Ophelia

Tuesday, 9 July 2013

Rainforest World Music Festival 2013: A Fine Gem

Based on Day 1 experience, I understood workshops would begin on time. So, I drove as early as 10.30 a.m. from home and reached One Hotel Santubong about an hour later. I was quite worried there would be traffic congestion because I pretty much disliked being late. From OHS my fellow blogger friends and I took a shuttle bus to Damai Beach Resort to collect our daily passes or wristbands. We were not allowed to park anywhere else except OHS compound to ease the traffic congestion that very likely to occur especially on weekend. The shuttle service was frequent and public had to pay RM5.00 per person for one way trip.

Looking at the workshop schedule, I decided to attend all three workshops at Lagenda Hall from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. As expected, more visitors came to RWMF on Saturday. So, it was not a surprised to see the hall filled with people in no time. The first slot was reserved for Irish dance or Call of the Céili. Our dance instructor for the day was Mr. Rossa O'Snodaigh of KILA. He started off with throwing light upon the history of Irish dance which said to be continuously evolving. He also mentioned that this dance would be a very good workout. Well, it always seemed easy because we were the audience but not till you tried the Irish dance yourself! Believe me, it was like running fast on a treadmill for at least half an hour. Realising my lack of stamina and still healing from a torn ACL did not hinder me from having fun with complete strangers. The unique thing about RWMF's workshops was you can grab anyone nearby to be you partner provided he or she did not have one too. For a moment people forgot about their nationalities and differences by immersing in the pure joy which emanated from dancing. The funny part was when Rossa pointed out instead of doing it like the Irish folks, we were dancing like the 'Orang Utan'! I guess he was troubled by the sight of us not getting the dance steps right. In the end, we were asked to do the Gangnam Style and Orang Utan Style. Ha-ha. What mattered more in the midst of chaos was to enjoy the Irish music and dance.

The second slot was handed over to members of Korean Performing Arts, Palsandae. Their leader, Mr. Kim Woon Tae, could not join us as he was sick. However, the show must go on. During the Pangut Fever workshop, we got to see the traditional farmers' dance as well as the traditional mask dance. The first dance was energetic which featured shamanistic influence and acrobatic manoeuvre. It also accompanied by Korean traditional music instruments such as gong, flute and double-headed hourglass-shaped drum played with one stick and one hand. Performers were most of the time dancing in circle. This dance was performed during planting, harvesting and on other agricultural events. It was to lift the spirit of farmers and provide them with working beat. The purpose of traditional mask dance was to ward off the evil spirit that may bring misfortune. It was believed to protect their properties, purify the village and to give thanks to the river and mountain spirits.

Perhaps the much awaited workshop for Day 2 was The Art of War. It showcased the Australians and the Africans challenge each other to a war dance duel. The Ibuyambo Ensemble (Africa) versus Nunukul Yuggera (Australia). I was told by fellow blogger friends this kind of workshop never been held. So, it was a new experience for those who came to the RWMF this year. As the battle was featuring two different tribes from two different continents, I was expecting a fierce dance off. And guess what, I was right! The hall was packed with spectators and not much space for everyone to move around. Even the stage was fully occupied. The battle was refereed by performers of RWMF. They were Soren Lund (HABADEKUK), Thomas David (PINE LEAF BOYS), Ivan Levacic & Konrad Lovrencic (KRIES) and Edgar Arboleda Campos (REY VALLENATO BETO JAMAICA). The field referee post was assigned to Thomas David. The dance battle reached its climax when some spectators had to choose side to back up either the Australians or Africans. Of course the booty shaking Africans could make more noise because their advantage was having the drums choreographing their dance moves, which also heighten the competitive mood among their supporters and fellow opponents. On the other hand, the Australians had their spears and supporters chanting to their war cry. While recording the process, my mind slipped into the thought of how our weights and the hubbub could potentially get the hall fall off its stilts! Finally, referees announced both tribes won and the civilians lost! Ha-ha. No big deal, we had so much fun, didn't we? I personally would love if this tradition of dance duel can be carried on. May be next time we can get our local Dayak warriors meet the Maori people at the same hall for the battle? Where will we place our bets?

