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Arts in the Plaza Festival Returns to St. Maarten for an Encore on January 26, 2011

More than 600 locals and visitors of St. Maarten/St. Martin gathered in Porto Cupecoy Plaza for a celebration of the arts.

ST. MAARTEN, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES -- To ring in the New Year, St. Maarten is raising a toast to Caribbean arts lovers and West Indies culture enthusiasts alike with the second Arts in the Plaza at the picturesque Porto Cupecoy, a Mediterranean-inspired waterfront village and marina developed by Orient Express Hotels Ltd. On the heels of a hugely successful launch in December 2010, the festival continues to celebrate great works of visual, musical and performing arts by extraordinary artists from St. Martin/St. Maarten, the Caribbean and the world.

Watch the premiere video:  

Scheduled for Wednesday, January 26, 2011 from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m., the colorful line-up includes Caribbean artists and performers such as: Clara Reyes, Roland Richardson, Neville York, Imbali Dance Company, Francis Eck, Jean Vallette, Anastasia Larmonie and Friends, "Versatile," Tumay Yalcin, Antoine Chapon, Ademar Violenus, "La'Rich," Robert Dago, Stephanie Tihanyi, Charisse Piper, Cathy Lu, Lorenzo Gomez, "Sigma," Scrim & Rosie, Carey Rickson, Anthony "Pop-Tart" Donker, Magali and Carole. The event is free and open to the public. The festival will continue through May 2011 with new performances and exhibits each month. A complete listing of featured artists will be announced prior to each event at www.stmaartenlife.com.

A prestigious curator committee has been assembled to select the various performers for each of the Arts in the Plaza events. The individuals tasked with this are among the most recognized and respected not only in St. Maarten, but also in the Caribbean and worldwide: Clara Reyes, founder of the Imbali Center for Creative Movement; Roland Richardson, the iconic artist often called the "Father of Caribbean Impressionism," along with wife Laura Richardson; Neville York, one of the most recognized steel drum players in the world; and Thierry Gombs, Director of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs - St. Martin/St. Maarten.

The monthly arts festival is the first of its kind to combine visual, performing and musical arts from St Martin/St Maarten’s avant-garde arts scene and it will continue into 2011 with new performances and exhibits each month.

Pictured Left to Right: Laura Richardson; famed artist Roland Richardson; and Ida Zin-Fa Leu, President of Tourism Department on French side.

Pictured Left to Right: Rapper/Singer Lo Gomez; Thierry Gombs, Director of Sports, Culture and Education French side; Rhoda Arrindell, Minister of Sports, Culture and Education on the Dutch side; and Singer/Musician Dion Gumbs.

A stilt walker hands out roses at the Plaza entrance.

Young imbali dancers dance the three-step polka.

African drum dancer performs.

A Capoeira dancer wows the crowd.

This information is an excerpt from