Posts tagged: dance

National Arts Festival in South Africa

The National Arts Festival (also known as Grahamstown Festival) is the second largest arts festival in the world. Each year for two weeks of July, the art is at its best: theater, dance, opera, music, visual arts, readings and more. I invite you to learn a unique festival that brings the great South African cultural spirit with each heartbeat.

The National Arts Festival is not a single event, but many. The National Youth Festival Jazz lover and Awards Standard Bank young artists are also part of this event.

It began in 1974 as a project of the Grahamstown Foundation, arriving today to be the second largest arts festival on the planet.

If you have the opportunity to attend the festival, you will see more than 120,000 participants for 10 days fill the “University City” (where Rhodes University) making a unique artistic display, a burst of creative talent nurtured by the most diverse cultures throughout South Africa.

Day and night without stopping, without interruption, you can enjoy live music, street performers, and walking tours, readings, etc. In addition, always never rest the endless craft markets, ideal to buy many souvenirs dating back to you once you experience the journey again.

The “green” city
Known as the most important tourist routes in the region, Grahamstown has a history dating back to colonial days, so it has an incredible display of Victorian style marked more than 40 churches, forts and other buildings.

It is also considered a “green” city because it has thousands of acres dedicated to nature and conservation of flora and fauna, you can visit with a guide. You will take an unforgettable experience.

Grahamstown is also a city for lovers of birds. Thomas Baines Nature Reserve is just outside the city, like the Great Fish River Reserve, and both offer a wide variety of rare birds that jaw-dropping.

For lovers of hiking or “trekking” is the path of “Oldenburgian”, which took two days to cover, beginning and ending at the gates of the city. Other routes are known and smaller and Gowie Dassie Krantz Kloof. Ask for them to locals.

A festival out of this world
The festival takes place between late June and early July so the weather is rather cold, because of that everyone wears coats, scarves and gloves.

It will see both foreign and native artists. The population of the city of Grahamstown is doubled for 10 days Imagine! Not for nothing is one of the biggest festivals in the world. Nearly 50,000 people migrate to the city in those days, hungry for entertainment, cultural entertainment, souvenirs and recreational activities.

Every hall or large room becomes a theater, with each park and sports field fit a traditional market and the whole city, which does not allow you to escape more than 500 shows ranging from opera, theater and jazz up comedy style stand-up “(monologue) and African folk music.

Eye young people and lovers of electronic music have their place in this festival so great. All the time there is a giant industry where rave parties are held to the sound of a punch-punch ending.

For the more exotic are the medieval banquets, where it all goes back to a bygone era filled with noble fantasy. You can dress up, dance and laugh until mad.

As you can see there is room for everyone. You can attend with children, engaged in activities including those between 4 and 13 years to learn the art and culture are protagonists. You will not regret.

Belo Horizonte, the City of Music and Parks

Belo Horizonte is a city in Brazil, and is one of the cities where matches will take place World Cup 2014. The city, sometimes known as Beag, is one of the largest cities in the country.

Belo Horizonte is the capital of Minas Gerais. The city dates from the eighteenth century and still retains some of the buildings in classical style. The city has a contemporary style with modern buildings, like the Pampulha Complex, one of the icons of the city.

There are city views to the hills and mountains nearby. The city has numerous parks, such as the downtown City Park. The Parque das Mangabeiras, near the Praca do Papa, is one of the highest points of the city.

There are larger parks, among which is the Parque das Mangabeiras, which is six miles from downtown. Since this park is stunning open views towards the Serra do Curral and the city. Another park highlight is the natural reserve of Parque das Mangabeiras, where several species of birds and mammals.

The region is famous for its music. Some bands, like Uakti using traditional materials like wood, metal or glass to create music with an edge, yet traditional. The dance is also important in the life of this city. There are many groups devoted to contemporary dance. Each year, some dance schools are responsible for organizing projects to promote dance in the most troubled regions of the city.

There are several museums in the city. There are some museums, like the Museum of Mineiro or Abílio Barker Historical Museum. The city has several museums dedicated to art, as the Pampulha Museum of Art. Other museums are devoted to natural history, such as the Natural History Museum, Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Mineralogy. There are some curious museums, like the Telephone Museum or the Museum of Puppetry, which belongs to the comedy troupe Giramundo.

The theater is an important part of the city’s cultural life. Theatre companies strive to create plays of various streams. Notable groups, next to City Hall of Belo Horizonte, are responsible for preparing the biennial festival, filling the streets with artists, courses on theater and theater.

Belo Horizonte is famous for his drink Cachaca. La Comida di Buteco is a food festival every year chooses the best snacks and tapas bars in the region.

Some of the most interesting of the city are the historic and Pampulha. Other interesting neighborhoods is the neighborhood of Lourdes, famous for the Basilica of Lourdes, and the district of Santo Agostinho, where is located the Church of Nossa Senhora de Fátima.

The neighborhood of Pampulha is the most contemporary of the city, and here is the Mineirao stadium, one of the largest in the world. The Church of Sao Francisco de Assis is one of the most visited, with a modernist architecture.

