Major Changes For NIFCA 2017

– A new Performing Arts category and an online registration process added

As plans get underway for the start of one of this island’s largest cultural festivals, the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has announced some major changes to its 2017 National Independence Festival of Creative Arts (NIFCA), following an in-depth critical analysis of the last ten

(10) years of its Performing Arts component.

This reassessment took into consideration the academic and applied growth and development of the Performing Arts disciplines during the evaluation period and sought to elevate the status of artistes who have begun to advance their skillsets but have not yet reached the Professional level.

The inclusion of a new Semi-Professional category in the Performing Arts disciplines (Music, Dance and Theatre), allows for artistes of like status to be adjudicated on the same level as their peers.

The criteria for this new Semi–Professional category has made provisions for individuals who:

-Have gained some level of tertiary academic qualification;

-Have gained intermediate training from a recognised international institution along with their years of experience; and/or

– Use the discipline as a part-time source of income.

It also creates a clear path of advancement for new artistes entering NIFCA Performing Arts, moving them from Non-Professional to Semi-Professional to Professional, as they further develop themselves within their related field.  Through this process, they can measure their growth against the criteria provided, not only within the ambit of the competition but also against the standards set within the context of the Barbadian cultural industries, to determine their artistic level while they continue to strive and compete against the standard of excellence set by NIFCA.

Another big change communicated is the move to an online registration process for all NIFCA disciplines, similar to that implemented for Crop Over.  The respective forms for all competitions will be available during the first week in June, for full online registration through the Foundation’s official website at www.ncf.bb. For convenience, the online registration deadlines have been extended to 11:59 p.m. on the given date, whereas printed applications were previously submitted on or before 3:30 p.m. on the deadline day.  The exception being for Literary Arts which will have an online application, plus a required physical submission of printed manuscripts and other materials with a deadline of 4:30 p.m. on the given date.

A public forum to discuss both the new category, any relevant rule changes and to answer any queries on the online registration process, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7^th at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed and all prospective NIFCA participants are strongly urged to attend. The first forum will be at 3.30 p.m. and is intended for schools, teachers and parents, while the second forum at 5:00 p.m. is open to all other interested participants.