Rhythm, Roots and Boots

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noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:36:00 +0000

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Greenmarket Square Carnival Concert - get all the detail here!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:44:00 +0000

20 March 2010!
18h00: CONCERT IN GREENMARKET SQUARE

Line-up as follows:

Emo Adams & Take Note
Loyiso Bala
Locnville

20h00: PARADE IN LONG STREET

22h00: CONCERT IN GREENMARKET SQUARE
Circuswing

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

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:32:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:15:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:35:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelli) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:18:00 +0000

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....

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 06:02:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:21:00 +0000

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

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Richard Loring's onboard as artistic director & producer

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:05:00 +0000

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.”

Stories from Cape Town for Cape Town!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:55:00 +0000

The Cape Town Carnival and its participating stakeholders recently completed an exciting phase of the Carnival. Over the past few weeks focus group workshops were held with creative representatives from the larger cultural groupings, which are already on board with the Carnival as well as professional individuals from the creative industries that volunteered their services.

Five electrifying group storylines were created, each storyline comprising 6 different sections referred to as chapters. The chapters will be represented and interpreted by 2 or more performing genres drawn from the membership of the formal organisations and their representatives of particular regions. These genres will form the anchor of each chapter, as well as guide the creation of individual songs, costumes and floats for each of the five groups.

Each group, tasked with creating stories that speak to the purpose, intent and overall theme of the Cape Town Carnival, conceptualised the elements of each storyline.

“Our stakeholders were amazing! Watching the stories unfold, and hearing the imaginative interpretations of how one could represent them confirmed what we have known all along: Cape Town has immense talent and the Carnival is excited to showcase this to the world. It was also awesome to see how performers and creative industry experts brain-stormed together to create something new, a step closer to bringing our communities closer together,” commented Isabel Meyer, the CEO of the Cape Town Carnival.

The storyline titles are “The Missing Pieces”, “Stories of the Sea”, “Children of the Winds of Change”, “Postcards from Cape Town” and “The Streets of Cape Town”. These are currently being refined and will influence elements like costume and prop design, music, puppets and floats. Feedback sessions to the main leaders of the five main groups are to follow shortly. The exciting rehearsal period will commence in October 2009.

Where specific artistic influences are required, smaller groups will be invited to supplement the chapters. A number of smaller groups have already volunteered themselves, and where appropriate space will be found for these individual groupings to work with the larger genres.

Stakeholders already committed to participating to make the Cape Town Carnival the highlight of Cape Town’s Art and culture calendar include the Cape Town Minstrels Carnival Association, Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association, Cape Malay Choir Board, WC Drumline Association, Cape Music Industry Commission, AmaAmbush Marimbas, Federation of Dance Sport South Africa, WC Marching Bands Association, South African Christmas Bands Board, WC Drum Majorettes, Community Plough Back Movement, Western Province Dance Teachers Association and various other community organisation from in and around the city.

Here’s what some of them had to say:

“I am impressed with the multi-cultural support and fun had by all! I find this is what Cape Town has lacked and I believe that The Cape Town Carnival will bring our Community together and for WPDTA it’s a wonderful experience to support and to give our dancers, from all genres and races a chance to participate and give something back to our wonderful City!”
- Paul Johnson, Western Province Dance Teachers Association

“This event has the potential to bring together musicians and artists from around the Cape, and is already creating new opportunities and relationships for all involved. The planning for the Carnival is being run ethically and professionally, and we are proud to be associated with the event.”
- Ross Johnson MD amaAmbush Productions

“The Western Cape Marching Band Association and South African Marching Show Band love the idea of the Cape Town Carnival to build community and stimulate development through creatively combining Cape Town. This atmosphere will bring different cultures together, celebrating as one nation.”
- Fadiel Gasant, South African Marching Show Band Association

“Cape Town Carnival will fuse many genres, and for our Kaapse Klopse Karnival this is a blessing and will add value to the people of Cape Town. The talent showcased, management, and the contribution to the private sector for the funding of specific aspects of the Carnival, will be transferred both ways. The unexplored potential of The Cape Town Carnival in Cape Town will become visible. The Cape Town Carnival has the know-how necessary for how Carnival should be in South Africa.”
- Melvyn Matthews, Kaapse Klopse Karnival

An invitation is extended to all creative industries, performing groups and anyone else that would like to volunteer for this event to contact the Carnival office on info@capetowncarnival.com or to join the Facebook group “Cape Town Carnival” for more information on how the community can be involved.

