May Soca Music Set Us Free

Category: In The Spotlight Created on Friday, 22 June 2012 06:37

We know all things Caribbean come alive at the West Indian Day Parade, but I’ve noticed that New Yorkers are enjoying quite a bit of soca music on the sly. Caribbean music is taking over NYC one soca lyric at a time, and it brings a smile to my face.

I was pleasantly surprised when I was greeted by pure soca, as I entered Whole Foods Supermarket’s Tribeca location. Who knew that soca music, at just the right volume, would make for a delightful shopping experience at 8:30 in the morning? The fact that I was the only black person on line didn’t stop me from doing my island girl shimmy while I waited.

I thought my Whole Foods experience was pure bliss, but then I discovered Pon De Flo, a Caribbean infused workout created by Heather Fay. This fun, high energy exercise class has summoned us to wine dung NYC in the name of health and fitness.

Want more soca? Machel Montano will be performing on July 20 at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn. Visithttp://www.bricartsmedia.org/events/machel-montano-belo, for more information.If you’re in Barbados, Heather Fay will be on the island from June 25-30. She will be introducing and hosting a number of free and low cost events. For more information visit http://www.pondeflo.com/event-schedule/. If you can’t be in Barbados, no worries. You can still experience Pon De Flo at Crunch Fitness or at the Ripley Grier Studios in Manhattan.

In any event, you really don’t need a specific time or place to bruk way, or at least shimmy. In the words of Heather Fay, “Live to dance. Dance to be free.”

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Ebonie Jones is a freelance contributor with MNI Alive