Nelson Masked Parade 2013

Nelson Masked Parade 2013

This annual event, part of the Nelson Arts Festival, is a lot of fun.  I came away with not only a heap of interesting images, but feeling good about the world.  There was so much energy and creativity on show, people were having such a good time.

In the assembly area the scene is almost bewildering: so many subjects it’s difficult to select a target.  I concentrated on heads and faces for a start:

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(Well, perhaps that last one is not just about faces….)

Then I came across two young girls on stilts:

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and a couple of volunteers from my Rotary Club:

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I was finally rewarded with a close-up shot of the Queen (who was kind enough to wave at me!)

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The kids of course were having a great time:

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The parade included some truly impressive numbers, such as the pupils from Hampden Street School.  Around 400 of them, dressed as Roman legionaires:

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Some schools adopted a more peaceful theme:

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It wasn’t just kids:

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Towards the end of the parade, the Nelson – China Friendship Society had persuaded dancers from the Leshan Song & Dance Troupe, from Sichuan province, to join them.  They were a beautiful addition:

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A couple of nights earlier  we’d watched them perform in a very moving show:  “Fault Lines”,  a collaborative NZ / China production exploring stories from the terrible Sichuan earthquake.

Finally, I grabbed a couple of shots of a group of spectators taking some ‘selfies’.  Here’s one of them (love the faces!)

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