The Greater Fort Lauderdale community encompasses a wide and diverse array of cultures, and this month it’s time to enjoy a multitude of festive fêtes and celebrations in honor of Caribbean-American Heritage Month.
Since South Florida is home to one of the largest Caribbean-American communities in the United States, Greater Fort Lauderdale offers a variety of restaurants, nightlife and celebratory experiences throughout the year. From delicious dining to a festive nightlife scene and unique festivals, there’s no doubt you’ll be able to find fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Dining & Nightlife
Whether you’re in need of a quick pick-me-up on the way to work or craving those lively Jamaican flavors for your midweek meal, you can find everything from café con leche, conch, roti and oxtail throughout Greater Fort Lauderdale. To start your day, 925 Nuevo’s Cubano’s in Fort Lauderdale is the perfect stop for a Cuban-fueled breakfast of croquetas y cortadito.
Islands in the Pines offers colossal helpings of Jamaican favorites to liven up your lunch break. This particular Pembroke Pines hotspot also hosts regular fish fries where you can indulge in familiar Caribbean sides like bammy and conch fritters. Plus, don’t miss Localicious Caribbean Ice Cream with locations in Fort Lauderdale and Miramar. Indulge in their homemade ice cream with unique flavors like rum cake and soursop.
Cuba Libre’s full dance floor makes it a favorite for nightlife, often boasting DJs, dancing and tableside salsa shows. Photo: David I. MUir
For dinner, enjoy an amazing ocean view from Fort Lauderdale beach while savoring Caribbean-American fusion inspired by the multicultural island flavors of South Florida at Steelpan Kitchen & Bar. Your entire meal, from refreshing cocktails to the signature Steelpan coconut shell sundae, are enveloped in spices and flavors. From dinner to a night of dancing on Las Olas Boulevard, you’ll find salsa shows every Friday and Saturday at Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, followed by an open dance floor with live music to perfect your moves.
Festivals
Every year, the City of Tamarac celebrates Caribbean-American Heritage Month at their Family Fun Day event at Waters Edge Park. Bring the entire family to enjoy games, music and delicious bites. From Tamarac during the day to Pompano Beach in the evening, check out the Pompano Caribbean Fest. A live concert featuring Harmonik, one of Haiti’s most popular crossover acts, is just one of the many ways to celebrate the national observance in the area.
Island SPACE hosts pop-up exhibits but its permanent stock includes artifacts and cultural relics, like these from Haiti. Photo: Yohan Williams
Greater Fort Lauderdale is fortunate to have a strong connection to Caribbean-American heritage. In fact, the area is home to multiple museums and cultural organizations that showcase the significance Caribbean-American immigrants contributed to the growth and development of Broward County. Pay a visit to Island SPACE Caribbean Museum in Plantation to immerse yourself in Caribbean history, heritage and culture.
We’re celebrating Island Origins’ fifth anniversary with wood, a symbol of strength, wisdom and forgiveness. From wood home décor and accessories, Caribbean artisans showcase the endless versatility of craftsmanship.
This handmade wooden tray incorporates imagery of the Aglaonema, a lush flowering plant that dots Jamaica’s gardens. Invoking the island’s flora, this wood home décor piece is an everyday ode to The Rock’s natural beauty.
Handmade from 60-year old reclaimed Mora wood, the Beardologist beard comb is not only durable but also allows for effortless grooming. Up your self-care routine with this beard comb to help smooth and soften your bristles.
Jamaican designer Lacey-Ann Bartley uses 100% Jamaican wood to craft her pieces with a team of artisans. This wooden tea box, for example, is made from Jamaican cedar and features partitions to elegantly display a wide variety of teas to show off your other wood home décor and accessories.
Celebrating the beauty of wood, this plate set by the Jamaica-based brand will add organic warmth to any table setting. The natural wood grain gives each plate its own sense of character.
Haitian designer Daphnee Karen Floreal merges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary flair to create her eclectic pieces. This geometric statement bracelet is made from layers of wood and bullhorn.
Jianbe crafts sustainable, eco-friendly and fashionable watches and straps from natural bamboo and a variety of reclaimed woods. The sporty crown Cocoa design, for example, contrasts ebony and walnut wood, perfect for any debonair style maven.
Jianbe gives the classic dress watch an unexpected twist with this design, pairing a dark dial with a strap made from Zebra wood and bronzed stainless steel for this wood accessory.
Drizzle sweet honey on your toast or in your tea with this handmade honey dripper crafted from Jamaican hardwood. With a distinctive marbleized wood grain, the drizzler is designed to release an even coat of honey.