M-Net joins CTC in the biggest party in Africa!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:49:00 +0000

The Cape Town Carnival is proud to announce their newly-formed strategic partnership with Africa’s biggest pay-TV channel, M-Net. The broadcast company will be an official media sponsor of the Carnival in the lead-up to the event. The culmination of the partnership will be a dedicated channel on DStv that will cover the parade on 20 March 2010, as well as advertising airtime on all M-Net channels to promote the Carnival.

The Carnival promises to give Capetonians and visitors to the City a true taste of Cape Town’s unique, diverse and vibrant cultures, creative and performing arts, like never before, presented in a spectacular format similar to such world-renowned events as the Rio Carnival and the Mardis Gras in New Orleans, but maintaining a distinctive flavour found only in the Mother City.

M-Net Corporate Marketing & Communications Director, Koo Govender says the channel is delighted to be able to play a role in the inaugural Cape Town Carnival and to become a long-term strategic partner. “M-Net is really looking forward to bringing the magic of the Carnival to viewers across the country on DStv,” she says. “It’s going to be a huge event and we are excited to be able to help share it with the whole of South Africa”.

The parade event will be broadcast in its entirety, live on the dedicated DStv channel, ensuring that the excitement and scope of the Carnival will not be limited only to those fortunate enough to participate in it in person or who are not in Cape Town. “This is our first step in truly creating a national and international event,” says Isabel Meyer, CEO of the Cape Town Carnival Trust.

“The Cape Town Carnival is about public-private partnerships, about partnerships between communities, corporate sponsors, government and the media,” says Meyer. “It is up to all of us to make the Carnival a success that will eventually compete with the best carnivals in the world, ultimately to the benefit of all South Africans. The media will play a very important role in this. We are therefore delighted that M-Net has decided to partner with us on this event. They are making an investment upfront, saying: ‘Cape Town, we believe in you!’”

The broadcast will also incorporate an interactive element for viewers who can’t be there to experience the extravaganza in the flesh. “It is fantastic to be partnering with people that share our passion and vision for the Carnival,” adds Meyer. “Partnering with M-Net also extends our reach to across South Africa, giving audiences the opportunity to also become involved via SMS voting and viewer competitions. We will also be providing international news agencies with footage, starting to speak to international tourists.”

The Cape Town Carnival is taking place from 18 – 20 March 2010, bringing Capetonians, South Africans and the rest of the world a visual and cultural feast, with groups comprising, in total, more than 10 000 participants. An event definitely not to be missed! Stay tuned to M-Net for more details.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Wetmore) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:02:00 +0000

This week has seen the beginning's of each of the 5 groups setting their creative energies to max and framing their interpretation of Rhythm Roots & Boots. Its a beautiful thing to watch - the various genre's are pulling their talents together! So amazing... wish I was at liberty to share! But right now it's very much James Bond/Top Secret/FBI stuff!!!... sorry!... but if you want in (be a Top Secret Agent of Creativity) - theirs still 3 more sessions happening next week 17 to 19 August from 18:30 -20:30 right here in our Carnival office 44 Long Street.

weaving magic

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Wetmore) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:29:00 +0000

One of the most rewarding parts of working on this exciting initiative is to have the assumption constantly reaffirmed that Cape Town has more than the talent needed to make… no create… a brilliant and very unique Cape Town Carnival! There is no way that the analogy of or a comparison can be made to something like the Rio Carnival. For one we are distinctly different (no one samba played over and over here!) simply in culture… but more importantly… we are diverse and complex! If we can marry all these genres together, we going to see a rich tapestry created… and I suspect that these kind of engagements will reinforce the histories and help forge newness and uniqueness that Africa is just so bloody good at!

Step-by-step, we can do this TOGETHER!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:56:00 +0000

so it's been more than 12 months since I first got that call on a Friday afternoon at 17h30 from Rachel to ask whether I will be willing to take on this Carnival baby...

So much has happened since then. We did a wad of research - anyone care to see the 70 page presentation that brought the reality of Carnival to all of us? We decided on a theme "Rhythm, Roots and Boots" and gave birth to a corporate identity.

We had a launch with Helen Zille - 500 invitees, a dance routine happening in 3 weeks, an event meeting where we discussed the almost impossible task of closing Long Street and barely survived and a miracle evening where bergies and tourists and invitees in cocktail dresses and street kids together danced the night away. We've had a million meetings with potential sponsors and we're still going strongly. We've gone on an R&D trip to Rio - which everyone looked at and said "Yeah right and you call that work?" :D

We've gotten an office, which was rather lonely with just me in it for the first while, we've gotten our first sponsor for an operational team (what a blessing) and we've had a team start 5 people in six weeks.

