SOC 08

I started the day at work bright and early, only to be pleasantly surprised to receive an e-mail from a kind soul alerting me that The Spring of Culture 2008 is here!! Hurrah!!!

The SOC is an annual event hosted in Bahrain, normally as a run-up to the F1 race in April. During the next few weeks, there will be lots of art and sculpture exhibitions, music concerts of various genres, special exhibits at the Bahrain museum, children puppet shows and performances from cultural troupes from the world over.

Scanning through catalogue for 2008, I have ear-marked the following events which I'd quite like to attend:

Gayane - performed by the Armenian National Academic Opera & Ballet Theatre
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Saturday 01 & Sunday 02 March
Time: 8:00 pm
Free but limited seating

First performed in 1973, Gayane has been performed on stages across the world including Argentina, Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Uruguay, Poland, Russia, Bulgaria and more. Originally directed by Aram Khachaturian, Gayane is a ballet of love, jealousy and unrequited love. The story which is set in Armenia in the 1940’s during World War 2, will be performed in Bahrain by the renowned Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre under the direction of Vilen Galstyan. Since its inception in 1973, the theatre has worked with more than 200 different operas and ballets by Armenian, Russian and West European composers. Gayane, the ballet and the heroine, is a feast for the eyes, with beautiful personification of Armenia on stage using vivid colours with unique shades and movements.

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Masks Exhibition
Venue: Bahrain National Museum
Date: Monday 03 March - Monday 30 June
Time: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm
Entrance tickets required

Masks - Beauty of the Spirits is an exhibition of 100 ethnic masks from the collection of the musée du quai Branly in Paris which was exclusively created for exhibit at the Bahrain National Museum. The masks presented come from Africa, South America, Asia and Oceania and vary in size from face-sized masks to full body masks and even ones that can accommodate numerous persons. This exhibition continues the philosophy of the Bahrain National Museum to present world cultures in a spirit of openness and learning. The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive programme of lectures, mask making & art workshops and there will be a guided tour programme dedicated specifically to families and children.

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The Arts of Al Dar Music
Venue: Dar Ben Jenna, Muharraq
Date: Tuesday 04 & Tuesday 11 March
Time: 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm & 10:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Free tickets

Dar Ben Jenna along with Galaly Group and Dar Al Hed are considered the most famous traditional music houses in the old city of Muharraq. They specialize in performing the Al Fejery music, which is a type of traditional singing where the men vocalize songs in a perfect harmonious performance with special instruments. Al Fejery music is unique for its accuracy in performance, musical style and rhythmic mix of the different instruments. A free bus service will be provided to transport people to the venue on a first-come-first-served basis, departing at 8.00 pm and 9.00 pm from the Art Center car park in Manama and in front of Al Abraaj Restaurant in Muharraq.

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Japanese Piano Concert - Toshiki Usui
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Tuesday 04 & Wednesday 05 March
Time: 8:00 pm
Free but limited seating

Toshiki Usui is currently one of the most active pianists in Japan, having performed at international music festivals and recitals and appeared on television around the world. Usui is a graduate of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music and Salzburg Mozarteum in Austria as well as the prize winner of several International Music Competitions. He has also played with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kiev National Philharmonic Orchestra (Ukraine) and Bacau Philharmonic Orchestra (Romania) to name a few.

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Joe Louis Puppet Theatre - Thailand
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Friday 07 March
Time: 6:00 pm
Free but limited seating

The Joe Louis puppet play is unlike any puppet show ever seen. Each puppet is controlled by 3 puppeteers who are visible on stage and who work together in perfect unison to produce the incredibly life-like human movements of each puppet. The puppeteers are classically trained dancers who imitate the movements of the puppets to literally bring them to life. Joe Louis Puppet Theatre was awarded the “Best Traditional Performance Award” at the 10th World Festival of Puppet Art held in Prague in 2006. Joe Louis who was consecrated National Artist in 1996, sadly died a few years ago but his family continues this dying art to the delight of visitors from all over the world.

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Sufi Music Concert, Turkey - performed by Suleyman Erguner
Venue: La Fontaine Center of Contemporary Art
Date: Thursday 13 March
Time: 9:00 pm
Tickets required

Sufism, which combines mysticism and a way of life, cannot be separated from poetry and music. What could be more appropriate to help us along this mysterious voyage than the pure sound of the Ney? Coming from a family of great masters of Classical Turkish Music, under Suleyman Erguner’s smooth fingers, this simple, softsounding reed flute becomes tender and obedient. Suleyman Erguner was awarded the “best artist” by the Turkish Writers Committee. Since 1999, he has given many concerts in Mediterranean and European countries. Murat Necipolu, his former student, a magnificent singer, will also stand by him during this concert.

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Paco Peña - A Compás! To the rhythm
Venue: Arad Fort
Date: Friday 14 March
Time: 8:30 pm
Tickets required

Hailed as the “saviour of flamenco” (The Independent) Paco Peña is widely credited for bringing this art form to new audiences in much the same way as Luciano Pavarotti did for opera. A Compás takes you on a rhythmic tour through Arabic, Gypsy and Spanish folk traditions, tracking the roots of flamenco dance and music as they are passed from generation to generation. The result is a potpourri of influences blended together in an authentic display. Each deeply personal dance is created for the specific performer allowing for unexpected and electrifying improvisation. The show has performed sell-out evenings in London, Kuala Lumpur, Australia, China, Canada, New York, Mexico, the USA and New Zealand.