Using natural materials, Jeff Menzies creates instrumental works of art for musicians worldwide. This five-string gourd banjo features a sculpted neck made of wood from the Blue Mahoe tree.
“We exist to save lives.” That is the cornerstone of the all-encompassing outreach and social service program Gang Alternative, Inc. (GA).
A faith-based community organization serving Miami, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Gang Alternative creates positive community change that lasts by putting God first, training servant leaders and promoting good moral character, among other core values.
The organization’s success in 2021 stemmed from programs within their five major “Pillars of Service” that found creative ways to continue despite the global pandemic. And while the results are exceedingly positive, Gang Alternative is focused more on the individuals than the numbers. “We measure our organization’s success, not by the raw quantitative data. We measure it by the lives we’ve changed…. The lives we’ve saved,” said President and CEO Michael J. Nozile.
Community Enrichment
Last year, the organization served more than 8,000 individuals and nearly 4,000 households, with more than half of those helped being between the ages of 12 and 17. Under the Positive Youth Development pillar, Gang Alternative added four new programs, including various after-school services, summer camps, violence intervention, and drug use and abuse prevention. More than 70 youth were diverted from gang involvement and 2,000 others gained essential life skills.
Under the Workforce Development pillar, GA helped 76 people find employment. They helped reintegrate nearly 200 people released from jail or prison into the community with occupational skills training, legal support and job placement. Additionally, the organization helped 86 homeless veterans find affordable housing and work. Gang Alternative also supported women through job training in non-traditional careers like construction work through its EFFECT program.
While these jobs often provide stable employment and solid benefits, access to them has been limited for women historically. “I was referred to GA’s EFFECT by my case worker,” said EFFECT participant Lizette B. “At the time, I was homeless, I did not have my high school diploma, and was having difficulty finding a job. I now have stable housing, I am working towards my GED, and I have a more positive outlook on life and what I can accomplish.”
Other pillars like Family Strengthening also reported major success: 50 families received funds for emergency housing and food assistance while another 157 families were equipped with care coordination. Through those services, Gang Alternative provided healthy relationships education to 170 students and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy to 86 families.
Regardless of which program participants are in, GA’s services often overlap as they adapt to each participant’s needs. The organization’s leaders and volunteers work tirelessly to provide all they can for their community’s success.
As for 2022, GA’s focus stays the same: saving lives.
Whether it’s helping clients find a forever home or advice on saving for the future, serving the community is something wealth acquisition professionals Kayla Revelus and Ninekema Turenne know well.
The pair linked arms in 2019 to form The Finance Duo — a group of two wealth acquisition professionals on a mission to close the wealth gap in black and brown communities. Their mission is to teach and inspire millennials to build generational wealth through homeownership and investments.
With a combination of more than 15 years in corporate America, Your Trusted Real Estate Advisor and Your Finance Bestie, as they are respectfully self-titled, offers a wide array of services like real estate, home loans, credit restoration, life insurance, individual and business tax filing, marriage planning and wedding design, and have since created a platform to serve their community, specifically underprivileged members, who are in financial need.
Kayla Revelus
In less than 2 years, Kayla Revelus has cultivated a reputation as a relentless, resourceful, and informed real estate agent; not to mention a very strategic negotiator. Kayla Revelus has earned the title, “Your Trusted Real Estate Advisor,” leaving her clients at ease, reassured and prepared to enter the competitive real estate market.
Revelus has become the top producing agent at First Class Real Estate firm, a boutique brokerage in North Miami. Her passion of growing in real estate has led her to acquiring a property management certification and earning an esteemed designation, the Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE) from National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). Her success is built upon four core values: Integrity, Transparency, Professionalism, Assertiveness. When Revelus is not providing white-glove real estate or income tax services to her clients, she is presenting at real estate conferences, homebuyers’ workshops, community relations forums and church crusades.
She believes that homeownership is everyone’s “Birthright” whether they are a first-time homebuyer or serial investor, Kayla and her team-of professionals at The Finance Duo are ready to lead you to it.
Ninekema Turenne
Ninekema Turenne is Florida’s leading mortgage broker with over a decade of experience in the mortgage industry. She is knowledgeable, trustworthy, and dependable. Turenne has a Bachelor’s in Psychology and an MBA in Business. She is able to connect with her clients to provide world class customer service. The core values of her firm are education, communication, transparency, and integrity.
Turenne lives by this statement, “Buying a home is one of the largest investments you would probably make in your lifetime, you need a friend to hold you by the hand and walk you through the process. Just like a best friend is there for you, I will be there anytime you need to make a financial decision.” She is on a mission to create beautiful love stories through financial empowerment!
