(P) BALKANIK! FESTIVAL, second edition! – music, tradition and astonishing performances

BALKANIK, the first festival of Balkan music and culture in Romania, has come to its second edition and will take place in Grădina Uranus, between 21 and 23 September 2012. The three days and three nights of celebration aim to revive the boyar parties that animated old Bucharest in its golden age. Responsible for the music are five of the best groups of Balkan music from S erbia, Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. THE BOBAN AND MARKO MARKOVIC ORCHESTRA, Serbia – the most acclaimed band in Serbia from the 80s to the present day, it reached fame after the collaboration with Emir Kusturica for the motion pictures Underground (winner of Palme d’Or) and Arizona Dream. PARNO GRASZT, Hungary – rewarded at World Music Charts Europe, BBC made a documentary on their work of preserving the tradition.BABA ZULA, Turkey – appeared in Fatih Akin’s documentary Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul, included in the Official Selection of Cannes in 2005. FANFARA SHAVALE – Romania. Based in the village Zece Prăjini,the village that holds the record for the largest number of brass bands across the country. NEDIM NALBANTOGLU & THE BALKAN MESSENGERS, Turkey & Bulgaria. Nedim Nalbantoglu is a Turkish virtuoso known in France as “the man who brings the violin to life and makes it speak”. Apart from the live concerts, the audience of Balkanik Festival will be delighted with a crafts fair showcasing folk items, from Romanian ceramics, hand woven carpets, to jewelry, accessories and textiles, workshops – clay modeling, water painting, creative recycling,tasty traditional food, coffee on sand, grape must, roasted pumpkin and other delicacies. Among the surprises of this edition are: Crispus, The Art of Fire – Since 2003, they have managed to transform fire games into true art and the result can be experienced in any of their shows that blends pyrotechnics and acrobatics, resulting in unique visual effects. They have broken the record for fire breathing and represented Romania throughout the entire world. The Last Transhumance – a project by Dragoș Lumpan, photo exhibition on a 72 sqm display