in the history of Bermuda The Progressive Labour Party's date with destiny is now set to become a permanent union -- between the covers of photographer Tamell Simons' new book.

And, according to the creative team behind Friday's launch of "A Date With Destiny'', the new book is just another reason to celebrate.

The historical pictorial of the PLP's election victory and its aftermath will be launched at St. Paul's Centennial Hall with a unique book signing.

United Dance Productions' Suzette Harvey and Kevin Malone have created a multi-media extravaganza for the event that promises to be every bit as memorable as the historic election.

"I was inspired by the book,'' said Ms Harvey. "When I saw the book I was motivated by the pictures and I wanted to try to recapture the event and feelings that came with it.

"I thought the event required more than just a dance,'' she added. "This is major, you have to create a piece for something like this.

"Because Kevin isn't Bermudian, I wanted him to be involved with this project.'' Together, the pair created a production that involves dance, music, poetry as well as the print and electronic media.

"It's social,'' hinted Mr. Malone. "It raises the consciousness behind the PLP's rise.

"I was inspired by the images and the photos in the book. It was nice to see the masses of people coming together and I was overwhelmed by the way people came out to vote.

"I was blown away by that and I wanted to tap into the whole celebration.'' Although the pair would not divulge many details of the production, they did promise that the book launch would be an evening to remember.

"There's a lot of symbolism in it,'' Mr. Malone revealed. "And it is not just dancing -- there will be poetry, slides, original writings and The Royal Gazette is involved -- but I'm not saying exactly how it is going to be incorporated.'' Ms Harvey added: "Everything that the public sees that night will be new, created just for this. All the different mediums will be fused together into the same piece.'' Mr. Simons and his wife Carla Bean said they were thrilled with the UDP's production and urged everyone to attend Friday's festivities which will kick off at 5.45 p.m.

"We wanted to do something special for the launching and we wanted to collaborate with other young artists,'' recalled Ms Bean. "We both respect Suzy so much and just hoped that she would do something or us.

"We got together and talked about the vibe and atmosphere we wanted to create and it just mushroomed into this spectacular event.

Mr. Simons added: "We really wanted to create the same sort of atmosphere that existed on November 9. All that positive energy that people felt, we want to recreate that.

"I'm totally thrilled that Suzy is gracing us with her presence and I just encourage everyone to come out and see it.'' Spectators will be able to get their copies of the book signed by Mr. Simons and those who placed advance orders will be able to collect their copies.

A Date With Destiny: Tamell Simons and his wife Carla Bean recently presented Premier Jennifer Smith with her copy of "A Date With Destiny''. This Friday's book launch promises to be an evening to remember thanks to a unique multi-media extravaganza created especially for the event by United Dance Productions.

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