 |
| The artistes of Circuba lining up on the stage at the end of their performance yesterday. PICTURES: Shemeer Rasheed |
The 20-strong team kept the audience glued to their seats throughout the two-hour show.
Circuba is associated with the Cuban National Circus School founded in 1968. “The circus is the theatre of the street,” explained Circuba’s director Rolando Rodriguez Romero.
Among the highlights of the opening day’s events on Thursday were music shows by Pancho Amat Y Su Cabildo Del Son and Johnny Ventura, from Cuba and Dominican Republic, respectively.
Both the acts wowed the audience, prompting a number of people to break into dancing, with some even coming up on the stage.
Ventura or Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano, who is a top player in the Latin American music scene, dedicated two songs to Qatar.
 |
| Breathtaking act: Circuba performers display their skills |
“The opening night attracted hundreds of guests from across the world,” said Malika AlShraim, public relations manager at Katara.
The 10-day event, being organised in association with embassies of nine Latin American countries, features the best of music, dance and film.
Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela are the participating countries.
LACF brings together more than 230 artistes and performers with the embassies playing a key role in nominating the participants and films.
Today’s events at LACF are at Katara’s Drama Theatre. They are: Cuban movie Viva Cuba (11am), Argentinean movie Iluminados por el Fuego (5pm), Brazilian music show Familia Assad (7pm) and Uruguayan music show Tango Vivo (9pm).
Viva Cuba, a winner at Cannes Film Festival, tells a heart-wrenching tale of two children embarking on a journey across Cuba in a bid to save their friendship.
Iluminados por el Fuego, which translates into Blessed by Fire, narrates the tale of a soldier re-visiting a fellow comrade who attempts suicide. Both films are 2005 productions.
The film explores issues around depression and post-traumatic stress disorder on soldiers that took part in the Falklands war.
This film has won several awards in international festivals, including the Special Prize of the Jury in San Sebastian Film Festival (Spain), Grand Coral First Prize in Havana Film Festival and the Goya of Best Spanish Language Foreign Film in Spain.
