Collo Collo - His Passion...Dancing

Collo Collo, the man born Wayne Stone, has 15 years of dancing experience under his belt and is well aware of what it takes to make it successfully in the business. As one of the individuals coming out of the camp of late dancing icon Gerald "Bogle" Levy, Collo Collo is more than cognizant of the impact dance in the music industry and popular culture.

He is responsible for one of the most popular dance crazes of the year - rumram - and last year's hot move stookie. Both dance trends were popularized in song by QQ, one of dancehall's youngest artists.

As with other careers dealing with the arts, passion is very important. It is the fuel that drives the imagination to unearth new ideas and provides the motivation to continue in trying times. Collo Collo remembers when he was just starting out. It was Mr. Wacky, as Bogle was also known, who showed him the ropes and carried him around to the different dances.

Collo Collo has the experience and expressed the view new dancers need to acquire that experience to be elevated next to the established movers and shakers in the industry.

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Tanya Stephens bringing the 'Rebelution'

The quintessential Jamaican singer/songwriter, Tanya Stephens is equally adept at blazing the latest dancehall riddims as she is at blessing an acoustic guitar-driven ballad with lyrics that are insightful, relevant, comical, and often scathing.

Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest fans will, no doubt, enjoy her lessons on life and love observed with the honest eyes of a child, yet processed and returned with uncommon maturity and melody. On her latest album "Rebelution", Tanya Stephens displays much of this along with her typical wit and musical sensibilities.

The first single "These Streets", an airy acoustic guitar track, finds Tanya pleading with her thug-love to realize that "these streets don't love you like I do." On this, her sixth LP, Tanya is poised to reach even greater international acclaim. The album features the musings of a songbird who is vulnerable enough to feel the pain, but tough enough to live through it.

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Ras Kassa - Music Video Visionary Preserving Culture

While paying his industry dues as a handyman around the production site for the film Third World Cop, Ras Kassa recalls the producer deliberately sending him to serve Kentucky Fried Chicken to "some people from Barbican".

"The people were jeering me because they were saying, look at the Ras serving chicken, and I remember vowing that one day I would be able to write a pay check for all those people. So said, so done."

Determined, high-spirited and opinionated - these are some of the words that may be used to describe Ras Kassa, a much sought-after music video director of four years who sees his job as not just being an art or even simply a science, but a blend of both.

For him, a key component of his job is to promote each artiste/client by firstly recognising what the artiste and the particular song are exactly about. He then uses the video to bring out the best of both, so that the audience can understand and appreciate the message being offered.

"Twenty per cent of the time, I guess it's similar to what an architect does, in that, the artiste comes to me with an idea more or less in place in his or her mind and asks me to develop it," explained Ras Kassa. "But eighty per cent of the time, all they bring is the song, their dream of making a hit video, and their confidence in me as a director to bring it to reality. They pretty much leave it up to me."

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Sharee McDonald-Russell -
Born for the Stage

Some are born for stardom, blessed with the ability to sing, dance and act. These super talented individuals use their gift to make us cry, laugh, blush or even get righteously indignant if needs be. These are the true thespians of the stage and Sharee McDonald- Russell can be counted among them.

Her theatrical background runs deep. Born to a mother who was a dancer and a father who was an entertainment coordinator, it came as no real surprise that this apple did not stray far from her roots. In fact, Sharee states that performing comes as naturally as breathing for her and she knew that the theatre was where her passion laid, even as a small child.

An integral part of the success of the Ashe Performing Arts Ensemble, Sharee's resume on stage and before the camera is as long as it is impressive. This all rounder was lucky enough to figure out from early where she would most be comfortable and happy and never lost sight of that goal.

"Theatre wasn't a 'buck up'. From I was very young I was singing and acting and I joined a dance group at the age of six, so I think it was basically inevitable. I always loved the pantomime and when I saw 'Little People' that was it. I knew right then."

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Fabulous fifteen years of Reggae Sumfest

Who would have thought that what started off as a playful idea that eventually evolved into reality could have matured into one of the greatest reggae festivals on the planet fifteen years later?

The visionaries behind Reggae Sumfest are living that dream this year, as the festival celebrates its sparkling crystal anniversary. Originating on the heels of another reggae festival, Reggae Sunsplash, Sumfest from the very onset has carved out a special place in the hearts of entertainment-hungry fans, whose expectations of the festival continue to rise each year.

Set in the beautiful and vibrant city of Montego Bay, which has now become its home, the weeklong festival is known for its fusion of heart-throbbing music, culinary magic and the most pleasurable party vibe imaginable, all set against the lush back drop of the Jamaican landscape.

Sumfest has grown to become a much-anticipated event on the local and international entertainment calendar. Every year, thousands of fans make the trek across the island and from overseas, and this year the show is expected to pull some 55, 000 fans.

The festival has earned the reputation of attracting the biggest and brightest reggae, dancehall, hip-hop and R&B stars. Many local artistes eagerly await the invitation to grace the revered stage, which for them can be a career-defining moment. Since 1997, when international artistes were first incorporated into the line-up of performers, the allure and appeal of the event has significantly increased.

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