Q & A with HASEEKARA |
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Q. Tell us how you came up with the name Haseekara? A. We wanted a name that was not common and that represented what we wanted to do. Always heard my aunt use the word Hasikara when she wanted to say we were causing trouble. That seemed fitting enough. Looked it up on the internet and found that it is a “Trini” word meaning confusion and bacchanal.
Q. How many members are in Haseekara? A. There are five main members in Haseekara. Melika, Shiata, Chantelle, Aisha L. and Aisha H. we design and make the costumes for the entire band. We also work with Digital Sounds, Close Connection, Jump Up Kings and Dj. B-ware for the music on the road.
Q. Can you tell us a bit about what themes inspires some of your dance routines? A. Our portrayals are inspired by traditional carnival characters from Trinidad and Tobago. We use a lot of paint in our portrayals. Looking back at the beginnings of carnival in Trinidad the people used to use oil and grease and paint and slather it all over their bodies. Our very first portrayal “Jab Molassie” or “Diable Molassie” (Molasses Devil) is traditionally a character depicting when the slave master used to throw the slaves into a vat of boiling molasses. Over the years this character has evolved and people now use different colored paints instead of molasses and oil and call it Red Devil, Blue Devil and so on.
Q. As a dance group can you explain how you got involved in the Montreal Carifiesta? A. We each had taken part in the Carifiesta before but as regular masqueraders in other people’s bands. We were not really satisfied with the way we were treated and the manner in which the bands were run so we decided to bring our own band. We also wanted to appeal to other people our age of West Indian heritage. People were seeing us dancing in the streets in our pretty costumes and would never feel that they could do that to. By making our “mass” the dirty kind we had a different kind of appeal. People could join us on the road and get on as wild as they wanted. Being slathered in paint or mud is a very liberating experience
Q. Can you speak a bit about the West-Can Folk Performing Co.? A. It is because of West Can that we were able to be so aware of our West Indian culture even though we live in Canada. Dance culture and carnival culture are closely intertwined. We couldn’t learn about the dances we were doing and not learn about the carnival characters that the dance is modeled after.
Q. What is in store for Haseekara in 2008? A. We plan this year to introduce Mud to Montreal. Our rendition of Mud Mass is going to be our dirtiest ever. Use your imagination…
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