JOIN USGoan culture on stage
The performances were by Ekvat, a 22-member troupe from Portugal. The hall was jam-packed and it was difficult not to feel the energy among the crowd present at the event.
The show consisted of Goan dances and music performed by the group. Traditional Goan songs such as mandos and dances like dekni were performed during the show.
After an initial dance performance, the troupe performed a mando for the audience. The mando which is a plaintive dance and song tells sad love stories and same was the case with this song too. In a song by heart-broken lovers, one could hear the pain in the melody of the song.
The song was performed by a group with a couple standing in front of the stage facing each other. This was followed by a peppy number, based on a woman named Cecelia, where she declares love as the only thing she desires. The song was light and quite jolly.
Another interesting performance was a fantasy dance sequence, which was left for the audience to decipher. The stage area had four female dancers, all of whom were dressed in dhotis and chunnis. The dancers performed subtle elegant moves while two men clapped quietly at the side. The group performance was engaging to watch and caught everyone’s attention since the premise of the plot was not declared. This was followed an instrumental performance by the musicians
Pore pore, a song and dance performance was an ode to the agriculturists of Goa. The song, had everyone dressed as a farmer and took people back to the life of a rice worker in Goa as they ploughed the fields.
Some of the other performances during the evening were the song Maticha bangar, a song about memories of summer vacations, Yaye Yaye a song about a piglet that was stolen by a tiger and Lo lo re babu, a lullaby sung for children. Lo lo ... is sung not just to children but also in memory of all those who have sung this lullaby to children.
The Coorgi song, Coorgi jacki was humourously laced and spoke of the first Coorgi boy to learn Portuguese. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and was a great way to get a peep into Goan culture.