The impressive historical center of the city stands the Cathedral Boa Viagem and the Church of Sao Jose. For here too there are several museums, one located in the old station Estacao da Praca. In Sete de Setembro Square is the Obelisk, 1922 an obelisk that celebrates a century of independence of Brazil from Portugal.

The liveliest area of the city is Savassi, full of restaurants, bars and galleries. Here also is the Praca de Liberdade and the Palácio de Liberdade, which, curiously, was the first building in the city. The most unique is undoubtedly the Rua do Amendoim, known for creating an optical illusion or a magnetic done when the cars parked on the hill seems to climb uphill.

Olympia, the Center of Culture

Olympia is the capital of the state of Washington, in North America. The town is considered the cultural capital of the Puget Sound region, a region made up of many rivers and estuaries.

Now the city had a large number of native tribes. The city itself was officially founded in 1840. The city is famous for being the home of the Olympia Brewing Company brewery, which produced the country’s most famous beers.

This city is the Washington State Capitol, the administrative headquarters of the state of Washington. There are several buildings with different administrative or legislative functions, and therefore the Washington State Capitol can be considered a symbol of the city.

The city is a city where more rain falls in the country. There are a lot of public parks and nature reserves. The Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area has an area of some 2.4 square kilometers. This nature reserve is a sanctuary for many different species of birds and animals. There are eagles, bats and otters spread across the territory of the reserve. Visitors can visit the reserve, although the bays are closed to the conservation of several species.

Many of the parks, such as Percival Landing Park, have large picnic areas and playgrounds. The Watershed Park, where before they were drinking water wells in the city, which has become a popular place for hiking and practicing, has beautiful views of the forest.

The city was built over an artesian well. The artesian well water is often used for the production of beer produced by the Olympia Brewing Company. Even today there are a couple of the original artesian wells around the city, and the locals are taking steps to conserve the last public artesian well in the city.

The small town of Olympia is considered the cultural center of the state. There are a lot of theater companies such as Capital Playhouse, Olympia Family Theater or Theater Artists Olympia. All these companies are responsible for producing several plays in different theatrical currents.

The city also has its own symphony orchestra, the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra usually gives its concerts at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. The center also tends to be visual art exhibitions.

A curious point is that the city has no museum has yet to receive many temporary exhibitions galleries. There are exhibitions of art, photography, and other newer currents, such as environmental art. Many of the exhibitions usually take place in coffee shops downtown. The murals are also a traditional art form which is a lot for the city.

The Olympia Film Society is organizing a film festival every year. This company also handles all kinds of brand new films, including independent films, national and international film productions, the Capitol Theater, a cinema located in an Art Deco style building.

Each Earth Day, celebrated every year on the fourth Saturday of April, the city hosts many cultural activities. During that day, we celebrate the Procession of the Species, or the Procession of the Species, when thousands of people organized a procession in which all participants dress in costumes reminiscent of some sort. This procession is considered one of the strangest and certainly interesting in the country. There are art exhibitions, concerts full of different musical currents, plays and are often organized courses in dance, art or music.

Charleston, the City of History, Food and Pace of South

The city of Charleston, South Carolina United States is a big city is a mix and ancient traditions. The city was one of the five largest cities in the country in the seventeenth century and is known as The Holy City for its many churches and parishes.

The city was founded in 1670, and took less than 100 years to become one of the richest cities of colonial America, at that time. It was one of the largest and most important ports during the colonial era and a model city of the resistance of the South during the Civil War.

To see the great heritage of this city are recommended to visit the Charleston Museum, the oldest in the country founded in 1773. The museum is at 360 Meeting Street, street fixtures in the historic district. Another symbol of the city and one of the most noteworthy is the church of San Felipe.

During the holiday seasons are celebrated many festivals and exhibitions. Every spring marks the Festival of Houses and Gardens, the festival of the houses and gardens, where one can see the most exclusive homes in the city, many of them colonial, beautifully decorated with lush gardens.

Waterfront Park is a charming place to stroll and relax while you absorb the spirit of the city. Here is one of many symbols of the city, a pineapple-shaped fountain. Nearby is a beautiful mansion with green stairs, which today is home to the Daughters of the Confederacy.

The hotel 2 Meeting Street Inn is one of the best known. This little gem from 1890 is one of the most majestic facades of the city, and even the inside is decorated with the finest materials in the Victorian style of Queen Anne High ceilings, oak paneling and decor attract many English tourists Southern colonial experience the atmosphere.

Today the city is a rich mixture of various cultures, between the old houses decorated in colonial times, churches, and the currents were adjusted in this city with the arrival of more cultures. This city is mixed French and Spanish culture with African and Caribbean, all blending with the colonial.

The unique blend of different traditions in the city is noted in the local cuisine, as centuries of historical gyrations have left an impressive selection of flavors. Many restaurants open their doors to those who come to taste the delicacies of the city, and delicious vegetable dishes with seafood sauce ripe create a unique atmosphere.

What stands out most of the city is the Poleto Festival USA, where you can see the whole environment cultural the country for about 17 days. For over 30 years, there have been representatives from the world of opera, dance, music and theater. Each square, church or park is full of singers, dancers and artists, hundreds of stalls and thousands of beats, surrounded by people all over the country.