Turenne is also the CEO and Founder of Knot & Key Co., a wedding and financial planning company. We help couples plan memorable weddings while saving for the down payment of their dream home. We help couples tie the knot and turn the keys to build generational wealth.
More About The Finance Duo
Both of Haitian heritage, The Finance Duo is specifically focused on closing the wealth gap in minority communities. In these efforts, Revelus has created The Ultimate Homebuying Guide, a detailed, step-by-step guide that is fit for novice or expert alike, and together the duo host various wealth-related workshops. “We believe that home ownership is a birthright,” Turenne said. “A lot of people don’t own homes because they don’t believe that they can be wealthy. We are there to let them know they can change their family history.”
Another focus is on the millennial generation. “We have to properly prepare and equip our millennials so that they know how to not only make money, but grow their money,” Revelus said. “We’re really teaching and providing the resources to build generational wealth.”
Their personal investment in clients is what makes this dream team a true standout. “I will always go above and beyond for my clients because, like a best friend, I truly want to see them become homeowners,” Turenne said. And their former clients turned current friends can attest to this, with Revelus chiming in to gush about people who have found homes through their services now inviting her to dinners within their walls. “It’s really not a transaction-based relationship, or even business, that we’re building. We’re building a family along the journey,” she said.
Although their physical office is based in North Miami, the duo travels to nearly any corner of the state of Florida to ensure clients are taken care of. “We are one phone call, email or text away,” Turenne said with a smile.
“Your beginning does not have to define your end.”
Dr. Solanges Vivens
Dr. Solanges Vivens is an author, philanthropist and the founder and CEO of Vital Management Team (VMTLTC) Long Term Care, a multimillion dollar Washington, D.C. nursing home management company that became tremendously successful in both administration and nursing education. She accomplished many firsts in Washington — and even national — healthcare. From growing up in a poor family in Haiti to achieving extraordinary success, Vivens has lived a life most of us would only dream of.
The Lucky One
Throughout her book, “Girls Can Move Mountains: Rewriting the Rules of Female Entrepreneurship,” Vivens looks back on a life riddled with challenges: her humble beginnings as a sickly child in Port-au-Prince, working less-than-desirable jobs and surviving assault as a young immigrant in 1960s New York. Still, she consistently considers herself very fortunate.
Photo: Yohan Williams
“I define success as preparation plus opportunity and a little bit of luck,” says Vivens. “Because if you’re not prepared, the opportunity can be right here, and you can’t take advantage of it.” Examples of this approach to life and business abound in her story.
As a young woman, Vivens had diligently worked her way to becoming the first Black director of nursing in the Washington Home’s 90-year history, overseeing the entire nursing department. Still, she continued to study, building upon her education and aptitudes. Describing when she faced color and gender prejudice from superiors, Dr. Solanges Vivens laughs, saying, “I became licensed to do my boss’s job.” With a doctorate and administrative qualifications in hand, her breakthrough opportunity came when she was offered the leading role at another large facility that was, at the time, failing.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Solanges Vivens
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Solanges Vivens
Dr. Solanges Vivens as a young girl with her family.
While others might have declined, Vivens’ faith in her own readiness to excel paid off. Within 90 days of becoming the administrator at the Washington Center for Aging Services, now overseeing the entire enterprise, Vivens had turned the operation around, earning accolades from the government, major media and her peers.
Through the company they started together, her early alliance with two white partners made it so that Dr. Vivens — a small but statuesque Black, immigrant woman with a strong Haitian accent — could take over an $11 million nursing home administration contract without objection from certain quarters. With her late husband, Keith, Vivens developed the operation to include a staff complement of more than 800.
Education, she advises women through her media platforms and mentorship, is key for them to regain their agency. This was why she made sure to provide English language classes for the home health aides, nursing assistants and other employees at VMTLTC ― many of them young immigrant women like she was.
Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Solanges Vivens
Her extraordinary success also earned her enemies, but that saga is one you’ll have to read more about in the book, “Girls Can Move Mountains.” A valuable lesson she shares here is this: “No matter what happens to you, you have two decisions: You either act or you react. When you react, you give your power to someone else. All those years, no matter what happened to me, I overcame it because I did not react. I did not let the behavior of others define me.”
Visualizing Success
In the 1960s as a young woman in her early 20s, Vivens learned the difference between the haves and the have-nots. She was employed as a live-in nanny by a wealthy, young, white family. Enjoying her own bedroom and bathroom for the first time in her life, in a home where others came to cook, clean and even drive, made her feel like a princess. Seeing herself in these prestigious environs gave her the impetus to thrive in business and to strive for excellence, so she could live like this family did one day. From their nurturing arms, she stepped out into her early days in nursing.
