Bristol Harbour Festival
2007
We went to the Millennium Square first, to check out the
Cirque Bijou...
<- This aerial artist is from Israel, and I
think the act is called Avital (I can't be certain as they simply didn't seem to be sticking to anything like the programme times or schedules!) She was amazing - so elegant. Her partner climbed up and down the staging at the side of the stage, acting as her counterbalance with the strap contraption fixed to his belt. A lovely polished performance it was, too.
This pair ->
are from Siberia, we were told, and their act was really beautiful (I couldn't believe how
strong she is! She held him like that for a good few seconds before they sloooowly twisted back up to the trapeze...) A gorgeous performance, graceful and lyrical.
<- This acrobatic (and limbo-dancing) team are the
Black Eagles, from Tanzania, very talented - and terrific clap-along music - but exhausting to watch!
In between the acts we were kept entertained by the two
compères - one of whom treated us to a display of juggling from his
mouth, of all things - and the Beach Boys, a pair of cute blokes in bathing suits who did acrobatic type things on stage... There were also, of course, far more acts than I have pictured here, but the place was packed and I didn't have a very good position until the end, alas. (I took about 200 photos but don't have the energy to sort through them and make slideshows tonight. Maybe later.)
The last performance we stayed for, however, was the one I'd been particularly looking forward to,
Gamarjobat, the Japanese mime double act... ->
Hysterical - simply hysterically funny. Not to mention delightfully rude... I had a sore throat from laughing at the end, and the kids at the front loved them. (So did the bigger kids at the back.)
I gather they were on
Blue Peter recently too. If you ever get the chance to see them, I'd recommend going: they're simply brilliant. Hugely expressive and very skilled, and wonderful improvisators as well. Forget everything you know about mimes and prepare for riotous fun.
I confess I was bemused by the stage crew - escapees from (or perhaps clones of) Young Einstein by the looks of it...
We stood for well over an hour in hot sunshine (it was supposed to be cloudy with sunny spells today...) watching the acts: my back and legs are killing me, and my face is singed, dammit! (Luckily I have some that Definity stuff left; it worked in Exmouth, it seems to be doing the trick here.) Kai wanted to ride the Harbour Railway afterwards, so we queued up to get over
Pero's Bridge (yes, it was
that busy!) then over the swing bridge - to find that the
Matthew was sailing up the Floating Harbour!
So we paused on the bridge to watch (and take photos) as she reached the widest point of the harbour then was turned ready to go back down to her berth near the
SS Great Britain
While we were waiting for the train the
Jeannie Johnston pulled away from the dock, on her way towards the Cumberland Basin. I'd love a trip on one of these replica old ships one of these days.
It was a half hour trip to the Create Centre and back, and rarely have I been so pleased to be sitting down! But all in all it was a great afternoon (we left home at ten to one and got back at five thirty) and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Well, except for the heat and the tiredness. And the dehydration. And the sunburn. But everything else was wonderful!
Tomorrow I have a dental appointment - just a check-up. Since I shall be up at Broadwalk I'll check out the new Wilkinson's and see if I can get the clay pots I need for my orchids...
Labels: Bristol Harbour Festival, sprogs
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Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor
pontificated this at 12:38 am
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