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October 30, 2006
Lady Splitz's time to shine - "I never expect to win the title of Dancehall Queen"
Montreal's Dancehall Queen 2006, Lady Splitz, has been blazing a trail since gaining the coveted title this year. On October 28, 2006, she put her artistic talents on parade at what has been labelled, the hypest birthday bash this year. It was Lady Splitz's time to shine, and as birthday girl, she pulled out all the stops to give friends and fans a night to remember at Montreal's Castleton Gardens Club.
Tumultuous cheers rang out as there was a lot to celebrate, with this year being one that seems to have ushered in many of Lady Splitz's dreams. There was the spring Dancehall Queen crowning and subsequent trip to New York where she was 1st runner up for the US title, a June high school graduation ceremony and the emergence of Diva's Beauty Salon founded and owned by the young no-nonsense businesswoman, Lady Splitz. While keeping her eye on the prize of someday being involved as an educator for children with mental disabilities, Lady Splitz continues honing her natural abilities, not only as a performance artist but also within the salon where, "Hair is art," she said.
The evening was chock full of mad wining - dutty and otherwise, that was tastefully interspersed with a delightful hair show, featuring Diva's Beauty Salon designs. Male and female award winning dance crews converged on the hall, coming in from as far as Toronto, Ottawa and New York for the massive event. Trophy sounds like Montreal's Little Thunder and Toronto's King Turbo kept the beat pumping.
Being active on the Black cultural scene in Montreal since age 3, when she first participated in Roots Cultural Association's Masquaraders, Lady Splitz won junior and senior carnival queen titles 8 out of the 13 times she entered. "I always felt I just had to be different...even since I was small, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to win the title of Dancehall Queen," she explained. However, after gaining experience by being a founding member and manager of Montreal's first female dancehall goup, Mystique Dancers, the idea took more form. "Dancehall Queen" - the movie, was a first introduction and later on videos, especially one in which New York's Dancehall Queen was prominent, gave Lady Splitz the inspiration to boldly strut her stuff. By March 11, 2006 she took the crown from 2005 Queen - Sheba at the 9th annual Montreal competition, founded and produced by Justice.
Keen on the fellowship between Dancehall Queens, Lady Splitz confirmed that her fellow dancers are really cool and that everything is not about skin out and being X-Rated. "I get judged a lot, but integrity is high on my list of attributes," she stated.
"Going up on stage and taking clothes off then shaking this and rocking that - won't be enough to claim a crown, because Dancehall Queens have to be technically savvy...they have to know how to dance," Lady Splitz added.
"I am the Dancehall queen here for 2006 and I won't be doing any "dance offs" outside of major competitions - I am taking this to another level," Lady Splitz mentioned as she projected on what is to come. On November 18, 2006 Lady Splitz will be vying for the title of Canadian Dancehall Queen at the much anticipated competition, produced by Jamaica's initiator of the Dancehall Queen, Bighead. Scheduled to take place in Toronto, a win at this one will send her to Jamaica for the international competition next year. Lady Splitz said she is looking forward to augmenting her dance repertoire to include hip hop and jazz with hopes of being featured in videos, film and stage.