Over the years, she would climb to the pinnacle of the nursing home industry, running multiple successful facilities and ancillary businesses, speaking as an expert to packed audiences at conferences across the country, and traveling the world for work and play.
Following her retirement from the healthcare industry, Vivens is dedicating the next chapter of her life to helping other women realize their full potential. Vivens Media Group produces books, films and podcasts that provide mentorship and empowerment. Her newest print and audio book, “Girls Can Move Mountains,” is an intimate reflection on her colorful life that also shares poignant lessons she learned along the way. Her book urges women to be the authors of their own stories. “Daily, as you live your life, you are making history,” says Vivens. “Make sure whatever you do is what you want your history to be.”
Photo: Yohan Williams
Vivens often keeps a turtle pendant tucked close to her heart, whether or not it is visible to others. “In order for the turtle to move forward, the turtle must stick its neck out,” she explains. “And that is what I’ve been doing all my life. From one job to the next, from one school to the next, from one bit of trouble to the next. All my life I’ve been sticking my neck out for something more.”
She has found fulfillment in her mentorship work, in her son Kevin, who, until it was sold, had taken the reins at VMTLTC, and, of course, in the carefully cultivated turtle-themed gardens at her former D.C. home and the Florida residence where she now enjoys her retirement part time. Through her media enterprises, she continues to share the lessons she’s learned.
“When you are in the valley,” said Dr. Solanges Vivens, “You need to know that there is another mountain ahead, so you don’t stay in the valley. Always look to the next peak, to the next mountain.”
This June, Island Origins Magazine proudly celebrates our fifth anniversary. Since 2017, we have been dedicated to sharing powerful stories about leaders and visionaries in the Caribbean and diaspora. To honor this milestone we speak to our founders David I. Muir and Calibe Thompson, reflecting on the origins of this publication, why they passionately believe in the importance of Caribbean stories, and what they envision for our treasured readers in the future.
At first, media producer Calibe Thompson and photographer David I. Muir were not looking for long-term business partners. Both are self-assured and fearless but approach creative endeavors with different flair. Such personalities could easily butt heads or pull apart with divergent visions. Yet, since launching Island Origins Magazine and media agency Island Syndicate, together they have grown far more than they could’ve predicted.
“I’ve always been kind of spectacular,” laughs Muir with his signature blend of sincerity and cheek. “But I’m so much more spectacular now as a result of five years of business with Calibe. She’s also been kind of spectacular.”
Containing a chuckle behind her smile, Thompson agrees. “When we started this project, for me, it was the first time I was engaging with somebody putting in a similar effort and commitment to what we were doing together.”
Neither set out to start a magazine. As Jamaican-Americans circulating around the vibrant Caribbean creative community in South Florida, they had often run into each other at events and had developed mutual respect for each other’s work. They initially only joined forces to convert Thompson’s national public television series, “Taste the Islands,” into a live culinary event held in Fort Lauderdale.
For the event program, Thompson wanted to create something with more style and heft than a typical brochure, so they produced a magazine to tell the story of the show. They realized they had something special when people began eagerly inquiring about the next issue.
“We’re both unafraid to try things,” says David. “Once the question was asked, we wondered, ‘Can we turn this into a business?’” Thompson adds: “Here we are, eight Florida Magazine Awards later,” including a Charlie (gold) for best editorial writing, and several silvers for writing and photography.
Six of Island Origins eight Florida Magazine Association awards for writing and photography excellence including a Charlie (gold) for Best Writing: Editorial in 2020.
Authentic Voice
Though distributed in South Florida, Island Origins transcended its home base, highlighting voices from across the Caribbean diaspora. From London to Toronto and Havana to Port of Spain, the publication’s culture, business and current events stories feature people whose accomplishments are often overlooked by mainstream media.
David I. Muir, Calibe Thompson and Julian Marley at The Taste the Islands Experience 2019.
Through it all, Muir and Thompson remain in awe of the readers’ support, particularly those from outside the Caribbean diaspora. In the early days, Muir could not believe how quickly a stack of new issues disappeared from the stands. He at first thought someone must be throwing them out, until, first hand, he witnessed person after person picking up copies.
While multitasking during an interview, David looked out at a wall lined with copies of the covers with pride. The magazines themselves are lovely, but they mean so much to him because of what they signify: Their commitment to telling Caribbean stories and doing so well that it was recognized and rewarded. “We’ll do much bigger and greater things in the future,” he said.
