Top soca stars Bunji Garlin, Fay Ann Lyons, Kerwin Du Bois and 2014 Chutney Soca Monarch KI headlined Soca on D Hill–the annual Carnival concert staged by LNG producer Atlantic for its employees and service providers–but the event was as much about the company's commitment to safe operations as it was about the celebration of the country's cultural art form.
Employees and service providers turned out for the event held on February 20 at the company's Clifton Court Facility in Clifton Hill, Point Fortin, and danced till late to the music of the Carnival season's hottest stars.
Delia Joseph, vice president� human resources, Atlantic explained that Soca on D Hill was conceived in 2007 to help build the spirit of teamwork between employees and service providers.
"Atlantic has 700 permanent employees and 1,000 service providers who help with the maintenance of our plant in Point Fortin," Joseph said in a release. "We adopt a number of strategies to build a company culture of camaraderie and co-operation, and to reinforce the message that we all contribute to the success of the company, especially in the area of safety.
We call it our "One Team" strategy and even though it appears to be just a Carnival activity, Soca on D Hill is part of this strategy."
Prior to the appearance of the feature artistes, the audience enjoyed performances by their colleagues who donned humorous soubriquets and costumes to participate in the Atlantic Calypso Monarch and Soca Monarch Competitions.
While 13 entrants in the Soca Monarch Competition sang covers of past or present soca hits, ten contestants in the Calypso Monarch Competition performed original compositions which satirise topical situations at Atlantic or make incisive social commentary. Service provider Fitz Rian St Hilaire was crowned this year's Atlantic Calypso Monarch, with his entry No Complacency, which paid homage to Atlantic's recent safety record of over 23 million hours worked without a Lost Time Incident, and the company's commitment to not rest on its laurels and grow complacent about safety. St Hilaire was also the People's Choice winner.
St Hilaire will now represent Atlantic at the National Corporate Calypso Competition, vying for top honours against calypsonians from other private and public sector organisations.
Chris Mathura, an assistant accountant in the company's finance department, was crowned Atlantic Soca Monarch for his stunningly authentic rendition of Bunji Garlin's Red Light District, complete with a professional back-up dancer and impromptu breaks where he mimicked Garlin's trademark freestyle.
Other feature artistes included Patrice Roberts, Nutron, Baron and band Fonclaire. This is the seventh year that Atlantic is staging the event.
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