Dancehall Queen to set Montego Bay afire

MONTEGO BAY, St James:

Pier One in Montego Bay will come alive tonight with the 2012 staging of the Red Label Wine International Dancehall Queen competition.

The Second City is abuzz with talk about the highly anticipated calendar event, which attracts thousands of patrons from all over the world to watch the women display popular mesmerising dance moves while unleashing their creativity.

Over 30 dancers representing Jamaica, Venezuela, Japan, Miami, New York, France, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, and the Caribbean have confirmed their participation.

"The group and individual performances will be like never before seen, in addition to the entertainment package slated for intermission," said promoter, Brian 'Bighead' Martin.

With the continuous improvement on each year's staging, Bighead Promotions is offering $800,000 in prize money. This year's queen will walk away with a $500,000 first-prize purse. The second- and third-prize winners will also get $200,000 and $100,000, respectively.

TWEAKED FOR JAMAICA 50

Aspects of the Red Label Wine International Dancehall Queen competition will highlight Jamaica's rich cultural heritage of music and dance in honour of the 50th anniversary celebration of Independence.

The competition is not just about entertainment as proceeds from the event go towards the Brian 'Bighead' Martin Foundation, which has been providing scholarships to tertiary-level students since 2005.

Bighead is hoping to double the number of recipients this year to 100 and has invited corporate Jamaica to partner with him in this noble venture.

The foundation also makes a contribution to the St James Health Department to assist its many projects around the Second City and to purchase medical supplies and equipment for HIV-positive patients.