Although we returned to our respective homes on Sunday, we had the final showcase for our various pieces of work on Friday. I wasn’t able to attend all three parts of the day due to religious reasons, but I was fortunate enough to experience the first part, which was amazing. Despite not being physically present in the second part, I was present in spirit, as I had recorded some singing as part of a poetry and photography piece with my housemates, Ellie and Naomi.
First up was a dance performance at the Cultural Centre by Billy alongside some of the TCFT ladies. It was a beautiful combination of street and contemporary dance, with what looked like some type of traditional, cultural dance in the middle. It was another emotive dance performance, incorporating speech, poetry, various musicians and Susan’s stunning vocals.
Next was a sweet moment by the children, who were dancing butterflies in bold, colourful, embellished masks, which a number of us sat down to create the day before in what was a very therapeutic, creative session. The children then came together to become a caterpillar, which we were asked to follow outside.
Once outside, we made our way to the Parkour performance in the park, which was packed full of intensity and high energy. It was great to watch the Parkour ‘veterans’ alongside the Parkour ‘rookies’, as they incorporated movement, dance and plenty of jumping into their showcase.
This was followed by a walk back the way we came, stopping outside the Music House this time, to watch a truly amazing musical performance by Darren and Duarte. Darren sang with his glorious, powerful, gorgeous, operatic voice, while Duarte played brilliantly and beautifully on his keyboard. I knew that Duarte was a talented pianist, but he completely blew me away that Friday afternoon, and Darren was just on fire, thriving as he sang out of the balcony window. The duo of Darren and Duarte created another special Srebrenica moment, which I will always treasure.
After hearing some music, we travelled back to the park and were taken to the ‘Bug House of Dreams’ by the circus. Individuals from Diverse City and some TCFT participants gave us a feast for the eyes with a variety of circus tricks. It was particularly fun to watch Katarina and Alexandra sing while hanging from the trapeze in various positions – I think that all of us were impressed.
In spite of the rain, it was great to watch the performances come together after all of the hard work that had been put in. There was a ton of talent on display and I can tell that these young people will continue to build on it. I just wish that I had been able to witness the remainder of the day.