30 days and the momentum can not be stopped...

so here i am sitting blogging after pumpkin hour and luckily my laptop doesn't turn into a pumpkin after midnight....

i can not sleep! because i saw the heart of Cape Town in community leaders from across Cape Town and it was GRAND!

more than 50 leaders, representing over 30 different community groupings, all taking hands, rolling up sleeves and coming together building something beautiful. 6 songs have been learnt, dance paces have been choreographed, music sheets have been handed out... 30 days to Carnival and we can't wait.

i saw the dream of Carnival that started a long time ago, resound in the hearts and the minds of leaders. i saw the willingness to bring whatever people have to create something new. i saw the passion burning in people's hearts, the music pumping through their veins and the light in their eyes, all knowing that it would be one of those moments which we could remind ourselves of "we were there".

i saw the vision of a massive float, more than 2000 people making music, and swaying to the rhythm. we could imagine the energy in the air as the parade stood waiting... we could envisage big big costumes (2 meters high), stilt walkers, large props, stories being told through rhythm, roots and boots....

Cape Town it is time! put on your dancing shoes, grab your favourite bright shirt, don a pair of fairy wings or a fabulous hat. harass your DJ's to play the music, so that we will all sing and celebrate together. the people have come together. we are READY!

Rehearsal day: 13 February 2010

wow, hats of to the minstrels and the Klopse and the choirs and the dancers and everyone that has ever put together a carnival or an event.... everytime one stands ahead of the challenge of bringing large groups of people together there are a million things to address. and our first firetest was on Saturday, 13 February 2010.

this is a tribute to the carnival stakeholders after a day that will forever stick out in my mind, the day i saw cape town embrace our differences and celebrate our oneness.

firstly, to our valued partners: you blew us away. arriving with your teams, setting yourselfs up in the different groups, lending us your ears and your passion, coming together on a day where we made history together. 1300 of you joined in this rehearsal and represented more than 2000 participants. it was GRAND!! for getting into the vibe, parading up and down the field of Rygate, dancing your heart out THANK YOU! minstrels and marimbas, marching bands and choirs with youngsters and gogos, soccer players, bellydancers, djembe drummers, indian dancers, pantsulas, gumboots, drum majorettes - the list goes on and on.... We salute you and can't wait to conclude this journey with you.

to all the help from the City administrators and logistics teams: you were amazing - without your help we would have never been able to pull it off. and without your willingness to get it right - we came to once again appreciate our partnership with the City. thanks to you, our Carnival people were safe and protected, and had the sound

to our service providers: the bus company - what a logistical challenge and for most of it, you did a phenomenal job... not a mean feat for a company - we applaud you.

for all the other service providers - NICE equipment, SK Sound (and my own personal bodyguard :) ) and anyone else we have left out, 13 February 2010 will forever stand out in my mind as the day where history was made.

to the Carnival team, well done doesn't even begin to fathom to what you achieved in bringing the rehearsal together - amazing what a bunch of dedicated passionate people can do. i can't really point out just one of the team, as everyone really did their bit. however, noel - for saving my voice and igniting the enthusiasm, well done on the mike there Sir.

we had our moments of challenges and lessons learnt, we had moments of being let down very badly by our suppliers and for that there is no excuse, but as we said we will pledge to do it better next time.

but i think, when we all got back home and looked at the day, we can proud of what was achieved and the momentum that is just growing stronger. Cape Town Carnival participants... I can not wait for 20 March!

A year in review... Month 1 - 6!

Start January 2009, it's me, myself and I, in a very large, very white office with a crystal candelabra... Naspers moves offices and it becomes me, myself, and I in a very larger, very white office with four orange desks, 2 long desks that look like the colours of some university and every phone call reverbetating in triplicate as we continue the journey of working out the detail of what the Cape Town Carnival is supposed to look like.

February 2009: Head off to Rio de Janeiro.... the Carnival of all Carnivals. Arrive with Fritz, Neil, Koo, Helen, JP, Lobo and go visit Samba City, and the Sambadromo. It's cooking hot and Neil is not convinced he's going to survive the heat.

The Brazilians are even hotter and I am amazed at the beauty and ease of the people. The Carnival is overwhelming and mind-blowing at the same time. Colour and music and rhythm and enjoyment. An inspiration for the years to come! After meeting with the organisers of the Rio Carnival, I get into bed at 19h30... totally bushed....

