f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013
f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013
f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013
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Meet a<br />
Trini Couple<br />
Carnival’s Mike “Big Mike”<br />
Antoine & Juliet de la Bastide<br />
by Nasser Khan<br />
Partners ”Big Mike” Antoine <strong>and</strong> Juliet<br />
de la Bastide have made their indelible<br />
mark on the <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong> carnival<br />
l<strong>and</strong>scape <strong>and</strong> have been intent on taking<br />
T&T’s mas to the rest <strong>of</strong> the world.<br />
With a mutual love for the culture <strong>and</strong> for<br />
the art <strong>of</strong> entertaining people, especially<br />
through their mas productions, these<br />
are two individuals who form a perfect<br />
mix <strong>of</strong> creative talent, managerial skills,<br />
knowledge <strong>and</strong> experience, passion,<br />
drive <strong>and</strong> dedication.<br />
Big Mike’s résumé reads: bodybuilder<br />
(ever wonder where the nick name “Big<br />
Mike” came from), mas maker, b<strong>and</strong><br />
leader, costume designer, masquerader,<br />
King <strong>of</strong> the B<strong>and</strong>, soca <strong>and</strong> pan<br />
aficionado, promoter <strong>of</strong> <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Tobago</strong> Carnival. Along with Juliet their<br />
deep love for <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong> culture<br />
fuels their involvement in Carnival locally<br />
<strong>and</strong> abroad, <strong>and</strong> have made them true<br />
Cultural Ambassadors for <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Tobago</strong> taking mas to carnivals in cities<br />
<strong>and</strong> countries such as New York, Long<br />
Isl<strong>and</strong>, Boston, Miami, D.C., Springfield,<br />
Texas, London, Rotterdam, Paris,<br />
Nigeria, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua,<br />
Anguilla, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Croix, <strong>and</strong><br />
Guadeloupe.<br />
In 1995 Big Mike co-founded the<br />
b<strong>and</strong> Legends, with then associate Ian<br />
McKenzie, which went on to win the<br />
B<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> the Year title five times <strong>and</strong><br />
started taking T&T’S carnival abroad.<br />
Today however, his new b<strong>and</strong> Legacy,<br />
which he formed with de la Bastide in<br />
2004/5, after the closure <strong>of</strong> Legends,<br />
is the vehicle through which they take<br />
<strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong>’s mas the world over.<br />
In 2002, Juliet left the banking industry<br />
after eleven years to dedicate herself<br />
full-time to the carnival industry. Her<br />
involvement in the world <strong>of</strong> entertainment<br />
<strong>and</strong> culture had begun some years before<br />
that when she began working with Big<br />
Mike in his promotions. She is a wellknown<br />
masquerader, having played<br />
Queen <strong>of</strong> the B<strong>and</strong> for Legends in 1997,<br />
<strong>and</strong> appearing on stage each year since in<br />
a series <strong>of</strong> stunning individual costumes.<br />
The new b<strong>and</strong> Legacy, which has carried<br />
on where Legends left <strong>of</strong>f, has maintained<br />
the high st<strong>and</strong>ards by placings among<br />
the top positions in the B<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> the Year<br />
competitions.<br />
Their productions have taken top<br />
honours <strong>and</strong> awards many times over at<br />
carnival competitions in New York, Long<br />
Isl<strong>and</strong>, St. Martin, Paris, St. Kitts <strong>and</strong> St.<br />
Lucia.<br />
Locally their b<strong>and</strong> Legacy has become<br />
a fixture at the increasingly popular<br />
annual event the Point Fortin Borough day<br />
celebrations which is held in May.<br />
For Carnival 2010 in <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />
<strong>Tobago</strong>, Legacy’s spicy portrayal <strong>of</strong><br />
Masala, will focus on the country’s rich<br />
East Indian culture by blending its unique<br />
Legacy flavour with the hot spices that<br />
are the main ingredients <strong>of</strong> so many <strong>of</strong><br />
our dishes. Indeed according to Juliet,<br />
“…we have certainly since 2007 depicted<br />
the various roots that are uniquely T&T<br />
in our b<strong>and</strong>s Hiawatha, Passages <strong>and</strong><br />
Kingdom <strong>of</strong> the Dragon…”<br />
This Trini Power Couple are proud<br />
Trinbagonians who make every effort to<br />
keep T&T’s flag proudly waving where<br />
ever there is a Trini-style Carnival in the<br />
world.<br />
The <strong>Ins</strong> & <strong>Outs</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Trinidad</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Tobago</strong><br />
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