Greenz United Unveils “Mystique” for New York Carnival 2015
Before “Mystique” reached Eastern Parkway, Greenz United Mas unveiled its New York Carnival 2015 presentation in Brooklyn on June 7, giving masqueraders an early look at the costumes that would represent the band on Labor Day.
Julianspromos documented the launch through a much more immersive approach than simply arriving with a camera. Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosted the coverage, but earlier that day she also went through the transformation herself — spending hours in makeup, dressing in full Carnival costume and taking part in a dedicated photoshoot before appearing in costume during the launch and experiencing the runway presentation firsthand.
Filmed and edited by Julian C. Hackett, the surviving “2015 Greenz United NY Mas Band Launch - Mystique Highlights” video captures that night while also preserving another chapter in the development of a young Grenadian-rooted Brooklyn mas band.
Enter “Mystique”
Greenz United's presentation for New York Carnival 2015 was officially titled “Mystique.”
Contemporary Carnival records identify Dave Louison as Greenz United Mas' bandleader and list Mystique as the band's 2015 portrayal, with its mas camp located at 5902 Ditmas Avenue in Brooklyn.
The June 7 launch was where the concept moved from preparation into presentation.
Costumes could be seen individually under the lights, models introduced the designs on the runway, and prospective masqueraders got an opportunity to see what Greenz United was preparing for Eastern Parkway.
But Julianspromos' coverage had started well before the runway.
Vivaa Goes From Host to the Carnival Experience
For Vivaa, covering the Greenz United launch meant actually stepping into the experience being documented.
Earlier in the day, she went through the extended makeup and costume preparation that Carnival presentation requires. Once fully dressed, she took part in a complete photoshoot before heading into the launch in costume.
It created another dimension to the coverage.
Vivaa remained the Julianspromos host, but instead of observing the presentation solely from outside it, she could experience what it felt like to be transformed into part of the visual world Greenz United was unveiling.
Later, in full costume, she joined the atmosphere surrounding the runway and launch.
The photographs from that day preserve the process in a way the highlight video alone cannot — from the finished makeup and costume to Vivaa's own experience wearing mas during the presentation.
That makes this archive particularly useful when looking back at how Julianspromos approached Carnival coverage during this period.
It wasn't only about recording what happened onstage.
Sometimes the host became part of the experience.
A Grenadian-Built Brooklyn Mas Band
Greenz United was still a relatively young organization when Mystique was unveiled.
Bandleader Dave Louison, originally from Gouyave, Grenada, later explained that Greenz United began in 2011 after he wanted to improve the musical experience surrounding the Grenadian presence on Eastern Parkway.
The organization's earliest road appearance was considerably simpler.
T-shirts came first.
As Greenz United developed, costumes, organized sections, band launches and complete Carnival presentations followed.
By 2015, the band had moved well beyond those beginnings.
Mystique represented a Greenz United capable of staging its own launch, operating a Brooklyn mas camp and preparing a complete visual presentation for one of the largest Caribbean Carnival celebrations in North America.
From the Runway to Eastern Parkway
The costumes presented on June 7 were ultimately created for the road.
Three months later, Greenz United brought Mystique to the West Indian American Day Carnival on Eastern Parkway.
Contemporary Carnival coverage provides a direct connection between the launch concept and the Labor Day presentation.
Photographer Nelson A. King captured Jamila Parke and Ketty Paul portraying “Enchantress” with Greenz United during the 2015 Carnival parade.
It confirms at least one named section from Mystique:
Enchantress.
By then, the costumes were no longer isolated runway pieces.
They were surrounded by masqueraders, music, trucks, spectators and the scale of New York Carnival.
The launch was the reveal.
Eastern Parkway was where Mystique came alive.
Grenada Energy in New York Carnival
Greenz United's Grenadian foundation remained an important part of the organization's identity.
Louison later described Grenadian Soca, Jab Jab music, DJs and masqueraders coming out of Grenada's own Carnival season as important ingredients in the Greenz United road experience.
By 2017, Greenz United was preparing an estimated 425 masqueraders across five sections for its “Aloha” presentation, illustrating how the organization continued developing in the years after Mystique.
Seen in that longer timeline, the 2015 launch documents a band still building its footprint within Brooklyn Carnival while already presenting a complete theme of its own.
Why This Coverage Matters Today
More than a decade later, this coverage preserves more than the finished costumes.
The video captures the presentation before Labor Day.
The photos preserve Vivaa's transformation and costume experience.
The surviving Carnival records identify the band, leadership and theme.
And photographs from Eastern Parkway show at least part of Mystique after it finally reached the road.
Together, they connect several stages of the same Carnival story:
preparation,
the photoshoot,
the June 7 band launch,
the runway,
and eventually the West Indian American Day Carnival itself.
That is especially valuable for an art form in which costumes are often created for one season, worn on the road, and then disappear from public view.
From the Julianspromos Archives
Julianspromos covered Greenz United's Mystique launch in Brooklyn on June 7, 2015, with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosting the coverage and experiencing the presentation in full Carnival costume.
Vivaa's day included makeup and costume preparation, a dedicated photoshoot and participation in the launch experience before the costumes later made their way to Eastern Parkway for New York Carnival.
The original highlights were filmed and edited by Julian C. Hackett and uploaded to the Julianspromos YouTube channel on June 11, 2015.
More than ten years later, the footage and photographs preserve both Greenz United's 2015 presentation and a period when Julianspromos was finding increasingly immersive ways to document New York Carnival culture.
