PHILIPSBURG--A wide variety of statues adorned the heart of Philipsburg on Saturday and Sunday during the Caribbean Living Statues Festival 2011.
No less than 39 "statues" participated in the event, the first ever of its kind being organised in the Caribbean.
The statues depicted a wide variety of persons, ranging from historical and mythical figures, such as Columbus and the Arawak, Mahatma Gandhi and the Queen of Sheba, to their modern day counterparts of Michael Jackson, Tanny and the Boys and even Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Queen Beatrix.
The event, organised by Beyond Writing Foundation in cooperation with Motiance Dance School, added extra flavour to the normal hustle and bustle in Philipsburg.
Holiday shoppers, tourists and visitors all enjoyed the special atmosphere created by the beautifully dressed and outfitted statues, which could be admired in Front Street, at Cyrus Wathey Square and in Kanaalsteeg in the vicinity of Greenhouse Restaurant.
Living statues are in fact mime artists posing during a long time like a mannequin and staging movements, dressed in the most stunning costumes.
Living statues have been a form of entertainment for at least 100 years, originally performing as a sideshow in a circus in the 1840s. Nowadays, the most famous festival of living statues takes place in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
The first Caribbean Living Statues Festival in St. Maarten also consisted of several workshop staged by several participating artists from the Netherlands.
The two-day event culminated in a prize-giving ceremony at Cyrus Wathey Square on Sunday afternoon, presented by radio personality Elektra.
The participating contestants were judged by a jury as well as by the general public, which could vote on their favourite statue.
Money prizes were awarded to "Simpson Bay Scene" for best make-up, "Stilt Walker Good" for best impression, "Columbus and the Arawak" for best actors, and "Grandmother Martha" for best idea. The Public Prize went to "Obeah Woman kidnaps Selina."
All prize winners also contested the overall-prize of Champion of the Festival. This prize went to Grandmother Martha, who will represent St. Maarten during the World Statues Festival 2012 in the Netherlands.
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