March - May 2009: With the skeleton of the Carnival taking shape, we realise that it has become essential to get a team together to achieve all but the impossible through lots of grace from above. Naspers donates our operating capital as increasingly we need to get a team to take on this venture full-time. So I write Job Descriptions, put together a dream team list, whittle it down to a recession team list and start interviews. Stephen and Robert, from RAINN, really impresses us and we get the go-ahead to appoint them as community facilitators. So for now, the Carnival goes a bit silent so that we can work out the exact model for the Carnival. It is at this juncture where we realise that the Carnival will always be a work in progress, a melting pot of different groupings, structures, communication channels etc. etc. This is not Rio baby! (different cultures, different languages, different styles of music and performing arts.... - a pure fruit salad of Cape Town).

June - July 2009: With Stephen and Robert onboard, the team suddenly grows with another three people in four weeks. In Afrikaans you would say "my koker is vol :)". Edmund joins as logistics manager, leaving Die Burger to take on this adventure. Dezre with her calm collectedness decides that she needs to venture away from the tourism industry but brings with her that experience... As office administrator she assists with the financial and admin processes, but more over make my life a lot easier in helping with setting up appointments. And Kelli the "hottie" with the bright smile bowls us over with her mock media release, that thinks out of the box and joins the team as marketing & PR co-ordinator. We are moving forward!

For the record, we restage a media stint - taking over the city council meeting and snipping the speaker's tie and challenging all councillors to somehow get involved. We get ETV coverage which we are very happy about (Unfortunately MJ steals our thunder... who could have known that he would pass away the next day - talk about bad timing...)

And then most important part of Carnival starts. Getting the buy-in of the most important people - the performing groups. And within 2 months we have 8 main genres that have bought into this new platform for Cape Town's talent, bringing people together. They include: the minstrels, Christmas choirs, Malay choirs, marching bands, marimbas, african drummers, western cape dance teacher's association, african choirs on board. Our main stakeholders and partners have bought in... WOW.

Zillions of cups of coffees, talking to people, igniting the passion. We now can truly say the Carnival is happening. We get to meet the coolest people... we are excited!

Recreating the Sea!

Just a bit of sharing as a word of encouragement to all of you who are so graciously contributing and reflecting our City’s creative energy and spirit! Shaping the CAPE TOWN CARNIVAL!

Group A – Storyline: THE SEA have had their brainstorm session!!

Illka Louw (our very own international award-winning stage designer and costume maker), Koos Marais(set and prop designer for the Baxter) and Illette Stapeberg, another renowned costumier have together given shape and depth in sketching their storyboard!

Sharing pizza’s and ideas, one of the many highlights of Thursday evening was the way in which folklore was interpreted into something visually innovative… guaranteed NEVER to have been seen before. Stories of Van Hinks duelling with the devil on top of Table Mountain, our first drag queen - Antjie Somers, Woltemade’s tragic tale of heroism portrayed so tenderly. The costumes are cleverly designed in such a way that there is always something new to look at. Don’t expect the usual maritime imagery. If there are any penguin lovers out there, you’re in for a treat.

Critical to the session was the concept of the float. The floats, 5 metres high, are basically the crowning glory of each group. What we’re trying to achieve is an unexpected sensory treat with a great ol’ dollop of excess on top. For this group in particular, the float is a summary of all the achievements and defining moments in the Cape Town saga.

These are all the first moments of fleshing out this group’s story. They’re the piece of the puzzle that indicates the rest. And it’s a hopeful puzzle!

AND the 20 voluntary music composers under the keen ear of Clive Ridgway and supportive eye of Peter Theunissen are also fast working at creating 5 BRAND NEW songs!

Thank you for your work, time and efforts - I’m sure many of you are at the developmental stage like that of Group A… pulling your various team members inputs together and soliciting even more ideas and time from your many friends, colleagues, and networks. And for those of you who have not yet got actively involved, its not to late – your team would love to have your energy and ideas!!

Make this our moment for us as Cape Town Creative’s to shine and reflect our love for our city!

Thank you for being part of something extraordinary!

All systems go....

Life at the Carnival is running at an incredible pace at the moment! In the past week I've watched the team all up their energy levels another notch with the realisation that we're moving into crunch time... the last 6 month stretch.

