
Emokhare Paul Anthony
Daily Herald
The co-director of theatrical production company Girovago hopes Prince Albert residents will enjoy a show that very energetic, colorful, and leaves people with good memories.
Girovago will be in Prince Albert on Friday to perform their show ‘Barka’. The name comes from a small type of ship called a Barque known for its quickness and versatility. Girovago co-director and performer Carmen Ruiz said they plan to bring those qualities to their show.
“That’s the plot of the show, that we are all in this ship together. Whether we’re leaving because we’re trying to escape or because we’ve been displaced, or because we’re explorers, we’re basically all trying to find our own dream, living our life, but there’s a storm coming on our horizon, and we don’t want to see it,” she said. “We don’t want to see it, and the question is, what are we going to do to keep our ship afloat?”
Girovago brings a mix of Afro-Colombian percussion, Balkan melodies, dance and circus performances. Ruiz said those sounds are intertwined in a show filled with delirious energy as well as visual and sensory richness.
“We’ve been working on a fusion of different styles of music over the past 12 years with our band,” Ruiz explained.
“We’ve been exploring this fusion of different influences very much inspired by Eastern European influences, but over the years it has become much boarder than just Eastern European.”
The northern region of Ruiz’s native Colombia also had a huge influence on the group’s sound. She described it as the “base” of their musical exploration.
That was the first main inspiration for Barque. The second was the desire to mix those sounds with dance and circus type performances.
“That’s out roots, and what has bene the base for the musical exploration,” Ruiz said.
This is the first time Girovago will perform in Saskatchewan. Prince Albert is one of several stops as the group tours through Western Canada.
Last year they performed in Edmonton and Vancouver, and enjoyed touring Western Canada. That made them want to return to Canada, with an expanded schedule that included Saskatchewan.
Girovago will perform Barca at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on Friday, Nov. 15. Tickets are available at the box office, or from earc.ca