Mighty Dow after being crowned the new Calypso Monarch.
PHILIPSBURG--Isidore “Mighty Dow” York was crowned the 2023 Senior Carnival Calypso monarch early Thursday morning.
Ten finalists took to the stage to perform for the judges and patrons in the Senior Carnival Calypso competition, but it was Dow who swept the judges off their feet and won the first place position with 508 points with his entries “Questions” and “We Need More Wife”.
First runner up in the Calypso competition final went to Fish Da Mega Boss who scored 465 points while Ricky Da Phox took the second runner up spot with 455 points.
Dow had the crowd cackling after his opening video for his song “We Need More Wife” we two men were caught in a precarious situation. His use of props and command of the stage gave him an edge. This level of creativity was also seen throughout the evening with many performers bringing out their a-game for this year’s competition. From the creative outfits, drumband, a stage full of flag bearers, dancers and monologues, patrons were treated to quite a show.
There were resounding messages heard between several performers during the competition; economic hardships, a need for change within the country, calls for unity and taking patrons back to the good ol’ days. Hot topics also included the rising cost of living, the GEBE saga and empty political promises. Many of the performers remained on the political track as in common in the competition.
Carnival enthusiast “Porkchop” did not miss a beat and was ever present throughout the show proudly waving the St. Maarten flag. In several instances he accompanied many contestants on stage.
Notably missing from the competition was Roxxy. Several hours prior to the show she announced via her personal facebook page that she would not be competing in the show. She listed her reasons for choosing not to do so further recapping the chain of events that took place on Tuesday. According to her post she was not allowed to select a number or rehearse for the competition after refusing to sign a participation criteria presented by the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF).
The SCDF followed with a subsequent Facebook post. SCDF stated that despite claims of Roxxy not being able to practise her songs with the band, this was not true. The foundation maintained that there was nothing stopping the calypsonian from performing in Wednesday’s show.
