Landmark shows draw huge Eid crowds

Landmark on Tuesday hosted a number of events as part of the ongoing Eid al Fitr celebrations. The entertaining events attracted crowds of shoppers who thronged Landmark along with their children. Most of the people had reached the mall by 4pm to have the seats reserved for their families after seeing Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) advertisements.

The first show presented by Al Khor Popular Arts band went off to a melodious start at the main entrance of the mall. It was a song-based show titled “Al Ashuri Art” which celebrates arrival of the new husband at house. The show touched a chord with the audience who discovered in it a popular tradition with deep roots in the Qatari society.

Omar Dahham al Mohannadi, director of Al Khor Popular Arts band pointed out that this was the first time his band was performing at a commercial centre in partnership with QTA.

Talking about the significance of the show, Mohannadi said that the show his band presented was aimed at keeping alive an age-old art that celebrates the arrival of the new husband at the door of his house. He also pointed out that this event was an opportunity for the public to discover traditional Qatari arts that have Qatari history written all over them.

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Later, a bunch of clowns in multicoloured gowns entered the scene with a musical band in tow. The two groups went around the mall’s corridors in an attempt to reach out to more people and entertain them with music and laughable actions and tricks. The jokers clowned around walking on long wooden legs.

Next came the Breaks 8 Band show performed on a stage which drew a huge response from the visitors. Excitement ran high among children as Barney and his friends entered the scene. This led to the organisers creating enough space for the children in front of the stage. Barney and friends performed several popular songs to the accompaniment of dances.

At the end of the show, the performers of the show distributed posters and posed for photographs with their fans.

Anthony Shannon, a member of the Breaks 8 Band, said that this was the first time the band was performing in the Middle East. In the last 11 years, the troupe has toured different countries around the world, including the United States and countries in Europe and Asia.

The way an appreciative Qatari audience responded to the show impressed Shannon who felt that this would bring the band again and again to Qatar and the Middle East in the future.

source: Qatar Tribune