Sunday, October 23, 2011
Balabasta: Lighting up Jerusalem's Marketplace
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A July festival in the alleyways of the shuk sizzles summer nights with music, art, dance -- and, of course, food.
Mahaneh Yehuda, Jerusalem's most colorful "shuk," or marketplace, is usually closed for the evening. But for four Monday nights in July, the Balabasta Festival came to the alleys of the market, courtesy of producer Kobi Frig.
In Hebrew, "balabasta" means something like "Come to the market stall." This is not to be confused with the Yiddish "balabusta," meaning "housewife."
The festival is an eclectic mix of everything from wild to sophisticated. Weird sculptures are set up on balconies, and Capoeira and waltzing breaks out on the pavement as bands play music on cobblestones and rooftops.
http://www.jsoc.org.il/event/balabasta-festival-%E2%80%93-culture-market