The dust has settled on yet another colourful Cape Town Street Parade, and minstrel teams have now turned their attention to the big stage, where it all matters.
Athlone Stadium will be packed to the rafters as some of the minstrels’ big names will go head to head in the Adult, Female and Junior Sentimental; English Combine; and the Afrikaans Moppie categories in the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association competition.
Team categories include the Senior and Juvenile Drum Major, Best Dressed Troupe, Klopse Jol and Grand March Pass.
The Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association’s director, Muneeb Gambeno, said the competition element of the Klopse parade would run over five weeks, having already started on New Year’s Day to a sold-out Athlone Stadium.
This week will see the much-anticipated sentimental items take to the stage. They can hold many surprises – especially when a star pops up to perform.
Last year, teams brought out some big hitters in the form of former South African Idols superstars Jody Abrahams and Sasha Lee.
The solo and group items are usually where teams hold their cards close to their chest, not giving too much away and keeping teams guessing – audiences too.
One of the teams, TV Stars Youth Development, has already broken the ice, unveiling their Female Sentimental performer on social media.
Amy Campbell is a Cape Town-based vocal lecturer, singer and performer with roots in jazz, musical theatre and much more.
In 2017, she won SA’s Got Talent with her a cappella group, AnecNote, bagging the R500 000 cash prize and the title.
“I am so excited to be a part of this,” she said with the announcement.
She lectures at the Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy in Camps Bay and is also the director of the UCT Jazz Choir at the South African College of Music based at UCT.
Other teams remained quiet and encouraged people to be at Athlone Stadium to find out more about their plans. Gates open at 10am and the entertainment is set to start at 11.30am. Most tickets have been sold out.