People we've seen over the last 2 weeks:
MPRPA, Good Hope Ward, MXiT, Cape Consumers, BWASA, ENS, 24.com, Winelands Film Festival, a PR company, SAA, Globeflight, the City of Cape Town etc. etc. in this was in a quiet week.

Kelli has been running full out in getting more media set-up, assisting with our web redesign, setting up photoshoots etc. Edmund has had his hands full in planning for our first rehearsal date end of November. Robert & Stephen has been meeting and meeting and meeting community leaders. Richard, Debbie and Sandy have been getting up to speed with everything and Dezre has been filling up my diary with appointments....

We're still looking for some serious sponsors, but in return they will be getting about R20 - 30 million in media value... Now that's what I call a bargain... :)

Looks like I'll be off to Jozi three times in the next three weeks... YAY!.... not... speaking of which they've just had their carnival for the fourth year... nope, I didn't know that either.

So Cape Town, let's get ready to show the world what a real carnival in Africa looks like! The world is coming here to watch the soccer, let's make sure they take note!

Rhythm, Roots and Boots: Richard Loring's onboard as artistic director & producer

Rhythm, Roots and Boots: Richard Loring's onboard as artistic director & producer

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Richard Loring's onboard as artistic director & producer

Richard Loring, one of the most acclaimed and successful theatre producers in South Africa, has come onboard as the overall artistic director and producer of the inaugural Cape Town Carnival 2010.

Loring will oversee the creative execution of the event that is set to take the Mother City by storm from 18-20 March 2010. The producer is most well known for the locally and internationally mega successful production African Footprint.

The Carnival, which will become an annual highlight on the local calendar, is designed to be an all-inclusive, cultural expression of Cape Town, bringing together the diverse communities of the city through universally expressive forms such as music, dance and visual arts.

“I am delighted to be associated with such an ambitious project that focuses so strongly on the expression of all forms of local culture,” says Loring. “I can’t wait to get started. It will be the inaugural Cape Town Carnival, so all eyes are going to be on us, especially with 2010 being such a momentous year for all South Africans. We need to get it right from the outset and give people something authentic and memorable so that anticipation will mount for the following year’s event almost immediately after the first one ends. We see this as a long-term investment.”

Loring was born in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Starting out with the famous George Mitchell singers in the Ken Dodd show in Manchester, Loring went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and while working and paying his way through college, joined the Windsor Repertory. In 1970, he accepted an invitation which was to change the direction of his life drastically. He travelled to South Africa to play Tony in The Boyfriend; Tony in West Side Story and numerous other productions. But it was Loring strutting onto the stage in high heels and odd socks as the Narrator in Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that firmly established him as a top favourite in the musical field.

The journey of Loring’s most iconic work, African Footprint began as his dream to empower South African youth, especially talented young black dancers, through theatre. His vision evolved into a determination to create a unique song and dance experience as a platform to showcase emerging talents. Since its inception the production has been televised around the world and seen by more than 250 million viewers.
Carnivals are not unfamiliar territory to theatre veteran, Richard Loring. In 1986 and 1988 he was contracted to produce and co-ordinate the Carnival International for the City of Johannesburg. This event hosted 26 communities featuring a 5 kilometre Float Parade, a Cultural Village showcasing food and culture and 2 000 artists performing on a nightly basis.
Isabel Meyer, the CEO of the Cape Town Carnival says “We are ecstatic to have someone of Loring’s calibre on board as producer and artistic director, and believe we will be growing the Carnival into a carnival that will be able to compete with some of the best in the world. Having Debbie Batsofin, his associate producer onboard as well really strengthens our confidence that with the team and our amazing communities, we are creating something spectacular. And of course, the fact that Richard has been looking at how he can spend more time at his Cape Town home that he has had for more than 20 years is a bonus.”

She adds: “We are delighted that the main objective of the Carnival to build social cohesion and community esteem is already being partly achieved as we have seen new friendships made and partnerships forged in the short time that we’ve been working with the groups. We are also focusing on how the new platform to showcase Cape Town’s rich plethora of talent, can create positive spin-offs for the local economy, communities, related creative industries and tourism. It is indeed very exciting times for the team and all our most valued partners and stakeholders.”