Looking down on the glittering lights of Road Town from Great Mountain, attendees at the inaugural Reggae Coronation Dance on Nov. 4 swayed with a cool breeze to the sounds of the music.
Early in the evening, visitors played a few rounds of giant Jenga and sat at a communal table to eat plates of vegan food prepared by the kitchen at Plant Wise & Irie Ites Ital.
As the crowd grew late in the evening, DJ Fabio kept the tunes rolling and a few people took to the open mic.
The Rastafari Progressive Inity of the Virgin Islands organised the event, which also commemorated the crowning of Empress Menen Asfaw and Emperor Haile Selassie, a central figure in Rastafarian history who led Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974.
Members thanked attendees, had a brief reading from the Bible, and then invited everyone to the dance floor, where twinkling lights were strung.
Recurring event
Taryll “Zulu” Dareaon Desouza, one of the organisers of the evening, said the group hopes to reach the wider community with what is slated to be a recurring event.
“It’s all about unity in the community in light of all of the madness that has been going on in the community lately,” he said. “There’s definitely a call to action for someone to do something about uniting the people in a positive manner. We think we’re doing our part to help the situation.”
The dance nights will be free and open to visitors young and old. Refreshments are available for purchase.
Mr. Desouza encouraged residents to come out to the next dance, try some fresh-pressed beverages from the Black Starr Juice Bar, and enjoy each other’s company