SALALAH, Oman – Over 130 Clay Paky fixtures were recently featured during the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Salalah Khareef Festival in Oman. Held every summer during the Khareef (monsoon) season, the Salalah Khareef Festival is a widely-attended event in this tropical region, which is about 640 miles from Oman's capital, Muscat. The Sultanate organizes the festival to celebrate their heritage, with festivities usually running for six weeks. Attractions include folk music, traditional games, art shows, poetry, children's contests, seminars, awareness campaigns, sports and more. Most of the celebrations take place at the Lake Amphitheatre, while other performances and activities are held at a number of locations nearby.
The opening ceremony of the festival was held at the Wilayats Theatre in the Cultural Village at the Municipality Recreational Centre. It included more than 2,500 performers presenting four operettas under the theme March and Achievement.
Sheikh Salim Bin Aufait Al Shanfari, head of Dhofar Municipality and chairman of the main committee for Salalah Tourism Festival 2010, called the opening ceremony "a colorful celebration." It entertained over 3,000 spectators.
To highlight the performances, LD Ali Saab used Clay Paky moving lights. They included 20 Alpha Beam 1500s, 20 Alpha Beam 300s, 40 Alpha Spot HPE 1200s and 56 Alpha Wash 575 fixtures, combined with Ignition LED screens.
The fixtures were placed around the sides of 11 large Ignition FZ LED screens, with additional fixtures placed along the curved step dividing the sunken front half of the stage. Four Clay Paky Shadow QS-LT followspots were also used.
Programmer Mohamed Tarakomyi and operators Taha Al Halak and Mohamed Haroun used two grandMA full size series 1 consoles, three grandMA media servers and three grandMA NSPs for control.
Al Raisi Group supplied the lighting, and Al Watan TV produced the show. Diaa Shehadeh, general manager for the Al Raisi Group, credited the brand for dependability and the degree with which LDs, programmers and operators are familiar with the gear. "We have dealt with them for a very long time," he noted.
"The festival showcased our lighting in a very attractive way," said Pio Nahum, Clay Paky sales and marketing manager, returning the compliment. Nahum also credited Saab as "a very talented designer."
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