Calypso Rose Carib News Calypso Queen on the Screen By Melinda Etheridge The Queen of Calypso, Calypso Rose, extends her talent from the stage to the movie screen as she displays her creative expertise in ONE HAND DON'T CLAP, an entertaining and informative film that captures the story of calypso and soca (soul) calypso. Through the eyes of great calypso and soca calypso artists such as Calypso Rose and Lord Kitchener, ONE HAND DON'T CLAP brings the audience back to where it all began --- from creation to the composition of the music --- from the streets of Brooklyn to the sands of Trinidad. According to this talented songstress producers of the documentary film had been following her career for years and thought that she would be ideal for a part in it. Said Calypso Rose, "I was honored to be a part of it … the film has given me wide exposure … People see an in depth Calypso Rose and see me creating calypso." Born McCartha Sandy, Calypso Rose, who hails from the rural village of Bethel on Trinidad's smaller sister island of Tobago shocked her God fearing parents --- her mother a devout Baptist and her father a seaman --- by taking on her stage name and setting her sights on becoming a performer. As far as they were concerned, the entertainer's decision to stray away from their view of a Christian-like and responsible adult with a respectable career was unacceptable. They saw her choice of profession as being unwomanly. Although her parents were unhappy with her actions, Calypso Rose went on to gain local recognition singing in calypso tents in Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad. During this time calypso was male dominated. She trained under the best of the best, Lord Kitchener and Lord Melody. They pushed her to create "Calypso Rose on stage", a dynamic performer who was both provocative and unpredictable, far different from the softspoken shy-type Calypso Rose friends and family knew well. Calypso Rose opened doors for many female calypsonians performing today after she won both the 1977 and 1978 Calypso Road March Competition. A turning point in calypso took place --- the title Calypso King was renamed Calypso Monarch… In the opening scene of ONE HAND DON'T CLAP Calypso Rose sits alone at a kitchen table at night. A glass of Scotch, a burning candle, and sheets of paper are clustered around the cassette player as she strums along on her guitar singing against her own recording in a haunting overdub. "I wrote Terrorism Gone Wild while filming," Calypso Rose told Carib News. Throughout ONE HAND DON'T CLAP Calypso Rose leads fans with step-by-step clips of the structuring of her music.,, To date, ONE HAND DON'T CLAP has been shown in Japan, Africa and London, where it gained critical acclaim at the Film Festival.