I could not see what was going on in the middle.

The second day workshops ended with no civilian hurt. The crowd was indeed amazing. I stayed for the evening concert as I missed it the previous night.

Monday, 8 July 2013

Rainforest World Music Festival 2013: Discover The Gem

The festival has brought together eclectic musicians and dancers from around the globe to a scenic location in Kuching, Sarawak Cultural Village. SCV is located at the foot of Mount Santubong, surrounded by lush rainforest and a short walk to a beautiful beach. It is a perfect setting for a musical event that named after the rainforest. Our experience and mood at the festival would have been different if it was held in the urban area. Set in the outskirts of a city certainly helped to capture more relaxing and refreshing feels which able to rejuvenate an exhausted body, mind and soul. To me it was an escapade to a paradise from the hectic daily working life.

The word WORLD was enough to excite someone like me. Not only it was my first time attending the Rainforest World Music Festival, but it also my first time blogging for a world event. It was like you were being thrown into the middle of the sea and expected to swim to your own safety without being taught the survival skills beforehand. As we know, experience is the best teacher. Therefore, challenge was instantly accepted!

The event began on the first day with performers conducting workshops for the public. I never quite got it when others referred to the daytime workshops as a 'gem' of RWMF. The workshops were conducted at three main venues such as Dewan Lagenda, Iban Longhouse and Theatre. Major crowd would normally swarm Lagenda Hall as I was informed. My guess the hall was big enough to gather a sea of dance enthusiasts and provide ample space for performers to manoeuvre.

The first slot of workshop kicked off by Bandari Dance and Songs from South of Iran. First they sang, then they danced. The performers were known as Mohsen Sharifian and the Lian Band. Their distinctive music instruments would be the Nay-Anban (bagpipe) and the Nay-Jofti (double-pipe reed flute). I did not stay for long as I had to hurry to the Iban Longhouse to catch up with another performance there. The crowd kept getting bigger when I was leaving.

As I reached my destination (Iban Longhouse) the workshop was already in progress. The performance entitled "Songs My Mother Taught Me" presented by numerous musicians. Among them were Mojmir Novakovic (KRIES), Rafly bin Muhammad Isa (RAFLY WA SAJA), Alp Bora (ALP BORA), Brian Hogan (KILA), Mathew Ngau (LAN E TUYANG), Reon Williams (NUNUKUL YUGGERA), Edgar Rivero (REY VALLENATO BETO JAMAICA), Drew Simon (PINE LEAF BOYS) and Javier Garcia (REY VALLENATO BETO JAMAICA). At this workshop we got to listen to songs from different countries and how they harmonised spontaneously. Their singing was impromptu. I believed it was not easy to get people sang in one accord especially when you never did it together and at the same time having to perform in front of the audience whom might expect something special at a higher level. They deserved a salute for being able to pull it off. This type of workshop would surely attract those who are more into singing.

After I took a few snapshots at the Iban Longhouse, I went back for the Body Rites workshop at Lagenda Hall. It was truly an interactive workshop as everyone got involved in learning the Aboriginal Australian dances led by Donald Dodd of Nunukul Yuggera. The other members of Nunukul Yuggera were Ashley Ruska, Montel Butterworth and Beau Broome. They performed a few dances before the workshop participants were taught how to dance the White Crane dance. I personally loved the sound of the Didgeridoo and always wondering how the sound was produced. The Didgeridoo is a wind instrument which existed around 1,500 years ago. Their leader did explain the Didgeridoo was played with continuously vibrating lips to produce the drone while using a special breathing technique. It required breathing in through the nose at the same time expelling stored air out of the mouth using the tongue and cheeks. The Didgeridoo was traditionally and originally played as an accompaniment to ceremonial dancing and singing. However, nowadays it is also for recreational purposes.

Nunukul Yuggera demonstrated a few Aboriginal Australian dances to the workshop participants.

Everyone doing the White Crane dance.

