Music, dance and sunshine: CubaDupa Sunday

This weekend saw the CubaDupa street festival, a veritable feast of food, music, dance and performance.  Held over two days (this year, 19th and 20th March), and occupying Cuba Street and some surrounding laneways and courtyards, the area becomes a “playground of delight, sound and taste”.

With the weather staying hot, sunny and dry, we headed over there on Sunday afternoon.  We got there early and grabbed some lunch at Ekim Burgers, and then headed into the throngs of people.

We walked over to Glover Park and listened for a while to The Troubles, a jazz ensemble with strings, trumpet, clarinet and drums. Great fun, but gosh it was hot sitting in the sun!

From there we headed over to the Leeds Street zone, and watched Barolosolo île O, a fantastic acrobatic duo performing in a giant paddling pool, throwing musical instruements up in the air, balancing on poles and scaffolding and splashing a little water on those sitting close by.  It was hilarious and clever.

Barolosolo île O

Barolosolo île O

There are actually 5 policemen watching the performance in the background

I had seen that there was some dance over at the Hannah Courtyard zone, so we walked over there and managed to catch a bit of Java Dance Company and also a bit of Footnote Dance.

Footnote and cardboard boxes

By this time, we were very much in need of a sit down and a glass of something cold, so we headed over to The Rogue and Vagabond next to Glover Park for a much needed beer and to listen to some more music.

We stayed much longer than we did last year, and had a really great afternoon, watching all sorts of things pass us by from a steam punk themed vehicle, people performing on balconies above the street, the usual crew of drummers and a competition to try to throw a rubber duck into a bucket of Cuba Street’s iconic bucket fountain.  A good way to spend a sunny Sunday.