We've had our stakeholder meetings, experiencing the goodwill and excitement and passion that people have for their art and culture, we've had the buy-in of our most important stakeholders. We've had sponsors offering us amazing trade sponsorships. We've been building relationships with communities, organisations, government, corporates.

We've had our moments of frustration and our moments of despair. We've had several moments of disappointment, but even more of pure enjoyment and wonder at the amazing people we get to meet and the awesome power of what passion can do. And watching a miracle unfold. We've had moments of heated debating of exactly how the groups need to be constituted, perform in a way that makes sense and who should be our MC's for events. We've had moments of gentle teasing and rigorous postering ;) (and that's in our internal team :D)

We've signed up our TV partners... we've seen the birth of our Carnival Theme Song...

How far have we come....

After endless cups of coffee, and herbal tea... and herbal tea.. and herbal tea... too many slices of real Italian pizza from the Italian shop on the corner (Timeout), late nights, red-eye flights to Johannesburg, moments of madness and hysteria, endless meetings and pitches... we are still on track!

This is our Recession Carnival, having had had to scale down the carnival in a huge way, taking the current economic situation into account.

But it is happening!!!! and we need everyone to pitch in and help, so that in 244 days we'll be able to enjoy the first fruits of our Carnival venture and all say.... we were part of that!

Come on Cape Town, this carnival belongs to you!

If I am blogging... anything is possible...

noreply@blogger.com (Robert) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Hola!! (And... Isabella! It is I.... yes I.... the anti-blogger...;)

So, 18, 19, 20 March 2010 is the date for the Carnival weekend. Yet, for me, the Carnival is already happening. Every day that we passionately inject ourselves into our work in our engine room at 44 Long Street, (or wherever else we may be doing that Carnival “thing” that we do), the Carnival IS happening. Every day anybody outside the engine room speaks or thinks about the Carnival, the Carnival IS happening. All the wonderful and inspiring conversations and engagements we have had and continue to have with various performing arts groups, community leaders, artistic visionaries, businesses, techies and the beautiful people of Cape Town in general, IS the Carnival happening. So the Carnival event may be 245 days away, (*deep breath*) but every day is seeing another little piece of the story becoming a reality. Stukkie vir stukkie. So in my opinion: The Carnival is HERE!

And a far as the past few days, weeks are concerned…. Let’s see: Building Relationships. Creating Spaces for Creativity. Earning Trust. Making Friends. Building Bridges. Laughing. Faith. Making the Difficult-to-Conceive Possible. Building more Relationships. And… a touch of MAGIC… That's a window into the story of us, the Cape Town Carnival Team.

Wonderful to be here! Can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner…

My motto for the week: Creativity takes Practice.

Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Dezre Little) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 09:53:00 +0000

So there we were having our second forum meeting on the 14^th July in the Africa Centre room (Has a nice ring to it). Most of the large associations in Cape Town were there. Everyone was enthusiastic and passionate and the ball started rolling… One of the topics which came up is our Cape Town Carnival theme song and how this would be adapted for each of the groups and the various flavours that the Cape Town communities have to offer. Our whole vision of social cohesion and community development extends itself to every aspect of the carnival including how our groups are being formed and how our music is being written. So we will have five groups competing against each other, each made up of all the different flavours of music and dance that Cape Town has to offer. These flavours will be divided into sections within the five competing groups, with the vision being that at least two flavours will work together in song and dance – coming together as a new unique blend that emphasizes each other and while still retaining their original flavour :)

Examples of other great flavour combos:

Chocolate and hazelnut, Sweet & Sour, Sweet & Salty, Roquefort fresh figs, Feta cheese and watermelon,Stilton Cheese with Pecans, Raw oysters and Muscadet, Garlic and rosemary, Mushrooms with sage, Salame & and a sharp gorgonzola, Sharp cheddar and grapes, Strong black coffee, cinnamon rolls, Lime Juice and Cilantro, Swiss cheese and avocado,Gouda with pear, Vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, Bourbon and 7-Up, Bacon and scrambled eggs, Chocolate and Banana, Spicy red onion and blue cheese, Strawberries and balsamic, Frangelico and blueberries, Peanut butter and Jelly, Cream cheese and Jalapeno jelly, Mango and Hot Sauce, Lime and Avocado,Fresh peaches and cream,Fresh figs and mascarpone cheese, Strawberries and champagne, Fried clams and tartar sauce, Indian lentils (dhal) and yogurt, Saltines and bar chocolate, Oreos and peanut butter, Papaya with lime juice, Pretzels dipped in milk chocolate, Coffee ice cream w/hot fudge, Cranberry and turkey, Bananas and Rum, Shrimp and Ginger and Beed and Orange.