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Wild Jujubes - performed by the Shanxi Huajin Dance Drama Ensemble
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 March
Time: 8:00 pm
Free but limited seating

This emotional dance drama is a tragic love story which takes place in the years between the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China and tells the story of Wild Jujube, the heroine who falls in love with a young apprentice. The production’s choreographer and artistic director is Zhang Jigang, known as the “Star of the Century” in Chinese dance circles, has won many prizes such as the Republic of France President’s Award. The Dance Drama Wild Jujubes has wowed theatre goers and moved audiences with its classical dance work in more than 300 performances around the world including the Czech Republic, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and Russia. It has also won one of ten National Stage Masterpieces between 2005 & 2006.

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JUMP
Venue: Arad Fort
Date: Friday 21 & Saturday 22 March
Time: 7:00 pm
Tickets required

Meet your one and only fantastically demented family in this spectacular Martial Arts Performance. This international sell-out show fuses the ancient Korean fighting art of Tae-kwon-do with other Asian martial arts, blended with a mind-blowing display of acrobatics and sprinkled with a healthy dose of fine comic acting. The show centres round a typical Korean family - authoritarian grandfather, indulgent father, crazy uncle, beautiful daughter, nerdy son-in-law and tae-kwon-do chopping mother. This non-verbal performance is great entertainment for the whole family. JUMP won the ‘Comedy Award’ at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2006 and ‘Grand Prize for Drama & Musical’ by the Korean National Assembly. The JUMP exclusive theatre has also opened in Broadway in September 2007 as well as in Seoul.

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Chinese Little Wood Martial Arts
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Sunday 23 March
Time: 8:00 pm
Free but limited seats

The Little Wood Martial Arts group has succeeded in developing and promoting martial arts to showcase amazing physical and exceptional human strength and discipline combining it with music, high-tech lighting and state of the art stage setting. The group has travelled the world sharing this unique form of Chinese culture combining it with modern dance, to create a show that is extremely appealing and entertaining for the entire family. It has achieved major success performing throughout Europe, USA, South America and Asia and has taken part in many TV appearances and movies in China and Europe.

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The Inspector General - Taiha
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Thursday 27 March
Time: 8:00 pm
Free but limited seating

Although it was written nearly 173 years ago, the Inspector General by the Russian playwright Nikolai Gogol, is considered as one of theatre’s great plays. The play is a comedy of errors, portraying human greed, stupidity and the deep corruption of powers in Tsarist Russia. The story centres around a group of corrupt local dignitaries who mistake a snobbish St. Petersburg youth for a high ranking Inspector General. Gogol’s satire is directed by the accomplished Algerian director, Loutfi Bensebaa and performed by Afaq Group for Dramatic Arts. The group was established in 1991 and won a number of awards for their performance of Taiha at national and international festivals in Jordan and the UAE.

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CCC The Japanese Garden - TPO Company
Venue: Salman Culture Centre
Date: Thursday 27 - Saturday 29 March
Time: 11:00 am & 5:00 pm
Free but limited seating, reservation required

A co-production with Teatro Metastasio Stabile della Toscana, CCC The Japanese Garden, is an innovative show, which represents a revolution in theatre and storytelling. Aimed at children, the show uses the Children Cheering Carpet system, a special multimedia place where the performers’ movements animate the carpet with precious digital images and sounds thanks to sensors that react to the pressure of feet and body. CCC The Japanese Garden is used to enact the story of a journey. First an actor tells the story, then a dancer performs it and finally the audience is invited to explore and animate the gardens themselves. The company has performed at numerous international children’s festivals around the world and is always enthusiastically received.

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Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble - Turkish Ministry of Culture
Venue: Culture Hall
Date: Sunday 30 March
Time: 8.00 pm
Free but limited seating

The rituals of the Whirling Dervishes are among the most enduring and exquisite ceremonies of spirituality. The ritual whirling, still practiced today by the dervishes of the Melevi order, is an act of love and a drama of faith. Sufi music is closely connected with religious music and the lyrics are mainly taken from poems of Mevlana Celaleddin-i Rumi. The Konya Turkish Sufi Music Ensemble was formed in 1990 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey and mainly performs during annual commemor-ations of Mevlana but also perform Sufi music and Sema rituals in Konya throughout the year. The forty member Ensemble is headed by Omer Faruk Belviranli (vocal) and its art director is Yusuf Kayya (nay). The Ensemble plays an important role for the promotion of Turkish culture around the world.

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STOMP
Venue: Arad Fort
Date: Thursday 03 - Saturday 05 April
Time: 8:30 pm
Tickets required

STOMP is a unique musical journey through sound interwoven with percussion, movement and visual comedy. The show has performed around the world to thunderous applause since 1991 and uses everyday objects - such as bins, brooms and boots - to hammer out an explosively feel good beat. STOMP uses the universal language of rhythm and it doesn't matter if your taste in music is jazz, classical, dance or pop; this is world class entertainment for the whole family. Stomp combines theatre, dance and amazing acrobatics as well as a laugh or two! STOMP won the Laurence Olivier award for Best Choreography and was also nominated for Best Entertainment in 1994.

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Oh my goodness....and those are only the ones which piqued my interest. There are also art exhibitions, lectures, book launches and other stuff which I did not highlight in the selected list above.

Happy happy happy. Though cynical hubby doesn't seem to share my enthusiasm. Sigh.

First things first - I need to suss out where the Culture Hall is as it seems to be a very important venue indeed. Also need to find out how much tickets are (where applicable) and where I should pick them up.

But seriously, aren't you impressed by the variety of events they have organised? From a myriad of countries, ranging from traditional to contemporary performances, catering to little kids and families to strictly black tie events (ooo...i better go to these before I am tied down with a baby!! sigh). And they make it affordable for everyone as there are so many free events, which understandably is on a first come first serve basis. Am so hyper excited now. Yippee yay!

Note to family and friends: March is definitely a good time to visit Bahrain!