Bahrain: It's 'Fantastic Friday' with Boogie-Woogie at Kudlotsava-09
Media update by Joe Andrade
Bahrain, May 25: Another hectic Weekend Friday for Kudlotsava Bahrain 2009 fans! A one-of-a-kind Boogie-Woogie dance competion for children and adults with typical Kudlotsava tastes and a unique colorful dance stage and backdrop at the Ramada Palace Hotel Conference Hall in Gudaibiya. The third leg of the Kudlotsava 2009 Sports and Cultural events are being organized in a month-long Agenda of programs this year by the MANGALORE CULTURAL & CHARITABLE ASSOCIATION, with Anand Lobo at the helm of its affairs..
The Hall was packed to capacity by 8.30p.m. with the audience eagerly awaiting what was to come forth. The lovely Archana Shetty took to the podium welcoming the audience to the Boogie-Woogie Contest and began straight away with the felicitation ceremony. Naveen Mendonca was invited to lead the Chief Guest Ajay Kumar, the First Secretary of the Indian Embassy, Bahrain. Anand Lobo followed with the elite of the Karnataka community, the who is who of representatives or heads of Associations, leading businessmen, Sponsors and esteemed well-wishers who were duly acknowledged and applauded for their presence and support.
The Chief Guest, Ajay Kumar was honored with the traditional Kudla Arinama, a typical Indian garland flown-in from Mangalore and a special memento as a token of gratitude from the Kannadigas in Bahrain.
Anand Lobo in his Presidential addressed announced to the audience that the main aim of the Kudlotsava program was charity. The main beneficiary of this charity would be St Francis Xavier’s Bejai school. Lobo delightfully acknowledged the presence of various dignitaries on stage and appreciated the unstinted support given by them and numerous well-wishers. He further assured the Association’s further commitment to the Indian community by supporting the needy with air tickets through the offices of the Indian Embassy.
After the Presidential address, the stage was then set for the Boogie Woogie Contest, commencing with the Children’s category, with the Master compere, Anand Lobo characteristically taking the participants and audience through every moment of excitement all along the contest .
There were 8 groups participating in this category, viz., The Dancing Dolls, The Mangalore Teens, The Bunts Bahrain Team, The Four Spicy Girls, the Kudla Queens, The Rhythm S4, Mangalore Mischief Team and the Daffedils. Some chose filmy numbers and others fusion songs to give their Boogie Woogie renditions.
The vibrancy of the Contest just reverberated with the din and bustle of music. Add to it the boos and woos of the Boogie Woogie audience in chorus with the master compere giving the lead, the children at the top of their voices with a shrill thrill, added more glitter glamour and glory to the program.
The participating children, some of whom had practiced for over a month gave the competion an elegant healthy competition touch. Each group were given 4 minutes to set the stage for the dance and 8 minutes maximum for their scintillating performance. The judges were given a hard time to select the best.
There were seven judges from the elite personalities in Bahrain – S. Sharma, Arshila Malhotra, Pawan Kumar, Shailaja Rajendran, Jaya Menon, Kethan Choudhury, Tina Mathew.
The marks of each group were announced immediately after each group from six of the judges, whereas the last one was kept suspense in an envelope to bring in some nostalgic taste in judging the contest.
The Winners in the Children’s category were:
I Place – Rhythm S4
II Place was shared by two teams: Kudla Queens & Spicy Girls
III Place – Bunts Bahrain Kids
In the adults category, there were five participants, with their group names being Funny Guys, Spandana, Kannada Sangha Thunda, Ocean Guys and the Rising Stars. Their performance brought in a lot of applause from the audience as they excelled in their Boogie woogie style dance on stage.
The Winners in the Adults category were:
I Place – Rising Stars
II Place – Kannada Sangha Thunda
III Place – Ocean Guys
The main Sponsors of the event were Etisalcom courtesy their representative Renjith P. Sarada and KIMS Bahrain Medical Center. A number of other sponsors included Bahrain Financing Co., Al Jazira Group of Companies, IPS Trade, Prudential Management & Marketing, Ford, Johnson & Johnson and many other well-wishers.
The special Boogie Woogie stage and its unique Kudla décor were the handiwork of Sunil Kotian and Girish Iddya.
Anand Lobo, who with his expertise in compering programs, spared no efforts in making it an eventful day for all to enjoy – the participants, the audience and the organisers to make it an eventful day.
The co-ordinators for the program were Chandrakala, Lolakshi Rajaram, Shankar Jathanna, Girish Iddya, Sayyed Hejmadi, Renuka Anchan, Muriel Gomes and Hema Shivakumar.
For further details, Anand Lobo may be contacted on Bahrain tel.: (39401279)
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