The Kensington World's Fair

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Kensington threw itself a party Sunday afternoon, and a lot of neighbors came. The Kensington World’s Fair banner exaggerated only slightly by proclaiming itself a WORLD’S FAIR. Indeed it appeared that a good cross-section of neighborhood adults—and their children—showed up, representatives of the 26 languages spoken at PS 230. Quite a few found themselves partying with these/their neighbors for the first time. PS 230 got the proceeds from the event.

Some people discovered the Kensington World’s Fair by accident and stayed all day. My neighbor Leda, born in Albania, returned from an errand with her two kids and stopped to hear the music. I told her to stay, there would be 4 hours of free music and dance performances. They stayed. At the end of the day, she was still there, her son and daughter waiting in the long line for free face painting.

By the time Matt Moran, the Goc` drummer, Kensington resident, and leader of the 8–piece brass band, Slavic Soul Party, led his band from the stage into the audience to play on blocked-off Albemarle Road, about 300 people were there. Boys danced along side as the band played on, while the giant “Day of the Dead,” skeleton puppets made by students at PS 230, snaked through the crowd and encircled the band. A traditional Serbian/Roma instrument, the Goc` is a big bass drum which sat vertically on Mr. Moran’s chest, a cymbal on top. Other instruments included 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, clarinet and sax (played by the same musician), an accordion, and a snare drum.

Next up was The CK Dance Company, which held the full attention of the audience’s kids. Students of Cynthia King, the blonde B (Ballerina) Girls danced together making ballet gestures and then performed a duet w/ a B-boy—ballet and break dancing momentarily united. Then to the soul: the 7 B-boys and 1 B-girl took over, breaking together and then competing. Several looked to be no older than 8.

The Bangladesh Institute of Performing Arts, directed by Annie Ferdous, brought its dancers—all girls 5 to 13 yrs old—and college student Taseen Ferdous; their own linoleum flooring to dance on; and theatrical glamour to the bare-bones wood stage erected at the Dahill/Albemarle corner. No wonder Auritri Hossain’s mother was busily photographing her daughter. “She’s second from right,” the mother said as she continued shooting pictures of the girls in the chorus in magenta and gold saris and in make up for their stage appearance.
They performed a folk dance, a pantomime of sorts, where I think I saw a maiden sitting by the stream. Taseen Ferdous performed a classical Kathak dance. But the highlight, which made KWF organizer and MC Maggie Tobin exclaim, “I’ve just gone all mushy,” was the song, “A Universal Prayer.” A hit song originally recorded by Krishna Ni Bhe Gha Ni—Colonial Cousins, it talks about Jesus, Krishna and others who can save the world.
Other performers included the PS 230 chorus, the troupe of Bulgarian dancers called Bosilek, the Classical Mexican Dance Ensemble all dressed in white w/ red bows or bandanas, and the discovery of Mediterranean music as sung by Mavrothi Kontanis Duo. Toward the end, as the Mexican Dance Ensemble performed, the SE Asian sound man, Moni Rul, stood behind his console imitating the Ensemble’s moves.
According to 66th Precinct P.O. Vaughan, who spent the day at the Kensington World’s Fair, and a lot of others too, this was by far the most successful community fair he’d attended. By 6 p.m. all traces of it were filed in the trash baskets. All that remained was the 20 bags of garbage PS 230 put out on the sidewalk the Friday afternoon before.