The last workshop for the day, SKINS, was probably the one which everyone anticipated the most. It was a percussion workshop on different drums from around the world. The drummers were Nceba Gonxeca (leader) playing Djembe, Mkokeli Masala playing N'goni drum, Fouad Achkir playing Tambour, Herwan Wiradireja playing Sundanese drum, Morteza Palizdan playing Dayareh, Soner Tezcan playing Turkish percussion, Edric Lai playing sea drum or Kompang and Dave Hingerty playing the Congas. The sounds of the pounding drums transmitted a rhythm of dance that eventually got everyone up on their feet and danced away to the beat. These drummers who came from different countries never performed together but somehow inexplicably all those different drums could be played in unison. That was mind-boggling!

Drums from different countries rocking the house.

Crowd shaking to the beat.

The Day 1 workshop ended well with participants left feeling entertained and happy. It certainly got me anxious of what would 'the gem' had to offer on the second day. I was told the crowd would come in the largest number particularly on Saturday.

This was the place to get the performers' CDs.

Free Yoga demonstration during interval (reminded me of a scene in Spiderman movie!).

A couple 'chillax' between workshops.

Yeah, the leopard print and the beautiful beads caught my attention.

The most famous party animal at RWMF 2013, Bryce William Wentworth.

Saturday, 6 July 2013

Rainforest World Music Festival 2013: Media Brief and Opening Ceremony

First and foremost, I would like to thank Sarawak Tourism Board and Sarawak Bloggers Society for this golden opportunity to be part of the media community to cover a world event. Rainforest World Music Festival is one of the region's best musical festivals. As mentioned in my previous post, it has been voted by a renowned world music magazine, Songlines, for four consecutive years as the top 25 International Festivals. RWMF has also been awarded the BrandLaureate Country Branding Awards (2012-2013) by The BrandLaureate & The Asia Pacific Brand Foundation for its efforts in bringing the country to the international stage. This "Grammy Awards" for branding is the No.1 branding awards in the Asia Pacific region.

The media brief was held at Casuarina Hall of Damai Beach Resort. The briefing and press conference started at 5pm after media registration at the Media Centre. During the media brief, the CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, Dato' Rashid Khan talked more on the brand itself and how the world event will benefit us all. RWMF was such an iconic event not merely because of the awards it received, but also the type of music it promoted. Organising the event was possible as it has proper financial management and supported by partners or sponsors. The major revenue was generated from the ticket sales.

Dato' Rashid added that their bigger agenda was the local people. RWMF was the catalyst of the fringe events which mostly took place at Damai Central. A stroll to the venue before the media brief showed stalls were set up to sell local products and services. Engaging local communities in this huge event was important as it can help to boost their businesses and to become more competitive. This is true especially with the local artists and music. Competition will encourage them to produce quality music that is comparable to foreign ones. Besides that, RWMF also helped to create awareness especially towards the environment. In the morning, there was tree-planting ceremony being held at MASJA Lakeside, Petra Jaya. 'Golden Shower' was chosen for the greening project. RWMF has lived up to its brand not only as a music festival, but it also played a role in the rainforest conservation and preservation. Apart from that, the festival often instilled the spirit of volunteerism by allowing students and others to experience internship or doing anything that would contribute to the success of the world event. Even bloggers like us volunteered ourselves by taking leaves to cover RWMF. Yes, people always thought we were paid. No, we did not and we just did it for the passion in blogging. I personally did it for the love of music and photoblogging. I would not ask for more than being given a media pass so that I could see for myself what went on behind the scene. It was indeed a privilege.

The press conference continued with Madam Angelia Bateman gave us an insight to the festival's performers line-up. We were told there were overwhelming applications from bands around the globe and only 25 were selected. Not long after the media brief, we were invited to join the Opening Ceremony of RWMF 2013 cum welcome dinner at the poolside. All performers and partners were presented with a special token of appreciation. The opening ceremony was officiated with the plucking of Sape. Then, guests were treated with local cuisines while enjoying performance by the Pine Leaf Boys and Korean Performing Arts, Palsandae. I was glad we stayed for the dinner to socialise with other medias and foreign programmers who also attended the inaugural Borneo World Music Expo. This was a good opportunity for us to learn something new from each other.