Fantastico, Magnifico, Eccellente! Every PHPS Bazaar is an epic event of passion and success, but this year’s had a special edge to it. Our community triumphed in generosity and good will, and the essence of what makes our school community such a special one was demonstrated in every aspect of the Bazaar. What a thrill, what a delight, and what an utter relief that those heavy mid morning clouds held off from dumping down more rain. In my last blog post I promised a mini Woodstock Festival of music from our main stage. We did Woodstock, and a whole lot more.
The main stage bump in began under brilliant blue skies, but alas, the gloomy weather prediction for thunderous storms resulted in the early withdrawal of the student bands from Princes Hill Secondary College. So, when the Phillips Family Band power-rocked onto the stage they strummed up an energetic vibe that set the day up beautifully, and one sensational performance followed another. Pulling in energy from all around, The Receivers absolutely pumped the ‘awe’ into awesome. Having formed the band whilst at PHPS in yr4, five years on, their Punk-Rock fusion performance blew our socks off: these are ‘our kids’ and we are so proud what they have achieved.
The feeling of swelling joy that comes from having a personal connection to an amazing performance was a constant emotion through out the day. From the power of Punk-Rock, we were then released with the sublime beauty of operatic duets from Emily and Heather. Such lyricism and beautiful 2 part harmonies are almost a part of our DNA, and in our congested world, we are thirsty for these moments of beauty. It was a delight to then hear the voices of children in the choirs of Brunswick South Primary and PHPS, and to also amass the voices of the community in a big sing-along with the gathered audience as we sang the song ‘Forever Young’.
This year’s Talent Quest showcased a variety of performance disciplines and even introduced some new categories such as ‘Speed Origami’. There were wonderful dance routines inspired by Gymnastics, Taekwando and Break Dancing, and also strikingly confident and beautiful singing and instrumental playing. Bravo to everyone for your lovely performances and we look forward to enjoying many of these again in the Bazaar Assembly.
We were very excited to welcome to the stage the Teeny Tiny Stevies who performed musical gems for our little and big-little people. It was beautiful to hear folk of all ages singing along to familiar tunes packed full of brilliant lyrics that inspire us to stay connected to all that evokes wonder in our daily world. Once again, we were celebrating artists from our community who understand, and join in with, our parenting journey, and add a touch of magic and humour to it.
It was with great delight that we welcomed back to school Kofi Kunkpe and his associate artist. Since 2016, our community has loved Kofi’s African Drumming workshops. Filled with dance, song and drumming patterns, the workshop programs have always lifted and energised our winter terms. The drumming workshop at the Bazaar offered an opportunity for our parents and carers and younger siblings, and also past students who were attending the Bazaar, to pick up a drum and surrender to it’s beat. We love ‘our Kofi’ and look forward to welcoming him back to PHPS for more workshops.
By the late afternoon, many folk were heading home. However, for the younger kids whose parents were still busy helping out on stalls, we had a special dance session. It was lovely to see older students gently helping visiting pre-schoolers step through Fjaskern, Seven Jumps and The Nutbush. Bravo everyone.
There are always many folk to thank at the end of a tremendous day of entertainment. The programers for the stage events had a wonderful vision of how a broadly varied program of music would create an inspiring and inclusive atmosphere for our Bazaar: Thank you and Bravo Emily and Emily. To all the amazing back up sound and stage crew and roadies: Mums, Dads, carers and kids, and one Dad to over see the set-up, Miles, a huge thank you. Our thanks to all the amazing performers for their generous spirit and music making, and to all those who support them 🙂 So, PHPS Community, take a bow: Bravo and congratulations for a wonderful 2022 Bazaar.
And now, we anticipate another two enjoyable music events: the Bazaar Talent Quest Assembly and our End of Year Instrumental Music Concert. ‘Stay tuned’ as we continue to celebrate our children’s achievements in the Performing Arts. Many thanks to everyone for the best of music. Cheerio, Deb.