Put on your Dancing Boots!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelli) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:23:00 +0000

I suspect that my friends are a tad jealous of me. When you work in vibey Long Street, in an office filled with charming, fun-loving, dedicated professionals and your day is always unpredictable, who wouldn’t be? But I think the foremost reason is that I’m part of the team behind the biggest party Cape Town is yet to see. Carnival! Dancers! Minstrels! Drummers! OTT costumes! 2-Storey Floats! Can you say idyllic?

I’m the PR and Marketing person(ality) for the Cape Town Carnival, and I’m relishing it. We work hard, we play hard and most of the time the lines between work and play are blurred. This week was a prime example.

I was fortunate enough to see the birth of a future number one hit. The Cape Town Carnival theme song was recorded at the impressive Kaleidosound Studios and produced by Gabi Le Roux - he of Mandoza’s cross-over hit Nkalakatha. Watching Gabi compose and record the song is quite incredible. He approaches his task with a meticulous yet highly intuitive style. Something he was born to do, I’m convinced. I wonder what he would be like if we were back in the 16th century? I’m sure that he’d resemble the maniacal genius of Mozart. Love your style, Gabz!

The theme song is thoroughly feel-good (perfect for summer) - about Cape Town coming together through art, building those much needed bridges through culture and of course having fun at the carnival. Word of caution – you will dance.

t’s performed by local marvels that you might recognize but I’ll keep you all in suspense until it’s officially released. What I can tell you is that they’re brilliant at improvisation, stringing together acoustic versions of the theme song in merely seconds. Raw talent. My job for the day was to document all of this on film, which we’ll upload onto the website soon, so keep visiting

www.capetowncarnival.com. Also, check Facebook and Twitter (CTCarnival) regularly for updates on events leading up to the Carnival parade taking place 18-20 March 2010.

... my marketing guru knows how to warm the cockles of my heart..

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:59:00 +0000

We have the most beautiful office... in a fantastic revamped building - the New Space Theatre... but it could do with a fireplace....

So Kelli knowing my wishlist for a list of restaurants in Cape Town that has a fireplace, decided that she would warm up my day, after the last few days of miserable winter weather.....

Gotta love my PR - she is creative and has a heart of gold.... no more cold hands for me..... so much love in this office ;)

Forced

noreply@blogger.com (Edmund) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:31:00 +0000

So at the moment we are forced to Blog... And a stern warning was given by Isabel that if we do not contribute by Friday we must buy the rest of the office a drink.

This is a difficult situation for me... I'll gladly buy everybody at the office all the time a drink(s) but I fear that they will have to and since we are 6 in the office and there is only five working days I'm afraid that we might loose an opportunity for a drink!

But on the logistics side: a lot of work has been done and confirmation on exact venue etc will follow hopefully in the next month... so hold thumbs.

Also busy confirming the bands for the after party... and we are talking a big line-up... real headliners...

OK, have to go and do some real work now. Like Facebook.

The Dream Team! Miracles we can do, the impossible might take a bit longer!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:49:00 +0000

Cape Town Carnival have employed more staff to help this dream come alive.

On our community facilitation and engagement side, Robert Davids and Stephen Wetmore have been hard at work speaking to most of the main performing arts groupings that will be core to us creating this new platform of collaboration in Cape Town. They have inter alia been speaking to the gospel choirs, the Minstrels, the Western Cape Dance Teachers Association, marimba bands, the South African Drumming and Bands Association, Cape MIC, VANSA, PANSA, to give you but the headlines. Robert and Stephen have facilitated a myriad of different community engagement initiatives and has vast experience. Their presence in the team has already made a massive difference. An added bonus is that Stephen is passionate about the arts as well as very connected, and in Robert we have our own dancer and musician. What a fantastic combination!

Then my pillar of strength has arrived in the form of my Chief Operations Manager, Edmund Beukes. Edmund has extensive experience from inter alia his years as "Die Burger"'s marketing manager. He has dived into the deep end pursuing budgets and suppliers and detailed planning with the city. He is a great addition to the team and above all, has a wicked sense of humour (which I'm sure he's still going to need) and is inspirationally making sure that we get to gym, so that we can be in top shape for the Carnival. All round, I wouldn't want to do the Carnival without him.

Then of course, the angel in the team is Dezre. Dezre Little has extensive event management experience as well as tourism experience and will be taking care of all administrative management matters. So she is the lady that will be ensuring that all goes smoothly in the office. As I do not think I was present on the day that admin skills was handed out, Dezre is a lifesaver. She is also super sufficient, so if you ever deal with her, make sure that you know what you want, because she can almost pre-empt you and get it done, even before you ask :D

Dezre in her free time is also a fine artist!

