What is Panache? By definition panache has to do with confidence and a certain �lan or flair with which one conduct’s his or her endeavors; a person with panache is the epitome of sophistication and at the same time is a pillar of strength. He or she is usually desired by the opposite sex and is what every woman aspires to be.
With this in mind three women; Alaine Reynolds, Victoria Johnson and Rolinda Pierre, decided to assign this name to their business, Panache Productions. Panache Productions is the brainchild of Alaine Reynolds who describes herself as a millennium woman �one who is multifaceted and not held down by stereotypes. The company is a fledgling entity which seeks to explore the talent in The Bahamas and create venues by which the said talent may be displayed – through talent shows, concerts and private events at which performers may be needed. Panache Productions is located on John F Kennedy Drive.
Panache was started as a result of the Mrs Reynolds’ and her partners’ interest in the arts. They realised that they were just as talented as anyone out there but needed a venue through which they could structure their performances and market themselves as a group. Ms Johnson and Ms Pierre both experienced performers and having a wealth of hands on experience in management decided to join in and the rest is history according to Mrs Reynolds. They have since coordinated events such as the Spoken Word Shows �Sirens and AphroD-Z-ac. Individually they have coordinated talent shows for high schools in Nassau and the Success Training College. The ladies’ most recent project is the fortnightly ‘Poetic Release’ open mic show being held at Caf� Habana on Saturdays. The group is currently working on a play entitled Gold Diggers as well as an upcoming talent show slated for the end of the year.
The major goal that Panache has – for now – is to continue putting on shows that persons want to come out to see. They added that they would also like to put on more kid friendly shows. At first we wanted to appeal to a more adult audience but we realised that there are not that many shows that children are able to attend and we would love to utilise that as we realise that kids have a lot to offer in the way of talent. Thus our next show will target the 11 to 16 demographic.
The pitfalls to this type of business are many but the ladies of Panache have coined the motto “women can do” and vow to let nothing stand in the way of their continued success. “We are emulating women who continue to be successful despite hard times; our mothers who are not famous but who sometimes have to put up with plenty to get the job done. We are emulating women such as Oprah, Martha Stewart, Ivy Dumont, Tanya McCartney and others…” said Mrs Reynolds. She added that Panache does not focus heavily on competition even though they feel that competition is a positive thing. “We are just working at being ourselves and putting out a positive product which people can enjoy and hopefully want to be a part of…”
For more info on Panache Productions contact j83blaze@hotmail.com
By: Nadine Thomas-Brown, The Nassau Guardian
