Queens, NY: Veteran dancer Alphonso Castro, regarded by many as one of greatest Jamaican dancers of all time will be honored in New York at the 11th annual "Icons Of Soul," which will be held on Saturday, December 14 at the Rochdale Village Community Centre in Queens, New York.
"Alphonso Castro is a phenomenal dancer who has done a lot locally and internationally for our Jamaican culture over the years. He made his mark in the 60's long before contemporaries like Bogle, Keiva and John Hype came on the scene however his contribution was significant enough to merit being honored by us" Michael Sterling, co-founder of Icons of Soul said.
Castro, who is working on a soon to be release autobiography, earned his fame in the 1960s dancing at the popular swinging programme, ‘Teenage Dance Party.’ His versatility as a showman took him into the live music arena where he performed regularly as a percussionist and backup singer with Carlos Malcolm & The Afro-Jamaican Rhythm Band.
He toured the Caribbean and North America, sharing stage with stalwarts like Lascelles Perkins, Derrick Harriott, Boris Gardener, Winston "Mr Fix It" Francis, Monty Alexander, Ben E King, the Drifters and Carl `Cannonball` Bryan. In 1964 he also represented Jamaica as the 'Ambassador for Ska and Reggae' at the Worlds Trade Fair in New York.
"To be acknowledged and honored for my contributions from 1959 to the present day is overwhelming" an appreciative Castro noted.
Icons of Soul will also recognize the fans - who the promoters say help to make the party scene in NY possible - and the talented and skillful steppers, some of whom have been honing their craft from the 'Where It's At' days (Jamaican Soul Train). Other honorees include Angie Howell, Father Barney Dudley, Junior Rocatone, Tony The Dancer, Irie Myrie, Joan Dacres and Joy Williams. Dancer Aloysius Paul, who died earlier this year will be posthumously honored. Castro will pay tribute to him with an original dance that will be specially choreographed for the event.
Over the years the show has seen some amazing live performance from R&B super group the Manhattans, The Chilites, Winston 'Merritone' Blake, DJ Squeeze, Wade Elliott (former lead singer of the Blue Magic), Super Claude, Super Fridge, DJ Roy, Dj Carlton and the Legendary Tippatone with Jah Wiz and Welton Irie.
The inspiration for staging 'Icons Of Soul' Sterling said came about after observing that party fans weren’t dancing together anymore as they did back home in the Caribbean.
“We were seeing men on one side and women on the other side of the dance floor at clubs and local dance venues. Me and my business partner, officer Steve White, one of NYD'S finest came up with the idea to stage the event simply to bring the best of both worlds together - the contributors of music and the fans who appreciate their work,” he noted.
Music at Icons of Soul 2013 will be provided by Jamaica's #1 requested DJ Krazy Kriss of Kool 97 FM, Super Claude and Super Fridge of R5 Radio 93.5FM.
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