Brooklyn

So on the day after I got back from Ambositra, I went to see a dance contest with Gaelle. The contest was for a position in a Brooklyn Arts School competition. There we many foreigners amongst the guests. We sat with a boy and his sister. I have seen the boy before, but I don't exact remember where. He must have been a contestant in the last show I judged. Anyway, there was a band playing while we waited for the contestants. I got to hear the traditional instrument, Faly incorporated into a band, instead of into a sales plot for tourists. It is cylindrical, but basically like a guitar. At first I could hear it, but not the accompanying guitar, but I learned to distinguish the guitar from the sharper notes of the Faly.

There were four performers: the first incorporated many different tribal traditions. It was the best all round performance. There were bright colors, many costumes, and enthusiastic dancers. The second group feature some boys in shiny, sky blue suits with white sashes. Their dance was a bit like some of the Tai Chi I know. I really enjoyed this, but then some big middle aged women came onto the stage and I was a bit disappointed since they couldn't really dance and their voices were pretty much drowned out by the band and the other signers who had mics. After, A beautiful young girl came out alone. She was nervous but capable. At the end she settled down. The third group I don't really remember that well. Oh yea, the second group was from the Highlands according to Galle. Anyway, I think the third group was doing a Tandroy dance. There was a mock fight over water. The last group depicted a famadihiana, or turning of the bones. There was some miming that I didnt really understand. I haven't actually ever seen a turning of the bones festival, so I guess that is one reason I didn't get the mining. this group was pretty creative with some dark cloth. They created something like a tomb, and did some visual trick with the body in which it was difficult to track which person was supposed to be dead. Then everyone was dancing.

Well, after the first two groups, there was a performance by a younger group. Two kids that must have been less than ten years old were the main singers. They had pretty big voices. Also, at every break, there was an emcee who did his best to speak in Malagasy, French, and English. His comfort decreased while using languages further towards the end of that list. He was pretty funny anyway. The competition ended with a talk by two guys from the US. It was translated into Malagasy by an internationally famous Malagasy singer. I hope someone will remind me of her name so I can listen to one of her songs. At the end, it was announced that Bakomanga won.
I walked Gaelle home with Francia, the previous president of the group that put on the English Speech contest in Trano Pokonoly. We were a bit scared to walk in the dark, but there were no buses. I took a bus back to CNELA from Gaelle's.