he Bermuda gombey is traditionally male, but this year?s parade featured a group of female gombeys just as energetic, talented and dedicated as the males.

The Alisa Kani Girl Gombeys made their third appearance at the Bermuda Day Parade, a performance they admitted they were excited about.

While a majority of the 12-member girl group were newcomers experiencing the normal rush of jittery nerves, their leader and experienced dancer Kim Simons, said: ?It went great. We had a wonderful time.?

Historically, gombeys wear costumes which fully cover their bodies and faces to avoid identification. Even though the girls upheld the tradition, it seems most spectators were able to detect small physical differences between male and female dancers.

?People know ? for some it would be very obvious,? Mrs. Simons said.

Asked how female gombeys dancers stacked up against male dancers, co-leader Algina Warner said there was no competition between the sexes, both were equal.

?Girls dance just as good as the boys,? she said.

While spectators were particularly impressed during the parade when a dancer did the splits, Ms Warner said such moves were not as common for the girls.

?There are women who dance gombey as well as men,? she said. ?For girls to dance gombey it?s energetic, it?s freedom. People know there are females who can dance, but basically they just overlook them. I just think people don?t think girls can do it, but we show them that we can.?

Ms Warner and her mother founded the Alisa Kani Girl Gombeys in the late ?90s.

?One day my mom and I sat down and just decided it would be fun,? she said.

The duo then began recruiting girls to join the group, but they found that the less they looked the more people came to them. Today the group has a steadily growing membership of dancers ranging in age from four to 35.

Mrs. Simons explained that, as with other gombeys, the all-girl group has learned techniques from previous generations ? everything from dress, to routines and music.

In fact, she married into a gombey family and now dances with her daughter, 14-year-old, Kiandra Simons, who has been dancing gombey since she was seven and loves it.

While Kiandra?s peers are often surprised when they find out she is a gombey, the teenager plays an important role in the group, and sometimes lends a hand in teaching the newer members.

?I?m more experienced than the other dancers,? she said.

Ms Warner also has a rich gombey history in her family, having watched her grandfather and both parents dance gombey while growing up. When she turned 17 she decided to start.

?I was so eager to do it, but my dad didn?t want me to hurt myself,? she recalls.

Today, the family legacy continues with her children, including her four-year-old daughter, the youngest member of the group, as well as her two sons, who dance with the Warner Gombeys.

?My father was actually proud he was going to be standing at the drum looking down at his children,? she said of his participation in the recent parade. Ms Warner outlined the challenge in creating their hand-made costumes, including picking the design ? one which usually depicts nature, culture or African history ? then choosing a colour scheme, embroidering the design, beading it, and so on. Indeed, the entire process could often be lengthy.

?When I sat down and put my mind to it, it took me just over a week,? Ms Warner said of the costume she made for her daughter.

Yet she also recalled making a costume in as little as a day, saying the time it took depended on how much work one wanted to put into it.

When asked what qualities female gombeys required to succeed in this cultural art form, Ms Warner said girls needed to be dedicated, willing to learn, and have a good attitude.

Interestingly, while she admitted she enjoyed teaching the girl group, she also loved to dance with the boys.

?I?d prefer to teach girls, but I have no problem dancing with the boys,? she said.