Category Archives: Arts & Culture

King of Spain

Juan Carlos I is the current reigning King of Spain. His grandfather Alfonso XIII was King prior to him, and his father, the late Infante Juan was the Count of Barcelona. Tourists saying in five star Barcelona hotels should encounter one of the city’s memorials to the late count. Juan Carlos I was born in [...]

Haban, Ayyalah and Other Folk Dances

In Dubai, as well as most areas of the United Arab Emirates, Folk dance is an important part of the culture. Not limited by social status, age or gender, the dances play an integral part in most celebrations. These include national holidays, birthdays and weddings. When the tambourine begins you better be ready as everyone [...]

Shikisha Drum and Dance

The dance company called Shikisha is from the South African city of Durban.  This was a company made of three women who celebrate the dance that was created by the gold miners during the gold rush days in Johannesburg.  This was a dance created by the workers during their long days away from family, as [...]

Shigmo Festival

The Shigmo festival is widely celebrated in Goa, India. It is one of the most prominent festivals in the Hindu community and has a religious and cultural significance. Recently, the state government has begun to sponsor parades to demonstrate its support of the festival’s purpose. Most of the themes seen in the parade floats depict [...]

Mou and Man Plays of Cantonese Opera

While Singapore is an extremely diverse cultural and entertainment city, Cantonese opera holds a prominent place in historical and contemporary relevance. This elaborate genre of theatre has much in common with other traditional Chinese performance styles. They all contain spectacular elements such as dancing, singing, martial arts, and acrobatics. Western tourists are often enticed to [...]

Museums in Madrid

As the capital of Spain, Madrid has many different and intriguing aspects of the city appreciated by both locals and tourists. For tourists, this includes a large number of options available for entertainment, sight seeing, dining and other activities. Madrid is not only a vibrant and progressive contemporary city, it is rich in history and [...]

Outdoor Cinema at Singapore’s Fort Canning Green

Starlight Cinema is Singapore’s only outdoor cinema festival. It is held at the Fort Canning Green and is more than an experience in movie watching. The festival offers the opportunity to see new cinema, and it allows the audience to experience the beauty of the diverse weather evenings of Singapore. Because it is outdoors, it [...]

Two Very Different Singaporean Festivals

The many festivals that occur throughout the year in Singapore serve different purposes. Much as been said, or written or spoken of the oppressive nature of a country so wrapped in laws and regulations, and the festivals serve to provide the locals with fun and excitement. There is quite an ethnic mix on the island, [...]

Chen Chong Swee, and the Singaporean Salon

Sotheby’s Auction House hosted a charity event in 1994. The intention was to raise one million dollars, which would go to sponsor visual artists. One hundred fifty one pieces of art were sold at this auction, and the majority of them were by the artist Chen Chong Swee. This is an interesting fact considering that [...]

World’s Largest Eco Bag at KL Design Week

Displayed on the Kuala Lumpur Tower is the “World’s Largest Eco Bag.” The bag measures 29.65 feet in width and is 51.5 feet long. It is on display as part of the Kuala Lumpur Design Week 2009 Festival. Organizers hope that the bag and the Festival will draw attention to the cutting edge innovation and [...]