In the days, leading up to the Oscars 2017, ‘La La Land’ was the talk of the town. With its colourful
and different style, it created a film that was enjoyed by audiences’ world
over. In the days leading up to Oscars 2018, ‘LaLaLand’ was the talk of the
town in Goa and its colourful and different style piqued the interests of
audiences across the state. In the end, the two day extravaganza that took place
at the Museum of Goa (MOG), lived up to its expectations and more.
A Gotcha Impact Media initiative, the
festival that coincided with Holi, was set against the backdrop of the ‘Carpet
of Joy’- an art installation by artist Subodh Kerkar, which is made out of
150,000 discarded plastic bottles; setting a tone of sustainability to the
whole festival.
Spanning over two days, with over thirteen
spectacular acts from India and around the world, the performances included
international acrobatic acts comprising of breathtaking aerial show, trapeze
entertainment, and Chinese pole acrobatics along with roaming juggling acts and
artists on stilts. The acrobatic act by Karine Noel and Group left the crowd
mesmerised. “All the artists are part of the contemporary movement of circus.
They did a spectacular show of Chinese Pole, Trapeze, Rope and Hoop. We used
natural elements and the performances were done in the trees! Karine Noel is
head of the dance department of the Circus School of Bordeaux, France” said
Noreen van Holstein, Festival Director.
“Electric Brother’s juggling act was an
absolute hit for all the age groups. Nico comes from Russia and lives in
Switzerland. He met Utka from Argentina here in India and together they now
form the Electric Brothers, “added Noreen, speaking about another international
act.
There were other Chinese pole performances by Ode Rosset while
Kalaripayattu performers from Kerala (Kishor CK and Group) gave a demonstration
of ancient martial arts of the region. .
There was also a handpicked supply of exceptional music with
Olivier Perrin from France shared his travel experiences explicitly through the
sound of his accordion. Massive Vibe, with their powerful music, striking LED
visuals and dance and the Silent Disco hosted by Silent Noise, made sure even
the EDM lovers were entertained.
From India, Thaalavattam from Bangalore had people grooving to
their organic beats recycled instruments and Easy Wanderlings from Pune played
an amalgamation of soul, pop and folk music
From Goa, there was Nadia Rebelo who gave a heartfelt Fado
performance. In addition, an open stage, with the line-up comprising of
students from all over Goa, presented curated performances from underground
performance artists. Drupad Gaonkar ( a.k.a BLIP) from ‘IMIMEGINATION ‘ brought
a very special mime act at the theatre. Along with the participants, Taal Inc.
hosted one of the largest Drum Circle of Goa with 200 drums.
“I
like to bring together a mix of elements like circus, art, performances, a
cultural mix and sustainability. The festival was created by putting various
elements together; making use of the uniqueness of Goa as a cultural and
creative melting pot. The performances were of very high quality, while at the
same time we keep it very accessible and easy going so that everyone gets the
chance to get a taste of new experiences. We had full house both nights and the
responses were so incredibly positive that LaLaLand edition 2 is very likely to
happen,” said Noreen on a concluding note.
