Covelong is full of surprises. From being a sleepy fishing village, it’s now one of the celebrities on East Coast Road. Amble over to the beach, and you’re sure to find something entertaining. Over the last weekend, two strikingly diverse events had our attention.
Latin Festival Madras
The music leads you to the party. Distinct Bachata beats blare from the speakers. Stylish women dancers and bare-chested men in board shorts walk back from the beach, doing a few moves. Surf Turf, the charming café at the surf school, is brimming with glamorous dancers in berets, waistcoats, crop tops and shredded tees. The second edition of the Latin Festival Madras feels like a scene out of Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights . The couples spin, twirl, turn and dip their flexible bodies in sync with the beats. Along with all the dancing, there’s also a fair bit of surfing involved.
Arun Srinivasan, organiser of the festival, and founder and director of Salsa Madras, says, “The idea is to expose Chennai to international dancers and techniques. It brings together dancers and instructors of Latin dance forms such as Salsa, Bachata, Cha-cha…” This year there’s Kizomba too — a slower and more sensual dance style that originated in Angola. “In Europe, it’s bigger than salsa. I started teaching this style a couple of years ago, and now there are 200 people in Chennai who do the Kizomba.”
There are around 100 participants from Delhi, Bangalore, Puducherry, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Kochi, and 10 international instructors from Romania, Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Guinea Bissau. It’s Bachata specialist Alex Teodorescu’s second time in the city for the festival. He’s been dancing for eight years and is an instructor. “I’ve come with my team of dancers from Bangkok. I love it here because it’s so cosy and we are like a close-knit family who eat, surf and dance together for three days.” Workshops, boot camps, pool parties and championships at The Gateway hotel are all part of this event.
Watching some of the skilled dancers in action is truly fascinating. There are the novices who manage to manoeuvre the tricky turns with the help of their advanced partners. Nobody loses their smile or their attitude. A few of them continue, despite the wet outfits and beads of sweat trickling down their cheeks. Everybody is out to have a good time, and brush up on their skills. “As dancers, it’s important to travel and understand different cultures and their styles. Sometimes they can’t travel, so we bring in people from all over and this facilitates an exchange of ideas,” says Arun.
Barcy Beach Football 2015
You’ve heard of Barca, but have you heard of the Barcy Football Club? That’s what Covelong village’s home team is called. Formed by the fishermen of the village, this team organised the first edition of Barcy Beach Football, along with the Covelong Fisherman’s Panchayat.
Bright flags fluttering in the wind, a couple of floodlights, a quickly fading evening sun, the roaring sea and the aroma of roasted corn… set against this backdrop, 24 football teams from across the city battle it out for the trophy. Since it’s an open category, the age groups vary from 18 to 40. These include players from city colleges, football clubs and teams from the fishing villages of Pattinapakkam, Kottivakkam, Kalpakkam… Nearly 5,000 curious passers-by stop and cheer as the goals are scored in quick succession. The format is different, with each team comprising eight players, with the field size being 60 x 40 m. Play time is 30 minutes, with a short half-time after the first 15 minutes. That’s when enthusiastic spectators make a dash for a fish-fry and sundal. “It’s a day/night match. The idea is to motivate youngsters to focus on a sport and keep away from drugs and other harmful habits. Given the success, we plan to make it an annual event,” says Sundar, official commentator for the evening. Unfortunately, a heavy downpour has rescheduled the semi-finals and finals. “As soon as the water drains out of the beach,” adds Sundar. For now, the semi-finalists are Barcy Football Club, Asan Memorial College, Kottivakkam Football Club and Pattinapakkam Football Club. Here’s wishing them all the best.
