Festival Set to Soar

Media Release
All Media
Immediate Release

Wednesday July 13, 2005

Festival Set to Soar

With less than a week to go until the “Applaud” Christchurch Arts Festival begins encouraging signs at the box office and international news pouring in are buoying spirits at the festival office.

Cuban jazz musician Omar Sosa has sold out two huge concerts at the Queensland Music Festival. A two time grammy nominee for his recorded work, Omar Sosa’s live performance has been described as displaying his “an almost feral sense of showmanship.” The exciting stage action of Omar’s concerts is underscored by his technical virtuosity. With a ferocious flair for rhythm Omar will play up a free flowing fusion of cha-cha grooves, rumba phrases, Hip Hop beats, Yoruba chants and rhapsodic melodies.

Cirque Eloize’s recent foray into Asia with “Nomade,” was also meet with sold out houses, ecstatic audiences and fantastic reviews. The company arrived in New Zealand yesterday and will have a holiday of five days before rehearsing for the Christchurch season. For many the pull of the Southern Alps has seen skiing put firmly on the agenda.

With Nomade a community of performers stages a carnival filled with song, dance, music, juggling and acrobatic feats. These nomadic travellers wander through their own memories and dreams to a place that's strangely familiar, boisterous and lyrical. Their journey begins at dusk and ends at dawn because as they say “at nighttime, the sky shines with endless possibilities.”

Both Omar Sosa’s one New Zealand performance in the Christchurch Town Hall auditorium and Cirque Eloize’s “Nomade” are heavily subscribed although tickets for both shows can still purchased from ticketek.

For full festival details, visit the “Applaud” Christchurch Arts Festival 2005 website, www.artsfestival.co.nz, or collect a copy of the quirky purple programme from outlets around the country or by phoning 0800 ARTS 05.

ENDS

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