Sing St. John invites the community to “Jump in de Line!” at Cruz Bay’s Franklin Powell Park April 20, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in honor of Harry Belafonte, according to a press release.
The event will include songs that Belafonte made world-famous from his recordings, as well as music he sang in his civil rights work throughout his life. There will be performances by the Echo People, the St. John Recovery Choir, the Ocama Youth Choir, the Senior Singalong Singers, Addis Smith of The Addis Revolution and the St. John School of the Arts Bamboula Dancers, the release stated.
According to the release, “Jump in de Line!” begins with the Echo People, who have been playing together for 20 years. Ras Ital Anthony, a member of the ensemble, shared, “we echo the sound of the diaspora, east, west, north and south of the entire planet; we say asé!”
Kristen Carmichael-Bowers, Sing St. John choir director, finds Belafonte’s work to be an inspiration. “Harry Belafonte was an effective bridge builder and used his music and his influence to support social change,” she said. She highlighted the lyrics of “Turn the World Around” as an example of his philosophy in action. The lyrics “see we one another clearly, do we know who we are,” resonates with her. “This is what Sing St. John is about,” she stated. “Seeing and knowing one another, and finding real connection through music.”
All of Sing St. John’s programs are free, but donations are gratefully accepted through its website: www.singstjohn.org, by Venmo (@SingStJohn) or by post to Sing St. John, PO Box 1173, St. John, VI 00831. Sing St. John’s programming is made possible through grants from the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Virgin Islands Lottery, Martha and Dana Robes, and donations from community organizations, businesses and individuals.
