Dubai Shopping Festival opens

Dubai Shopping Festival 2004 has begun. If the Opening Ceremony that was witnessed in Dubai last night is any indication of things to come, this should easily be the most spectacular, colourful and option-filled DSF yet. A line-up of immense proportions, not only of manpower and skill, but also of artistic and technical wizardry, defined the grand Opening Ceremony, performed before an enthusiastic and receptive audience at Al Seef Street. In keeping with the theme of DSF, 'One World, One Family, One Festival', there were 1500 people leading the opening celebrations, including local performers, regional Arab performers and troupes as well as from many other parts of the world. The sheer magnitude of the event was dazzling- the colours, the performers, the lights, the sound, the choreographed movements- all put together in one seamless tapestry, performed to the world on the background of Dubai's famous skyline and its lifeline, the Creek.

The show commenced with a spectacular display of fireworks, easily the best that Dubai has seen till date. It was followed by a video of the sail of a traditional ship changing into the Burj Al Arab. A barge, with a desert scene enacted on board, floated up to a prominent place in front of the dias, and docked there for the duration of the show. There were 25 camels on board, lounging peacefully in the care of their keepers. A Falconeer, on the stage, beckoned to his falcon on the barge, and it flew out to him, perching on his hand.

A group of Arabic musicians, 'Al Harbiya', were the first to appear on stage, presenting traditional Bedouin chants, very poetic and accompanied by the 'Rababa'. This style of music, known as 'Al Hida'a, was historically sung by all the members of the caravan to keep spirits high during the hard and dangerous travel across the desert.

There was a holographic image projected onto the stage area, recreating a virtual desert, and a wonderful scene to see the paved street converted back into rolling sand, a reverse picturisation of UAE's meteoric growth.

100 children begin to appear on stage, bringing in fresh enthusiasm and cheer, and picturesque laser images and magnificent fireworks accompany them. They will sing a song, composed specially for the event. They will be in traditional Emarati attire. The barge, meanwhile, had transformed into an image of the Dubai that we now know so well.

The two floats following this represented two civilizations, with a feast of colours, music and superb choreography. The audience was pleasantly surprised to see 60 stilt-walkers, who lent a surreal air to the evening, yet moved so gracefully and elegantly that it even seemed natural. Six Kings representing the Middle East, Far East, Europe, Africa, Australia and America followed, regally decked up and looking like splendid monarchs.

A display of extreme skill on the part of the flag throwers had watchers holding their breath, and the picture they presented was complete when children came running from all directions, bearing different flags themselves. The total number of flags seen on stage was 50, representing many different parts of the world.

The Indian, Mexican, Lebanese floats passed by in a few gripping moments, with bright and attractive colours and costumes, the movements and dances superbly coordinated. A band brought up the rear of this float, leaving the audience dazed in the aftermath of the special colours, dances and music of the subcontinent.

With the fireworks again lighting up the skies of Dubai, the Egyptian, Eritrean, Russian and African Zulu tribes and many more international troupes float captured that audience's attention. They led the parade, and many more nations were represented, following close on the heels of each other.

As if on cue to involve the young ones, fireworks lit up the sky and the entire scene in front of the audience was redecorated in a circus style. Acrobats performed a variety of stunts and a whole range of performers presented their special styles. Toy floats with many depictions of children's favourite characters begin to appear and the scene is made even more like a party by the confetti flying around.

Apart from acrobats, unicyclists, children with inflatable toys, fireworks and a flurry of well-coordinated activity on stage, children will descend on the stage from many different parts of the grand stand with ribbons that are attached to the back of the stand. The ribbons all drawn together and attached to a hot air balloon created a shimmering roof over the viewers, and the balloon took off into the night sky. The ribbons, fixed at both ends, made a canopy of colour.

A float strewing confetti will pass by the podium, followed by children celebrating the arrival of another DSF. While a Balloon parade of myriad hues passed, clowns emerged from within the audience, surprising everyone and bringing a smile to the already glowing faces. Chinese Dragons led these parades, in full splendour.

The crescendo to the end had begun. The excitement and the eagerness was felt in the air, with the audience confident that they had witnessed a historical show. The next act belonged to the Moroccan acrobats and the bands from all over the GCC. The special performers of many of the featured shows came on stage.

Dubai Shopping Festival 2004, in keeping with the tradition of exceeding expectations each year, has already started off on a grand scale, and will not disappoint. With over 200 official activities and events, and every nook and corner of the city transformed into a festival zone, the month beginning today will be chock-full of options for all ages. It sure is going to be a challenge to try everything out before February 15th.