in platform heels.” Buckner’s longing to play mas in T&T Carnival 2011 goes far beyond the jumping up, she said.
“Although that’s the fun part about it, it’s about getting information out by all means.  It’s about pride and personal sacrifice.”

If she is lucky to get sponsorship for her trip to T&T Carnival, she wants to make it count. “I would hook up with Carnival blogger Saucy Diva and her connections on the blog circuit to see if she can find me a costume—I can’t just come there and not play mas! I’ll wear a bag if that will allow me to cross the stage. “I would also pray that they will make it possible for my hubby to come, too, since he was the man behind the scenes recording my video and falling on his face for me. We would have to share this together. “If even for a day, I would dance to my heart’s content.”