Barmuvinjam’s sixth annual Soca vs Reggae party was literally and figuratively hot!The energy was intense throughout the night as the crowd jumped and waved, ‘wined’ their waists and sang along to many of the tunes. Beads of sweat, produced as exhilarated bodies reacted to the smooth reggae rhythms and soca spice, were occasionally met with a deliciously cool breeze.Russell Griffith aka “DJ Rusty G” kicked off the night full speed with a selection of R & B and hip hop beats that had the crowd jamming. His stage presence demonstrated the confidence that he has acquired throughout his years as both a local and international DJ.Two Bermudian reggae artists hit the stage before the Soca vs Reggae battle began on Friday night at Dockyard. Live Wire shared his tender conscious lyrics and many went wild when Swaggy entered with his fluent grooves and melodies — most of which the audience sang along to.“Are you ready to get sweaty?!” asked an MC as the two ‘battle’ rounds were about to begin. From the start there appeared to be a greater presence of soca fans as they twirled their rags in the air in response to his prompting. Red and green glow sticks were thrown into the crowd and wound up accessorising many necks and heads.Team Reggae — which included Poison Dart and YGS led by Wayne Marshall — stirred a sea of voices when they hit the stage with old school hits like Tony Rebel’s ‘If Jah is Standing by My Side’ and recent rhythms including Beanie Man’s popular ‘I’m Drinking Rum & Red Bull’. You could feel the music infiltrating throughout the place.“My name is Wayne Marshall and I represent the winning team,” said the Jamaican artist as he zipped open his jacket to screams and showcased his Somerset T-shirt.When members of the Somerset cricket team took to the stage as well as their Captain Jekon Edness they were greeted like celebrities by the audience and congratulated by the MC.However, continuing the friendly Cup Match rivalry, the MC added: “I want to let him [Mr Edness] know that he needs to select very carefully next year because we’re coming for him.”That statement was followed by sounds of support from the St George’s fans.Team Soca set the crowd on fire with songs like ‘Jam Bermuda’ by Arrow and ‘Togetherness’ by Alyson Hinds. Shal Marshall and his crew (DJ Spice and D’General) definitely kept the crowd hyped!Whistles were blowing, air-horns were sounding and sprinkles of water flew from the stage to shower the crowd from time to time.“The reason soca men have all the girls is because we can wine,” said Trinidadian Shal as he demonstrated. There was regular banter between the two competing teams. At one point the soca team told the audience to “part the sea” as a couple dancers from the stage zipped back and forth down the centre of the crowd.Every so often four male dancers would also appear on stage wearing shades as they danced in sync with dancehall swag.Team Reggae played more hits towards the end of the night including Red Rat’s ‘Tight Up Skirt’ and Bob Marley classics that appealed to everyone. As Poison Dart said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re 15 or 55, there’s something in reggae classics that everybody and they mama know.”However, when Team Soca made their final appearance with songs like ‘Wotless’ by Kes The Band and ‘Palance’ the winners were obvious. The piercing crescendo during the judging period secured their title as champions. Dancing along to ‘Palance’ by JW and Blaze was particularly fun as the crowd hopped and bounced left to right over and over, holding onto each other’s arms if necessary to avoid getting trampled. Although some of our sandals were slippery due to randomly spilled drinks we bounced and had a blast — crushing any plastic cups on the ground in our path. The crowd was full of good sports.As the show came to a close all the participants were dancing on stage, including judges Ninja Cutty, Live Wires and Bermuda Sun reporter Mikaela Ian Pearman. The vibe was great as one of them held a Bermuda flag and the DJ played the uplifting song ‘So High’ by Michael Montano.A pre-recorded message by Premier Paula Cox wishing everyone a wonderful Cup Match weekend, was played during the show. There was also a touch of creativity when a recording of ZBM news reporter Leanna Lambert was tailored to suit the reggae vs soca banter.For visitors to the Island I’m sure the night was an exciting showcase of a significant element of Bermudian culture: the Caribbean influence that is no doubt evident in our taste of music. From what I could see the night was a success, and I’m sure those in attendance would honk their air-horns in agreement if they could.