Marisha Betancourt: Placencia Carnival Queen of Queens

By JOLIE POLLARD

Page 19

Marisha Betancourt leads the Carnival Queens at the 2013 Placencia Independence Day Carnival.

MUZAMANZIE PHOTOGRAPHS

It was 2005, just a year after moving to Placencia Village from Corozal when a 19-year-old Marisha Betancourt with family ties in P-Town created her Carnival Queens dance group for the Placencia Independence Day festivity. With the help of Alva Leslie of Placencia Village (deceased), the girls proudly sported patriotic costumes made of red, white and blue plastic bags.

Fast forward 13 years and “The Carnival Queens” are fit to participate in any renowned Caribbean carnival donning elaborate feathered head pieces and bejeweled dance suits. What makes these girls stand out each year at our carnival, however, is their disciplined dance routine developed by their dedicated and selfless mentor.

Now 32-years-old, Marisha hasn’t relented once from her passionate volunteerism during the September Celebrations even though she had considered retiring this year. “These girls and young ladies came once again knocking on my door asking me to do it again, so here we are again,” Marisha said with a laugh. Her “Queens” fall within the age range of six to 20 years old and begin practicing for their Carnival appearance with Marisha leading at the front line, over a month before Independence Day. “Carnival Queens is not only a group of little girls I put together for dancing,” said Betancourt, “I always watch over them and give them advice. Over the years I have watched them grow into beautiful and smart young ladies.”

One of those young ladies is 14-yearold Jazmine Gaudino. Her first adventure with the Carnival Queens was in 2016 when she was 12. “I’ve grown a lot in just the past few years,” said Jazmine, “I’ve learned to work in a group, which is something I have very little time to practice since I’m an only child and go to homeschool. Learning to perform in front of a lot of people was hard, but I’ve adapted and now I have confidence doing it.”

A Carnival Queen veteran, 19-yearold Tiana Felix who is now starting her junior year at a university in Canada also credits Marisha with an expert ability to instill confidence in girls during their dance presentations. As the girls will attest, however, this doesn’t come easy. “Marisha is a strict instructor once you are not disciplined. She doesn’t tolerate playing around too much at her practice,” Tiana said. “She drills us hard, and we are all equals in her eyes. We all have to put the same amount of effort into our costumes and dance moves,” Jazmine added.

Moreover, the young and confident Carnival Queens enjoy what they do. “Dancing in Carnival Queens is a way to express my love for the music, and I just have fun doing it,” said Tiana who has more recently assisted Marisha with the Queens’ dance playlist and costume design during her years in college when she hasn’t been able to dance.

When Marisha isn’t teaching the girls to synchronize dance moves to soca music, the certified tour guide and dive master is leading tours with the Muy’Ono company, Belize Underwater. “I work with two hard-working and experienced general managers from Italy, and I have the privilege of working with a dedicated dive crew in both Hopkins Belize Underwater and Placencia Belize Underwater.” Equally dedicated, an energetic Marisha takes the bus right after work and heads straight to practice with the girls in the evenings.

Marisha doesn’t get paid for Carnival Queens. She says it’s a pure act of kindness and love she has for the girls. “When Carnival day arrives and I see how happy, excited and proud they are to perform for their parents and the village in their costumes … that’s my payment.”

Marisha has been dancing since she was three years old in her native Corozal Town and won her share of medals along with classmates participating in the National Festival of Arts open to Belize’s primary schools. She recognizes her school teacher in Corozal, Stephanie Herrera for showing her how to be a disciplined dancer and to never bully other dancers. “We never know what people are going through,” she said. She's also the mother of two young boys, Jael, 13 and Owen, 10, whom she calls her biggest champions. "They look forward to seeing me at the Carnival each year."

And it's not just the Carnival that Marisha will make her dance troupe available for entertainment. You can usually catch them performing during the annual Placencia Christmas Parade, on stage during other village celebrations and even at prom openings. This year Marisha is bringing 12 Carnival Queens to the Placencia Road. Expect to see them dancing with their heads held high. ▪