Many of us came out of lockdown looking a little worse for wear, but Son Amar has reopened with a new name, new performance spaces, a new cast, a new show and a full-on Hollywood facelift. I took my 15 year old daughter, La Gidg, along to watch the show last Saturday evening. “Isn’t that the show with the Lion King animals in it?” she asked me, having last visited Son Amar when she was nine.
Not anymore. If you go to see the new “Exhibit” show then you can expect to see a reinvented variety show with immense confidence, skill and style. Right from the start the show oozes boldness, the performers all playing at the top of their individual game be it acrobatics, street dance, flamenco or vocals all set to a modern soundtrack that my teenager approved of and I loved.
Between the amazing visuals of flamenco dancers in the rain, to the mind boggling quick change act to the impressive ensemble pieces, it is hard to fault Exhibit. Being a sucker for drama my favourite moment in the show had to be the dramatic solo entrance by flamenco dancer Jonathan Gómez, shirtless and wearing a fabulous black satin flamenco skirt. Performing, lit by only one light, he commanded the stage with his powerfully expressive body.
Anyone interested in COVID safety can note that the auditorium has been renovated completely and updated to exceed health and safety requirements and has been fitted with the latest air filtration and ventilation technology. Ticket prices start at 27.5€. Perfect for couples, families with older children and groups, Son Amar is a great place to spend a great night in Mallorca.
Dream big!
I have personally known these two madmen for quite a while now. Timothy Galgey and Pete Langan are currently snorkelling around the coastline of the island. They set off last week and at the time of writing are in the area around Cala Vincente.
The aim of their snorkel marathon is to raise awareness about plastic pollution in the Mediterranean and raise money for two charities: Save the Med whose mission is to enable the Mediterranean Sea to recover its rich biodiversity and to thrive in harmony with prospering, environmentally conscious and proactive local populations, and Yachting Gives Back who collaborate with several local charities to reach out to those most in need, people who suffer from hunger and have nowhere to live, vulnerable mothers, children and young people at risk of exclusion and poverty.
Tim and Pete started training last year and estimate they will snorkel about 550km of coastline during the month of July. Their plan is to be in the water for about six hours everyday and camp on the beaches at night. They are supported by Jo who is kayaking alongside them, and they are also taking turns to tow a second kayak with supplies in it.
You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/mallorca-360-snorkel-challenge and you can follow them at https://www.facebook.com/Mallorca360Snorkel where they post daily updates about their progress.
Rotary club inaugurates new president
The Rotary Club of Calvià held their annual handover event last week at the Hotel Bendinat. The evening kicked off with welcome drinks and live music and was followed by a very good dinner and the small matter of the introduction of the new President.
The custom at the Rotary is to only permit a person a one year tenure as president, so the outgoing President, Gerdi Edtstadtler had a tough gig in 2020/2021.
All of the weekly meetings were held on Zoom and many of the fundraising and community activities that the club would normally organise were cancelled. Despite this they managed to support several charities on the island and also ran a successful schools’ debating competition.
The incoming President is John Robbins who gave a warm and optimistic speech detailing his plans for the forthcoming year for the club including a drive to increase membership from the international community of Mallorca. If you are interested in the club and want to know more about what they do or go along to a meeting you can visit www.rotarycalvia.com for all of the details.
Look up!
I recently joined an Arts Society event on the streets of Palma to learn about the “Modernista” movement in architecture. Led by a very knowledgeable guide, Fernando Castro, I learned a lot about the philosophy and inspiration behind some of Palma’s iconic buildings, and also saw some I had not even noticed before.
The group, following COVID guidelines at the time, was of a limited size, and we all enjoyed our 90 minute gentle wander around the city centre. The Arts Society Mallorca held its first event in October 2018. Since then, they have held a number of highly enjoyable events - lectures, a visit to The Miro Foundation and walking tours in Palma and their first exhibition of art by its members.
The Society offers an interesting programme of lectures given by entertaining and professional speakers. The aim of the Arts Society Mallorca is to give their members the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the arts, make new friends and above all have fun. The Arts Society will start its new season of lectures, meetings and events in English in the autumn. You can find out more about becoming a member of the society. You can find out more at https://theartssociety.org/mallorca or email them mallorca@theartssociety.org
If you have an event, group or story get in touch at majorcamallorcapodcast@gmail.com Every week the Mallorca Mallorca podcast is released so look out for it, and join the Facebook group Mallorca Mallorca.Together to stay in touch with others on the island.