Ramajay Mas Takes Flight with “WINGS” for New York Carnival 2012

On June 10, 2012, Ramajay Mas unveiled its “WINGS” presentation in Brooklyn ahead of New York Carnival and the West Indian American Day Carnival on Eastern Parkway.

Julianspromos documented the launch with Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosting the on-camera coverage, while Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the footage.

The launch offered masqueraders an early look at the costumes and concepts Ramajay would carry into Labor Day. By the end of the Carnival season, WINGS had gone from a Brooklyn presentation to the first-place Adult Large Band portrayal at New York Carnival 2012.

Ramajay Unveils WINGS

For the 2012 season, Ramajay built its presentation around the idea of WINGS, giving its designers room to explore movement, flight, feathers and dramatic Carnival costume construction.

Contemporary Carnival listings referred to the presentation as “Wings (We Flying High),” while the official results later recorded it as “Wings: We’re Flying.” Both titles refer to Ramajay’s 2012 presentation.

The June launch gave masqueraders their first opportunity to see how the theme had been translated into individual costume sections before the band reached Eastern Parkway.

Ramajay Mas unveils its WINGS presentation in Brooklyn on June 10, 2012, with Julianspromos coverage hosted by Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson and shot and edited by Julian C. Hackett.

A Band Already Making Its Mark

Ramajay Mas had been established in New York in 2009, only a few years before the WINGS presentation.

Despite being relatively young, the band quickly became competitive within New York Carnival. Ramajay finished second in the Adult Large Band competition during its 2009 debut year, establishing itself early as a serious presence on Eastern Parkway.

By 2012, Ramajay was no longer simply a new mas band finding its place.

It had become one of the organizations to watch.

Vivaa Hosts the Ramajay Launch Coverage

Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson led Julianspromos’ on-camera coverage of the WINGS band launch, taking viewers inside the presentation as Ramajay introduced its 2012 costumes.

The coverage provided a closer look at the atmosphere surrounding the launch and the presentation months before Labor Day.

Behind the camera, Julian C. Hackett shot and edited the footage, preserving the early stage of a Carnival presentation that would later become one of Ramajay’s most successful.

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From the Band Launch to Eastern Parkway

By Labor Day, the costumes introduced at the June launch had moved onto Eastern Parkway as part of the 2012 West Indian American Day Carnival.

Ramajay competed in the Adult Large Band category alongside several established New York mas organizations, including Sesame Flyers International with Fire & Ice and Natural Freaks Unlimited with Illusions.

When the final results were announced, Ramajay had taken the top position.

WINGS Wins Adult Large Band

The official 2012 Carnival results placed the bands in this order:

1. Ramajay Mas — “Wings: We’re Flying”

2. Sesame Flyers International — “Fire & Ice”

3. Natural Freaks Unlimited — “Illusions”

The victory made WINGS one of the standout large-band presentations of New York Carnival 2012.

For Ramajay, however, the result would become part of something even larger.

The Beginning of a Four-Year Run

The 2012 victory began an especially successful period for Ramajay.

The band would go on to hold the New York Carnival Band of the Year title from 2012 through 2015, giving Ramajay four consecutive winning seasons.

WINGS therefore represents more than a single championship presentation.

It marked the beginning of a sustained run that established Ramajay as one of the dominant large bands of the period.

The following year, Ramajay returned with “Reflections of Carnival: Then & Now,” continuing a streak that would carry through 2015.

Ramajay and New York Carnival

Ramajay’s rise was closely tied to its family-centered approach to mas and its growing community of designers and masqueraders.

Founded in New York in 2009, the organization developed quickly within Brooklyn Carnival, building a reputation for large presentations and competitive success.

By the time WINGS reached Eastern Parkway in 2012, Ramajay had already demonstrated that a relatively young band could compete alongside organizations with much longer histories in New York mas.

Its first-place finish that year reinforced that position.

From the Julianspromos Archives

Ramajay Mas’ June 10, 2012 WINGS band launch preserves the presentation months before it became the winning Adult Large Band portrayal of New York Carnival.

With Sheniele “Vivaa” Dodson hosting Julianspromos’ on-camera coverage and Julian C. Hackett shooting and editing the footage, the surviving video captures WINGS at the beginning of its journey.

By Labor Day, Ramajay had taken first place on Eastern Parkway.

WINGS also marked the beginning of Ramajay’s 2012–2015 Band of the Year run, making the launch an important chapter in the band’s New York Carnival history.