On the 20th August on Llwyn Isaf, Wales’ leading carnival arts group, SWICA (South Wales Intercultural Community Arts), presented two 30-minute family shows as part of Wrexham Year of Culture.
The shows featured a cosmic carnival of scheming magicians, angelic spirits, shadowy demons, swashbuckling adventurers and Welsh Indian warriors. There were flamboyant costumes, dance traditions from Brazil and Trinidad, accompanied by African song and drumming, samba reggae and joyous brass.
SWICA’s 50 strong cast of carnival, circus and street performers (professional and community) wowed the audience with their visually stunning show, complete with acts of magic, levitation and illusion!
The audience at Llwyn Isaf in the centre of the town loved the performance, as the doomed Dr John Dee (played by Cardiff street entertainer Dave Id), the greatest thinker of the Elizabethan age, scientist and alchemist is bedevilled by his nemesis Edward Kelly (played by West African dancer and drummer Idrissa Camara) who is a cunning conman. A high-flying favourite of Queen Elizabeth 1’s court, Dr. Dee becomes an invaluable spy and intelligence gatherer (including predicting – following star gazing sessions) the key events of the Queen’s tumultuous reign and even helps appoint her coronation date.
Add in full-on carnival costumes, songs and dances, somersaulting spring heeled stilt performers, choreographed flags galore and the odd bout of witch burning all performed to a live musical score by house-band, “The Magicians”.