An Island Origins reader enjoying the premier issue. Photo: Yohan Williams
Looking Ahead
The success of the magazine and other creative projects has expanded their mission toward more ambitious platforms. They developed Caribbean culinary event The Taste the Islands Experience into a popular annual series on Fort Lauderdale’s social calendar. During the pandemic in 2020, they also launched Island SPACE, a nonprofit organization and museum dedicated to creating room for more Caribbean stories as told by Caribbean voices.
The museum features a permanent exhibit displaying items from centuries-old artifacts to modern treasures like Jamaican Olympic record-holder Usain Bolt’s track shoes. Their event space also hosts lectures, art exhibitions and important social events from the first in-person meeting of the pandemic period’s Caribbean consular corp to this year’s upcoming emancipation-themed exhibition and program series.
“I want it to be a Caribbean version of what they built in Washington, D.C. for the African American community,” explains Thompson about their vision. “Our story is not told in the ways we tell it, except where we are.”
G. Wright Muir, David I. Muir and Calibe Thompson at the Island SPACE Caribbean Museum soft launch.
Last year, the team behind Island Origins also won a major contract to produce destination magazines called “Explore” for Broward County’s tourism agency. While developing a publication, media agency and museum, Thompson and Muir have had to roll with the punches in navigating new ventures. “We’re not business people. We’re artists who have started some businesses,” says Thompson. “We’re figuring it out as we go along.”
With this in mind, their next steps will focus on further developing their own business acumen, cultivating committed partnerships with business leaders, engaging more robustly with the community, expanding their social media presence and strengthening their team. Tamara Philippeaux joined the team in 2021 to support business development efforts and has since earned a spot as the newest partner at Island Syndicate.
“We’re still in that building process,” says Thompson. “But we believe that success really depends on the tribe you build around yourself. And we’re proud of the foundation that we’re laying for the people in our community.”
Ten years after Muir released his first collection of images depicting Jamaica through raw, unfiltered photographs of its people, he traveled the island to capture its spirit once again. Pieces of Jamaica: Jamrock Edition is a masterpiece featuring landscapes, places and activities. Muir collaborates with photographer and fine artist Sean Henry to showcase the island, depicting aspects of the culture that, though beautiful, are not typically published or celebrated.
About Pieces of Jamaica: Jamrock Edition
With more than 200 pages of photographs, Pieces of Jamaica: Jamrock Edition tells the story of the island through thematic chapters filled with breathtaking images of natural landscapes, vestiges of colonialism, places of pride, word-class tourism hotspots, the creative spirit manifested and even the hopeful faces of the island’s next generation.
Pieces of Jamaica: Jamrock Edition, Photo by David I. Muir
Brought to life through the eyes of sons and daughters of Jamaica, this story of “the Rock” also includes archival images, quotes about the island, patriotic prose and large, immersive visuals of the most familiar Jamaican sights as well as lesser-known gems the artists invite you to explore. Watercolor paintings and line art from Henry dot the book, creating eye-catching visuals that welcome readers to revel in the true beauty of Jamaica’s people and places.
Through Muir’s lens and Henry’s brush strokes, the spirit of Jamaica comes alive.
Pieces of Jamaica: Jamrock Edition will be available July 2022 at $125 USD with presale discounted prices available in the months before. Custom prints from the books also are available for purchase online.
For additional content, behind-the-scenes photos and videos, and to stay in the know, visit PiecesofJamaica.com or follow @PiecesofJamaica on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. To get in touch with the team, place a bulk order or inquire about a book signing, contact [email protected].
The couple sits, shoulders touching, as they relate their love story. When I ask them about the first time they met, the woman answers, “He snubbed me!” The man shouts into the screen, “No, no, no!” She laughs hard, her head vanishing from the camera view as rolling chuckles stream through. She pats his shoulder as they go back and forth, weaving their story between two voices, one presence. Many people don’t get to see this intimate side of a relationship, much less between two musical luminaries. The couple is none other than Fay-Ann Lyons and Ian Antonio Alvarez, otherwise known as Bunji Garlin.
This is not a conventional love story, and they are not conventional people.
Both are soca superstars in their own right. Lyons was the first person to take home the Power, Groovy, and People’s Choice Awards on Trinidad’s Fantastic Friday in 2009. She also went on to win the Carnival Road March that year, becoming the first soca artist to win the genre’s triplet of titles and the only ever to accomplish it while pregnant. Garlin won a Soul Train Award for Best International Performance with the song “Differentology” and a Grammy for his contributions to Skrillex and Diplo’s Grammy-award winning Best Dance/Electronic album, Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü. But the duo do not consider these career achievements to be solo victories.