We'll be adding some more members to the team as the year go through, but join me in wishing the team all the best. They are going to be part of this miracle unfolding!

Cape Town Carnival has offices!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:24:00 +0000

To be honest, we've actually had it for quite a while now, since February. But times have been a little bit insane... and we've been very busy. So apologies for the late notice Cape Town!

The Cape Music Industry Commission, one of our strategic partners, has been kind enough to provide us with office premises and Media24 donated some. Thanks Peter and Adri!!

It is based on the 3rd Floor, the New Space Theatre, Long Street 44 and is abuzz with activity on a daily basis.

The New Space Theatre is a fantastically creative environment with Africa Centre, the actual Theatre, iKapa Dance studio and a few other creative ventures all congregated in the same building. You will always run into some creative soul in the passages and you can stay on top of a host of new plays, dance extravaganzas and cultural events at the same time. Sometimes I catch myself singing to the music of someone rehearsing or the music that is often heard on the staircase - for the faint-hearted, word of warning, we'll get you fit up the 3 storey staircase (no lift), to make sure you are ready to party the night away in 2010.

We have a brightly coloured office, with our pride and joy, the beautiful crystal chandelier... So pop in if you ever come past.... however, be warned, we might just involve you in this beehive of activity!

Some more photographs can be seen here on our Facebook site! Join today!

A taste of Rio - a fast track learning experience!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:31:00 +0000

check out the pics on our facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1106438303800&f=1&e=-12

The party never stops...

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro leaves me without words... and for those that know me, that is not a regular occurrence...

Never have I seen such beauty and such joie de vive and zest for life... Old and young... think MCQP party that lasts for five days... for everyone!!!

Every where one looks people are wearing crowns and wigs and fairy tale clothes, grown-ups playing and the toddlers, loving every moment.

As I am sitting here a "bloco" (street band) is marching past, playing some awesome music, a little remiscent of our own minstrels...

It's about dancing and singing and fun fun fun!! People really celebrating life, forgetting about all the hardships and heartache for a weekend...

It is beautiful.

Check out the Sambadromo links on Facebook. Will also still post some more thoughts... when my body and brain has caught up with each other :) Jetlag and sleep deprivation - a nasty combination!

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1106438303800&f=1&e=-12

The date has changed! 19 - 21 March 2010!

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:54:00 +0000

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! With the date gremlins playing havoc with the City's diary, we double-booked ourselves with the Argus if we hold the Carnival from 12 - 14 March 2010... We wouldn't want all the cyclist fanatics to miss out on the biggest party to hit Cape Town for the year!

So we've reshuffled the diaries and now have official City permission to hold the Carnival on 19 - 21 March 2010. The aim is to have the annual Carnival on the 3rd weekend of March every year, in between the Argus, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Two Oceans.

The bonus of 2010's date is that Sunday, 21 March is a public holiday, which means that the Monday will be a public holiday! So for all the people from the North, that means that you can stay for a looooong weekend!

So put the date in your diary... you do not want to miss this!

finding a logo that says it all...

noreply@blogger.com (isabelm) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 13:13:00 +0000

with our bank coffers still empty we needed a logo to be designed and approached some of our colleagues and friends that we've worked with before to assist with some pro bono work...

the one was almost ready to get married, another was on maternity leave, one wanted to start her own business and another was running her own business... but they all pitched in and came up with amazing ideas.

here's a pick of some of the beautiful designs we had to choose from:

After some extensive elaboration we decided upon the one with the heart.

The graphic designer, Kurt Samson from Itopia (www.itopia.co.za) designed the winning design in the early hours of the morning. This is what he had to say about it: "I've loosely used the colours of the City of Cape Town to create the Cape Town Carnival logo. I change the colours slightly to be brighter and sharper, so that the overall logo becomes more colourful and exciting.

The coloured strokes leading to the stars represent our diverse cultures all originating from a single source, the heart of Cape Town, and all being allowed to sparkle at this spectacular event.

I've used the black table mountain (as used in the City Logo) because it is the most identifiable landmark of Cape Town. No other landmark can compete with this icon.

I've brought one added colour into the design, the colour of the year. This colour would change each year, but its tone should be bright and festive. The year also becomes the base of the design, holding all the other elements together."

We want to thank Kurt, Anne-Mart Swanepoel (Option A), Rache Kitching and Suki Locke (www.jaggeddaisy.co.za) for their contributions. We are really thankful!