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A taste of the Orient
The ways of the Orient have fascinated the rest of the world for ages. Its reputation for holding foreign cultures at bay while resisting repeated attempts to decipher its way of life and traditions is probably one of the contributing factors to the mystique and aura that surround this culture.
The Far East is also widely known for the fine art of relaxation — to revive and rejuvenate the mind and body through a relaxing massage of pressure points. Thus, the conceptual event held recently at the rooftop of a popular mall overlooking the Clifton beach was a shade apart from the usual breed of shows. Although the incoming sea breeze was noticeably absent that Thursday night, those on the guest list had a lot of other pleasantries to look forward to.
Entering the passage towards the entrance, one was soothed by the floating lotuses in bowls lining the sides. The rooftop was covered with gravel resembling a Japanese garden. This helped give the surroundings an authentic oriental look. The first surprise that was sprung on the guests was a refreshing massage offered by Thai masseurs flown in specially for the occasion.
The performers included Iraj and six mimes in oriental-inspired outfits. The energetic music and animated performances were borrowed from traditional dance forms and displayed with beautiful precision and deft movement
Those who missed out on the relaxing massage had the hors d’oeuvres to look forward to. To wash it all down were exotic drinks made with lotus flower leaves and more. Once the mingling concluded and everyone had met everyone else, the show finally got underway with the early birds occupying the rows of wooden benches laid out with cutlery and flower arrangements by Rizwan Beyg, the event designer. However, Rizwan was allegedly running behind schedule and had run out of ammo as some tables were without the splendid floral arrangements.
The opening speech by one of the managers of the multinational hosting the event to introduce their product left many with no idea of what had occurred. He then went on to draw parallells between the effects of a refreshing spa on the human body and the quality of a car lubricant. After much bantering, he finally vacated the rostrum to the performers, who included Iraj and six mimes in oriental-inspired white outfits.
The energetic music and animated performances of ‘Rejuvenate’, the first round, embodying earthy tones by the troupe of seven were borrowed from traditional oriental dance forms and displayed with beautiful precision and deft movements. Finally, Iraj was carried off on a wooden platform squatting in the lotus position, concluding the first of the three key themes of the event, via three distinct acts.
The second round, ‘Refresh,’ was based round the swimming pool situated on the upper level of the split-level rooftop in hues of marine blue and green. Here, too, the performers of Oops Inc, along with an unidentifiable Iraj in the lead, sashayed and swayed to eastern percussion beats fused with oriental melodies with disciplined and precise movements.
The last to be displayed was ‘Revive,’ with the bold splash of fiery reds and oranges with vibrant movements which made even the onlookers break out in perspiration. The dancers-cum-performers, along with Nabila, the creative director of the event hosted by Shell, received a loud round of applause from the audience. By this time the aroma of the exotic Far Eastern menu comprising shrimp dumplings, maki rolls and Singaporean chicken satay had started to drift on the sparse evening breeze and the guests queued up for the final taste of the Orient.
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