This post is in response to A Word in Your Ear’s challenge to write about music. Since I had these photos from Australia, all taken on my Droid, I figured I could do that! Click on them to really open them up!
At the Suzuki Night Market at Queen Victoria Market on January 23rd, we saw and enjoyed Tek Tek Ensemble. So did the kiddies. They played a klezmer-like number that perhaps we enjoyed more than others, but it all was delightful.
And then we experienced the Maori group Te Hononga Nga O Iwi. Definitely a seeing event. A Performance.
Aren’t we wonderful for wanting to see them? Yes, a dig at myself and my own heartstrings-pulling background. But if I can get over that, I know that they’re really entertaining and fascinating, yes.
But maybe it’s more than that. Here’s what they say about themselves:
Te Hononga O Nga Iwi : meaning the coming together of the tribes, are a Maori Cultural Performing Arts Group, based in the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.
Te Hononga O Nga Iwi originated in a lounge room in Endeavour Hills in 2007 and over time with the dedication of volunteers and members has evolved into a group of 30 – 50 performers ranging from the ages of 12 years to our more senior aged members and a supporter base consisting of our families and friends.
Te Hononga O Nga Iwi is dedicated to keeping our customs and traditions alive by sharing, teaching, learning and performing traditional and contemporary maori song and dance to people of all ages and diverse backgrounds.
At present we are learning and performing traditional and contemporary items from various New Zealand tribes, that include Haka (Ha, means to breathe, Ka, means fire in essence to breathe fire), Poi ( a ball on a string- in times gone by traditionally used by men to practice their weaponry skills then eventually taken over by women), Waiata(Song/s) and many original compositions.
It is not only our hope and dreams to unite all iwi (tribes) here in Melbourne, but to also strengthen ourselves and our culture here in this new home of ours, Australia, by keeping our customs and traditions alive which have been handed down through the ages by our tipuna (Ancestors).
Maybe, being Jewish, I do relate to this in a very significant way.
And then, to celebrate our anniversary, we went to hear a group at the “best jazz club in the world”, according to LonelyPlanet.
Must be very lonely indeed.
We were wandering without internet and it was really hard to find this Bennett’s Club. Maybe that should have also been a sign.
Would you have thought that, if you saw this front? Really, we should have gone with our instincts that night. Book cover, be judged!
On the other hand, I did really enjoy the beer that we had that night. White Rabbit, it’s called. It was another very hot day, and the place was under-airconditioned. So the beer was about the best thing that we enjoyed. Should I say that we also enjoyed watching the young couple next to us also trying to figure out when and how to get out of there?
But Melbourne redeemed itself the next morning, when we went back to the Vic Market to go souvenir shopping and experienced this man.
And then we went and found good coffee. A good way to remember our time in Australia.
But Mostly Hers 