Shelana George, Miss Antigua & Barbuda (file photo by Gemma Hazelwood)

Miss Antigua & Barbuda Shelana George recently made her country proud at the Miss Carival Pageant in St Vincent and the Grenadines as the 2010 Vincy Mas’ moved to its climax.
George did not finish among the top four of the 10 contestants but she snagged the first ever Glamour of the Caribbean Award in addition to being adjudged Miss Photogenic.
The twenty-two year old was clearly among the crowd favourite, particularly in the talent segment in which she performed a dance that evoked prolonged applause from the hundreds of patrons at Victoria Park.
The dance, entitled In the Arms of an Angel, poignantly portrayed the sufferings the Haitian people have endured over the years; and it optimistically looked to a future of hopeful angelic guidance.
The entertainment co-ordinator of Jolly Beach Resort, whose hobbies are singing, dancing and socialising has gained much from her first visit to the multi-island state of St Vincent and the Grenadines and interacting with the 10 other delegates.
The 2010 Miss Carival Pageant was won by 20-year-old Iva Satney, Miss St Lucia, whose career goal is to become a professional dancer. She won the talent segment with a dance entitled Hallelujah, in which she portrayed the importance of having faith in the Creator in times of personal trial and self-doubt.
All ten contestants, except Aphesia Matthews, Miss St Vincent and the Grenadines, used dance to express their creative talent. The 19-year-old Vincentian, whose goal is to become a certified accountant, did a sterling piece of dramatic poetry in which she exhorted Vincentians and Caribbean peoples to eat more local foods to ensure improved health. She even suggested that should the West Indies cricketers eat ground provisions, the team would defeat Australia.
Twenty-five-year-old, Sudeakka Francis, Miss St Kitts and Nevis was the first runner-up while Marcia Baptiste, Miss Dominica and Sangrena Browne, Miss Anguilla, placed second and third runners-up, respectively.
Miss Dominica topped the best swimwear and evening gown categories. She was also voted Miss Congeniality by the other contestants.
Miss Anguilla was awarded the trophy for the contestant with the most community spirit while Jasmine Perez, Miss BVI, won the best interview segment.
Participants included Keda Lou-ann Pascall, Miss Trinidad & Tobago and Miss Venezuela, Lucia Di Matteo Cacua as well as Joane Daniele Lirus, 26, Miss Martinique, who was the first ever participant from a French island in the Miss Carival Show.
The event, which began at 8:10 pm, lasted over five hours. It featured a number of guest appearances including Vincy Calypso Monarch, Bridgette ‘Joy C’ Creese and the 2009 Soca Monarch, Gamal “Skinny Fabulous” Doyle, both of whom successfully defended their respective titles at this year’s Vincy Mas, which ended on Tuesday 6 July with Mardi Gras through the streets of capital, Kingstown.