This Spring of Culture event was all about Thailand and Thai folklore. I was so excited to be able to attend this event, especially after I have missed two of the most magnificent events of this cultural celebration; The OUD AROUND THE WORLD and FARIDA MOHAMMED ALI (THE IRAQI MAQAM ENSEMBLE).
Anyway, I have missed the Iraqi Maqam Ensemble: Farida Mohd Ali’s event cause I arrived there a bit late and the Cultural Hall was overcrowded with Iraqi Maqam fans. Therefore, I learned my lesson and arrived for this Amazing Thailand event early.
Although I was there before the event’s start by 45 minutes, many have arrived already and plenty were arriving rapidly. I guess I wasn’t the only one who learned his lesson from the previous events :D I parked my car and waited a bit for my friend to arrive. A person yelling at a woman for parking carelessly and wasting valuable parking space entertained me while I was waiting.
My friend arrived and we entered the Hall. I was surprised the auditorium’s seats were almost full; still the time indicated there are 20+ minutes left until the start of the show. I felt so proud of my nationals for being ahead of time. Maybe this ‘Arab Timings’ shameful culture is becoming a part of the past gradually. When I noticed that 80% of the audience is foreign, I shook off that silly optimistic idea and shrugged hopelessly.
Well, that did not entirely ruin my night and just slightly doused my flames of excitement. Someone РThai Рwho was possibly the Ambassador of Thailand or the Thai Cultural/Educational Attach̩, introduced himself and the band of performers. Then the light went out and the show was about to start.
Soothing music started playing accompanied by a video display introducing Thailand and what it’s famous for and such. A princess entered the stage followed by a guy walking like a monkey wearing a white lion-face-like mask. Followed that the entrance of 3 Thai-boxing fighters, and then 4 dancing ladies.
Their dance was a bit out of sync, but I thought they were saving their best performance for last (but I was wrong unfortunately). The performers left the stage after a minute or two, so that the next part of the play is presented on the video screen.
The love story of the Monkey King (so that’s who the guy with the mask resembled) and the Princess was next. The princess entered the stage treading lightly like a feather. I thought that was great performance of her prestige as a princess (I was wrong again), but it turned out her dress was tight and the heavy crown over her head were the reason she was walking on eggs during her stage time. I’m not going to talk about the Monkey King’s performance in order to preserve the political relations between Bahrain and Thailand!!
I noticed there was as imbecile of a camera man which apparently had no proper training on shooting a play on stage. This genius actually entered the stage from the right stage house to shoot the play. While this method is ok in shooting a musical concert, it is not when shooting a stage play. In a stage play the concentration of the audience must not be stolen by anything else on the stage but by the play itself. I’m just so glad that this fool didn’t ruin a good play at that.
Then was the play of the Lotus Dance where 4 ladies danced while their palms resembled the floating flower on water. Their dance was out of sync to a laughing degree. I was about to grab my jacket getting ready to leave, when my friend told me to give them more time.
“Maybe the best is yet to come”. He said (and this time he was wrong).
Next was a bit about the famous Thai boxing. Having been to Thailand before and witnessed the well-respected and very entertaining Thai-boxing style, I was convinced to hold my angry whining horses.
The same 3 fighter from before entered the stage to play a tribute to the great sport. However, instead of performing a series of gymnastic flips, kicks, and punches to show their athleticism, all they did was a silly pop/rap dancing moves, which were done in a disharmony considered dangerous to the human taste and may cause mind degeneration!
One of the foolish moves they danced was one where they shook their Johnsons back and forth imitating humping. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. Almost running, I dashes out of there as if pursued by hellhounds.
Thailand is s great and beautiful country, and it was supposed to represented by a much professional and well-trained performers (which I’m there are plenty).
Was it the Spring of Culture Committee’s fault to invite such poor performers to such a major event? Or was it someone else’s?
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