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Experience the magic of Mela
THOUSANDS of people will descend on Southampton's Hoglands Park next weekend to enjoy the city's sixth celebration of global culture at the Mela Festival.
The Southampton Mela Festival is a free festival boasting diverse musical artists, exhilarating dance acts and mouthwatering food, plus a wide range of family activities celebrating South Asian culture. It is estimated that more than 20,000 people from Southampton and the surrounding area could flock to this year's dazzling extravaganza.
The festival's main stage will once again host a wide variety of music, including leading Indian classical, folk, world music, qawwali, Asian fusion and bhangra artists.
East will also meet west this year when the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra joins forces with leading classical artist Rajeeb Chakraboty (sarod) and Sanju Sahai (tabla).
Other top acts include the Hussain Brothers performing qawwali, the South African Panjazz Project and bhangra artists Silinder Pardesi, Indy Sagu, Saqi and Gi Jatt.
Dance will be provided by choreographer, model and actress Rakhi Sood, the British Indian dance company Angika (performing their acclaimed Urban Temple) while the Foundation for Performing Indian Arts will present Tasher Desh, a fabulous dance opera inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
There will also be a range of music and dance demonstrations, and workshops in the activities tent as well as family arts and crafts, beauty and henna hand tattoos.
And of course, there will be the usual amazing selection of Asian food stalls which spice up the Mela Festival each year.
Mela, which means festival' in a variety of south Asian languages, is put together by Southampton-based Art Asia, which aims to offer people the chance to experience the different south Asian cultures.
Vinod Desai, Art Asia's chief executive, said: "This is the sixth Southampton Mela festival organised by Art Asia and this year we welcome back some regular Mela faces as well as hosting some new ones. We hope everyone enjoys the day's high quality performances of music and dance, also the wide variety of workshops, demonstrations and activities taking place, plus the stalls, family areas and atmosphere that makes the Mela such a great day out."
n DON'T miss the free Eastleigh Mela on Sunday, when a great variety of live music from around the world will be performed to round off this year's Eastleigh Music Festival.
The all-day event is being organised by the Asian Welfare and Cultural Association and will feature live music and performances on the festival's two stages being set up at the Leigh Road recreation ground.
Top world music acts, the Max Pashm Band featuring traditional Greek instruments and the traditional music of Guinea in Africa by N'Faly Kouyate and Dunyakan, will take to the stage at the end of the day to round off the weekend's music.
During the day, musical entertainment will come from bluegrass band The Huckleberries, Newe Roma and Tzee and the Africa Beyond Band.
The entertainment will include demonstrations of Indian classical dance, Irish traditional dance, belly dancing, Bollywood dancing and a fashion show by Mandhair.
The New Forest Meddlars morris men, the Phoenix Dancers, the Hiltingbury Junior School choir and the Crestwood School steel band will also be performing.
Henna tattooing and stalls selling jewellery, foods and crafts from all over the world will be on offer and children will be able to take part in circus skills and storytelling workshops.
The Southampton Mela is on Saturday, July 19, from noon until 9pm. The Eastleigh Mela will run from 11am to 9pm on July 13 and entrance is free.
3:16pm Friday 11th July 2008
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