From Morocco to Carnival
by Saucy Diva

The sight of endless cars lining the streets outside the Zen nightclub was an omen of the packed crowd inside the venue eagerly awaiting the inauguration of Pulse 8’s 2008 Carnival offering “Marrakech” on Sunday night. Pulse 8’s  portrayal of the vibrant Market Square Djemaa el Fna in Marrakech held promises of exotic, sultry costumes that embodied the Moroccan spirit, seeking  to share with the world its interpretation of how many cultures can unite through rhythms in a one world experience called ‘Carnival’. To this end the costumes, while quite attractive, failed to deliver in my opinion.

After a slight delay of one hour past the scheduled start of the launch, Marrakech opened to a delightful, energetic belly dance routine. Three dancers clad in what should have been actual costumes, captivated the crowd with hip rolling moves to rival Shakira. The first of ten sections to be shown for the night, Henna Painters was a cacophony of color and feathers and while striking was too generic in design to fit the theme. Unfortunately this was the standard for almost all sections with the exception of Gypsy Caravan which showed design elements which lends itself to dreams of Arabian Nights.

The ten sections Ras al Hanout, Gem Traders, Aguadors, Majorelle People, Treasure Seekers, Henna Painters, The Spirit of Marrakech, Gypsy Caravan, Ganawa and Berber Tribe were presented to a very receptive crowd. Overall the staging of the launch was well executed in a timely fashion with models living up to the Pulse 8 motto of “More Mas… More Fun”, clearly enjoying displaying the costumes. Live band Imij and Company gave a great performance keeping the crowd on its toes as the Pulse 8 stalwarts stayed on to enjoy the fete while my night came to an early end.

Pulse 8's Mas Camp is located at #6 Gallus Street, Woodbrook (next to Wrightson Road). For more info visit www.pulse8carnival.com