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On the 28th of November 2010 the Grand
International Cosplay Ball returned for its third year at the
Clapham Grand. Since the announcement of the Ball back in August
there have been swathes of announcements from the theme (Arabian
Nights) to the performances on the night. This has all helped to keep
the public interested in the event. The tickets themselves were
available to buy not only on the website but also at a variety of
different events such as
Amecon and
Hyper Japan. They were also
available nearer to the time from the
TokyoToys shop in the centre
of London. The ticket prices were £18 for standard entry and there
were also boxes available for either six or eight people. |
Once inside we were
greeted by the Clapham Grand's theatrical interior. As mentioned in our
previous features on the ball, the Grand is a former theatre which has
been converted into a night club. Its décor though is particularly
fitting for a ball. There were several bars where you could grab drinks
from and we were pleased to see that draught beers were available to buy
again. The drinks prices were around what you would expect to pay in
London around £3.50 a pint. |
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Last year the Ball was criticised for the lack of Ballroom music. This year though it was obvious that the organisers have listened to the feedback of its attendees as there was plenty of ball music to dance to. In between the music there were a number of performances throughout the evening. Highlights for Animetion were the performances from the Sword and Belly Dancers. This is one of the advantages the Ball has by selecting a theme for its event, as it is able to choose performances which you would not be able to see at any other anime or cosplay event in the UK. There were also a number of skit performances throughout the evening following an Aladdin theme. These people also interviewed the two Cosplay Ball guests this year - YaYa Han and Jenni Kallberg. Unfortunately, though the sound system this year was not very clear which left the audience unsure what was being said on stage even when near to the front. This issue also affected the musical sound performances from the band and Cosplay Ball Talent Search winner Katharine Kourbeti. |
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