PRODUCTION HOUSE: BAD BEAGLE MANAGEMENT
“If he wins, I win. If I win, he wins,” Lyons says. “The win is going to the same house, going to the same team.“
According to Fay-Ann, the couple’s origins can be traced to her father’s love for Bunji Garlin: “He’d be, ‘Bunji this, Bunji that.’ He just would not stop talking about how phenomenal this guy Bunji Garlin was.” When they finally met backstage at the Hardcore Brass Festival in 2001, it was her father, calypsonian Austin “Super Blue” Lyons who introduced them. Garlin said hello, politely, but quickly disappeared before they’d discussed much.
Lyons playfully speculates that it was because she wasn’t yet famous. “I was this little nobody to him. He thought he was a big shot.” She imitates him posturing in his fashionable-for-the-time baggy attire. Garlin assures her it was because he wanted to be respectful of Super Blue, who was, and continues to be, one of his idols for his ability to energize the crowd using his jump-and-wave style of delivery. At the festival, their paths had crossed, but it was a missed connection.
MADE AND STYLED BY: NEIL YOUNG MAKEUP: DION SAMUEL
STYLED BY: FAY-ANN LYONS
It wasn’t until years later, when Lyons was coming up on the soca scene, that a good broadcast connection brought her back on Garlin’s radar. “I heard her on the car radio and I pulled over to listen to the whole song.” Garlin recounts being amazed, wondering who this artist could be. “She was approaching this like something from hip-hop. It was crazy. There were some guys who had this big radio. They were screaming: ‘Who’s this girl?’ And little did I know I had met her already.”
Fay-Ann Lyons and Bunji Garlin at the Caribbean Fever Music Festival at Barclay’s Center
Not long after, Lyons said she got a call from Garlin, who pretended he had actually been trying to reach his sister. Bunji massages his head, smiling and embarrassed. He explains, “I was feeling really bad, I was really trying to call you but I didn’t know how to say it.” Soon, it was history. They wed in 2006 before welcoming their daughter Syri to the world in 2009.
The two came from different backgrounds but shared a love and passion for music initially fostered by their families. Garlin, whose parents are from Saint Lucia and Venezuela, got his first taste of music from his family’s involvement in the church, where he used to play drums in the band. His brothers were also church instrumentalists while his sister was in the choir. His dad was a DJ and had a sound system.
Lyons’ Trinidadian parents are professional musicians — Super Blue, renowned for calypso, and Lynette “Lady Gypsy” Steele, known to command a soca stage. “I had no choice but to hear and see and sing and live everything culture,” Lyons jokes. Both her parents continue to create music independently and in collaboration, and they will often provide feedback on each other’s musical endeavors.
Fay-Ann and Bunji: Beyond the Music
Lyons and Garlin have built their lives around their daughter, now 13 years old. “What she brought to our household was purpose, structure and discipline,” says Garlin with a grin. He goes on to recount how, before they had a daughter, they would travel endlessly and only make brief stops at home.
Bunji and Fay-Ann with their child, Syri. Photo: Courtesy of @fayannlyons on IG
It was wild and exciting, but did not result in a grounded state of mind and certainly was not a lifestyle ideal for a child to thrive in. Lyons stresses the importance of creating balance and priorities in her personal and professional relationships, especially as a parent. “I was determined to make the time to be a mom.” She admits that as the daughter of two people in the industry, she knew how chaotic it could be. She didn’t want to “mess up this little human being’s experience of being a kid” and did not want to neglect her career.
Garlin, for his part, emphasizes, “You just gotta do it. And it becomes easier when you want to do it.” Lyons smiles and you can see how much joy it brings her to be able to attend their daughter’s school and extracurricular activities. “I didn’t want to bring a child into the world whose school plays I couldn’t sit in front at and clap. It was prioritizing and making sure that when we could be there that both of us showed up, cheered for her and represented for her.”
Since coming together artistically, they have influenced each other’s music. “Before, I would dwell on a song,” Lyons shares. One of the first times they went to the studio together, she remembers “he did four songs in one night! I was like, ’What the hell is that?’” Lyons laughs. Garlin explains that he started his career as a competition artist, which meant “all our things were designed for the street, everything had to be off the top of your head.”
