Junkanoo Continued - The RUSH

...and the power of the rush is what you got.

You heard the whistles first. The sound -a cross between crickets in the middle of the night on a camping trip and a thousand rattle snakes - surrounded you. It was as if they were heralding the presence of an eminent danger... but no one was running away from it. In fact, the closer they came, the more you were drawn in.

Next came the dancers...a magnificent display of colors and feathers and movement and charisma... each with their own personal twist on the theme... each taking their moment on the grand stage to showcase their jewelry, their bodies, their costumes -that were for the moment as much a part of them as their arms and legs. Women were transformed into the creatures of an enchanted forest. Birds and bugs chirped, buzzed, and moved with anatomical precision. Grown Men were transformed into peacocks and samurai warriors and the living interpretation of dreams.

Then that dream state was transferred to the audience. The sound was both lulling and terrifying at the same time. It dared you to ignore it. It grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and snatched you up if you tried. Without any instructions and regardless of any previous experience, you found yourself moving. The rhythm had caught you and it would not let you go. The mixture of cowbells, conch horns, trumpets, trombones, and drums drove you into a semi-trance state. You looked as if your favorite James Brown groove had just come on. An outsider would think that you just just smelled something awful. It actuality, it didn't stink... it was just FUNKY!

...to be continued

See More Photos by VISION Photography @ JUNKANOO 2009