Around Parque Rodo

The holiday season has been full of events and we've been busy enjoying the city's diverse offerings. Here's a sampling of some of the interesting things we've seen in our neighbourhood during the month of December.

Prior to Christmas, the Teatro Verano presented an evening of "Ballet under the Stars" featuring the Ballet Nacional Sodre directed by Julio Bocca.  The outdoor venue is a fully-equipped bandshell style stage with stadium seating carved into a hill in Parque Rodo.  The evening's program included Act II of Swan Lake, the Pas de Deux of the Black Swan, both beautifully performed with classical precision.  The breeze ruffled white feathers on the dancers' tutus as a storm blew over, but a minor rainshower did nothing to dampen the spirits of the audience.  I love the fact that this type of casual plein air venue and the reasonable ticket price (130 pesos) attract viewersto a performance that they might never take in at the more formal Teatro Solis or Sodre. The acceptable behaviour code is more relaxed for an audience seated in a large amphitheatre, a setting where it's perfectly okay to leave your seat to go and buy a Coke at the concession partway through the performance.  There were lots of families in attendance, teenagers, seniors and babies, too.  Everyone had a great time and by the end of the evening the sponsors had raised a considerable amount of money for a good cause, to benefit Montevideo's pediatric hospital Pereira Rossell.

Bird by Oiva Toikka

Another highlight of this star-studded season was an exhibition called "Northern Stars: 20th century Finnish Design" presented at the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales located at the south end of the park at the corner of Av. Tomas Giribaldi.  This show, curated by the Museum of Design in Helsinki,  included stunning textiles, ceramics, glass and furniture, objects marked by the ultra-sleek styling, nature-inspired forms and bright colours of the Nordic aesthetic.  The installation featured large swaths of vivid Marimekko fabrics hung as room dividers in a stark white gallery, framing small groupings of exquisite clothing, chairs and kitchenware.  If you avoided looking out the windows at the palm trees in the park, you had the sensation of being in a Scandinavian interior.  I coveted the bird designed by Oiva Toikka, which cleverly suggested feathers by incorporating undulating veins of coloured glass.

Fabric design by Sanna Annukka 2008, Marimekko

Outside the hushed atmosphere of the art museum a bustling Christmas Market was going on in Parque Rodo, with stalls showcasing the work of Uruguayan artisans.  Jewellery, candles, silk scarves, fine wool sweaters, leather work and wooden objects were displayed and sold.  Often this type of show has low-level, homemade goods, but the quality of the work was excellent, as this craft fair was a juried show.

 I bought a beautiful Jugart wooden box for 360 pesos, secured with a  puzzle piece locking system in the shape of a bird.  This petite treasure chest has a pleasing smooth surface and exudes a sweet sandalwood fragrance when opened.

On Sunday afternoons during the summer months, Parque Rodo is a non-stop fiesta, throbbing with the resounding heartbeat of Montevideo - candombe drumming.  A form of music that originated in Africa, candombe was introduced by the black male population (read slaves) in Uruguay and appropriated by whites who made the art popular.  Read more about the history of drumming here. Today the troupes are mixed, with both black and white, male and female participants.  

The audience joins in as the hypnotic beat goes on for hours, alternating tempo and rhythm.  Women get up and dance a form of samba with fast, fancy footwork.  This is street ballet, with no strict rules or choreography, just a spontaneous celebration of joy.  As the sun goes down, the party continues....