This gave him a take-no-prisoners approach to writing and recording. “It was Fay that was like you should add dimensions to the music. Where I would be straight and hard to the target, she would help me add more finesse, some shape, color and design.” Together, they’ve grown personally and musically. Fay-Ann admits that many of her biggest hits were written in about five minutes because of what she’s learned from her husband’s approach to songwriting.
Fay-Ann and Bunji take a casual selfie before their Eye Wide Shut Anguilla show in 2021. Photo: Courtesy of @bunjigarlin on IG
And they see themselves continuing to grow. “We will be on a whole larger stage in the world of music,” Garlin predicts. “Where? We don’t know yet; that is unpredictable.”
Lyons agrees. “What we can say is that we’re not going to be reserved. …We’re going to places where you don’t normally see soca music artists going and bringing everything with us. Every stage, we are bringing Trinidad and Tobago.”
Both artists talk about the importance of maintaining and promoting their culture, whether the stage they’re performing on is local or international. “My culture to me is such a diverse, beautiful, amazing thing that I strongly believe that we are yet to truly get the world to understand and appreciate,” Lyons said.
Garlin adds, “We Trinidadians always get fed that we shouldn’t hold onto ours as tight as because we want to sell them something, so we should paint it, market it, to make it more accessible. … (But) as small as we are, we are still important in the world. We as a people have made the world focus on something that we’ve created.”
And the world seems to be listening. For this superstar couple, it is not just a love for one another, but also for family, music and Trinidadian culture that keeps the pages of their love story turning.
Janelle Angelique Forde always had ambitious dreams of a life in fashion. Growing up in Barbados, the influence of style was heavy but the path to becoming a designer was not an easy one to travel. She describes her success as a progression. As her signature looks and aesthetics evolved, she eventually moved to Trinidad to propel her luxury label forward. Her self-named brand, J.Angelique, has since become a powerhouse known across the Caribbean for ultra-feminine pieces with intricate details and romantic draping.
On the foundation of her past work, Forde created the Red Carpet Collection, featuring glamorous Caribbean-inspired outfits for Hollywood’s runway. “I’m very Caribbean proud. To showcase that in my design is really important to me; blending our cultures and letting people see that thisis Caribbean style,” she said.
The Red Carpet Collection
Photography: Kyle Babb
The Disa Cape
Originally derived from signature styles of the J.Angelique “Orchid” collection, the Disa Cape is an ode to the Disa uniflora, a beautiful pink orchid that demands attention. Cascading feathers incorporate Carnival queen plumes into a gown suitable for the boldest of divas. A simple rope belt cinches the glittery-pink dress at the waist, while drawing the eye to a daringly high leg slit.
The Midnight Pieris
Reinterpreting the one-piece suit that launched her career, Forde created The Midnight Pieris — a glam, voluminous jumpsuit with glitter-stretch lace and raven-dark feathers. The designer took inspiration from the Pieris butterfly, mimicking its delicate wings. “If you look at the butterfly, you would see a black design on their wings that’s very reminiscent of lace,” she explains.
The Máxima
This handmade and hand-stitched tulle cape drapes over a vinyl bodycon dress, creating a dramatic contrast between ethereal softness and high gloss. “Opposites create a lot of dynamism,” says Forde of the juxtaposition. The Máxima subtly references the black latex outfit Giselle Laronde wore at her crowning ceremony in 1986, when she became the first beauty queen from Trinidad and Tobago to win the Miss World pageant. Forde’s version opts for pale pink and embroidered flowers for that extra feminine touch. “There’s a story here that says, ‘make a statement without saying a word.’”
The Selene
The Selene is a golden knockout made entirely out of ornate glitter lace. This ultra-femme look was an “explorative design” she concocted for an Olympus-themed party thrown by DJ Private Ryan, the creator of the popular Soca Brainwash festival. In Greek mythology, Selene was a Titan goddess, which inspired the designer’s choice of gold and a Grecian-like draped silhouette complete with a deep over-the-thigh slit ― culminating in a dress that’s divinely feminine.
The Donna
Named after the “Queen of Disco” Donna Summer, this full lace dress is donned in pink feathers and hand-sewn beading. “I always had to work so hard for everything, but designing has always been more intrinsic,” says Forde when asked about pairing all of these bold elements together. The Donna is further complimented by a plunging neckline and high slit to create even more drama.
For more Caribbean glam, check out Raphelita, serving up the best cocktail hour and party looks!
When the flags fly, hips sway and ponytails start to swing doing the dutty wine, you know somebody’s about to get their sweat on. This is not your average workout.
