Sunday the 23rd of September 2012 brought an explosion of colour, music and dance to Plymouth City Centre. It was in aid of the Plymouth Mela Festival 2012 which celebrates the beauty and life style of Southern Asia. The whole day was packed with events from 11 in the morning until 3.30pm, and Mela festival goers were spoilt for choice. The various acts included Bollywood Dance explosions, Thai dancing, performance poetry and Sam Kay who I've heard has quite a name for himself in the Asian music industry. I enjoyed Sam Kay's act and enjoyed listening to his work on Youtube as soon as I got home. Sam has reached over 2 million Youtube hits! The dancers and acts certainly did not mirror the dreary Plymouth weather outside, and it was a fabulous day for all involved. I sat in awe of the colourful outfits and delicate dancing. It was also interesting to see diversity in the centre of your own city and to experience different walks of life without even so much as having to get on to a plane. I was transported to Southern Asia and beautiful sights without leaving the environs of Plymouth! The whole day was planned to perfection and showed off South Asian arts in an amazing light. Natasha Koshti's Bollywood dance group also performed, and the act was full of life, colours and joy. In light of the Olympics just happening, the party continued today as "The Dhol Foundation" performed for Plymouth City centre. The Dhol Foundation was part of the Olympics closing ceremony so I felt really excited to be there and watch them. The whole festival was an excellent insight and very educational, and most importantly full of fun and talented people. Let us hope for many more cultural events in and around Plymouth! For more information on the event, check out www.plymouthmela.co.uk.