With alternative exercise classes becoming increasingly popular, more organizations have created unique and upbeat experiences that blur the lines between fitness and fun. And Caribbean trainers are getting in on the action. By combining cardio with elements of popular music like soca, calypso and Afrobeats, some workouts challenge participants without repetitive, boring routines.
Dancing has become a popular form of exercise that includes aerobic and anaerobic movement. Both are necessary for maintaining physical health and, specifically, cardiovascular health. Bonus: Those shakes and shimmies burn more fat than you think! According to research from the University of Brighton and London’s City Academy, 60 minutes of dancing can burn more calories than running or cycling for the same amount of time.
Three unique soca fitness classes offer alternative workouts with a connection to Caribbean culture and mastery in capturing the joy of movement.
Based primarily in Brooklyn, New York, Wukkout! is a soca-inspired dance fitness class founded by Guyanese-Canadian dancer Krista Martins, who sought to bottle that care-free, effervescent feeling of carnival to share in the concrete jungle.
The class is a full body workout incorporating choreographed soca moves, including wining, jumping and wukkin’ up. As you move from one song to the next in a 45- or 60-minute class, a mix of high and low impact moves target the core, glutes, quads and hamstrings while improving agility, flexibility and muscle tone.
Instructors welcome you to move freely around the room as you feel the rhythm. For Martins, it is important for participants to know that “it’s okay to move your body the way that feels good for you.” No one is going to be a professional dancer in their first class, but Wukkout! is a judgment-free zone where “you’re going to walk in and be seen for who you are.”
Wukkout! has become a personal refuge for many attendees seeking a mental release as much as a workout. “My favorite thing is when I have clients who come up to me and say ‘My doctor wanted me to thank you because I no longer need my blood pressure medication,’ or ‘I was able to get through and grieve my mother’s passing because I was coming to this class.’ Those moments really make it worth it for me,” Martins shared.
Photo: Courtesy of Wukkout!
Because she wants to serve those who don’t typically have access to quality fitness programming, Martins offers online, live and beachside pop-up classes in New York, Florida, Georgia and the Boston, Massachusetts area.
Trinidadian Ayanna Lee-Rivears started her dance career early, performing with her aunt’s Caribbean and African dance group as a girl. Later, she was inspired to create a fitness program simplifying those complex moves. Socacize® Fitness dance classes are full-body cardio and strength training workouts, combining traditional dance techniques with simple fitness routines. “Revelers” work out in a variety of playful segments, including a “Bacchanal Warm Up,” “Soca Jam,” “Weights, Wine and Tone,” and “Groovy Stretch.”
Photo: Courtesy of Socacize® Fitness
Socacize® Fitness also offers a two-hour bootcamp, a “Socacize® Kidz” class and a session that incorporates structured weight training to further sculpt and tone muscle. “You can burn up to 1,000 calories an hour,” Lee-Rivears said. “(But) our mission is really to provide a positive impact on our members’ mental health through our FLAUNT philosophy.” FLAUNT stands for feel good, look good, attitude, unleash, nice up yourself, and take time for you. Lee-Rivears said this essential goal of the program provides a space for both wellness and self confidence to soar amid an appreciation of Caribbean-African dance.
To become a part of the Socacize® Fitness community, join an online program, attend an in-person class in North York, Canada or apply to become a certified instructor.
Bounce, sweat, fete. This is the tagline and promise of Soca Bounce Fitness, a class started by Carnival-loving twin sisters, Okeemah Henderson and Raakeebah Mann.
Neither sister set out to start a fitness business. After Henderson was introduced to rebound boots at a health expo, she wore them to enhance her own workouts. Often used by athletes for rehabilitation after injury, rebound boots are essentially elevated shoes with shock-absorbing springs that allow users to enjoy safe, efficient workouts that burn up to 20% more calories.
Photos: Courtesy of Karnival Bounce Crew
While preparing for Bahamas Carnival, she wondered what it would be like if her mas group all wore the boots at the event. After a trial class with her sister, the duo launched Soca Bounce Fitness with structured classes to prepare participants for Karnival Bounce Crew. “Graduates” take the rebound boots and the moves they’ve learned to the streets of Carnival.
Though not dance based, the Soca Bounce Fitness program incorporates vibrant, high energy Soca, Caribbean infused and Afrobeats music to keep you fully engaged. The focus is high-intensity interval training targeting the arms, legs, glutes and core in a 45-50 minute class that feels like a party. “It’s just so fun… You don’t even realize you’re working out,” Henderson said.
In-person studio classes include boot rental and are currently held in South Florida, Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as online via the sisters’ YouTube page. Register to become a certified instructor under the Soca Bounce brand on the Karnival Bounce Fitness website.
