Four crack international teams will contend with Vietnam’s DaNang One at the Da Nang Fireworks Festival on March 27-28.

Captain Takanori Suda (first from the left) of the Tamaya Kitahara fireworks team instructs workers.

Four teams have arrived from abroad to compete in the 2010 Da Nang International Fireworks Festival. Consultant-organizer Joe Ghazzal says that because the event is one of the seven national programmes celebrating the 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, the competing teams are all famous. The festival, therefore, promises to bring the audience fascinating firework performances.

On this year’s bill are Grupo Luso Pirotecnia from Portugal, Tamaya Kitahara (Japan), Pyrotecnico (USA) and the Jacques Couturier Organisation (France). All had arrived in central Vietnam’s leading city by March 23 to prepare for the festival.

Japan: oriental-styled show

Last year China’s Liuyang Dancing and Portugal’s Caballer impressed Vietnamese audience by their unique performances and were awarded first and second prizes. This year, Japan’s Tamaya Kitahara team, which has taken gold medals twice at international firework festivals in China and once in Spain, is tipped to take the Danang gold.

Captain Takanori Suda said that his team uses the most modern computerized firework letting technology. The team aims to turn firework shows into a new entertainment industry in Japan and the world. Among its six members are, uniquely, two women.

Nanae Fukuda, one of them, said her team’s show will last 25 minutes and will have an oriental theme, based on the “five elements” (metal, wood, water, fire and earth).

“We will use both modern and traditional techniques to show images of a flying dragon, egg laying dragons, the Marble Mountains, a bustling port city, fairies, etc.,” said Fukuda.

Asked which of its competitors Team Kitahara fears most, a member said they are not afraid of any team but Pyrotecnico from the USA has the most different style.

Pyrotecnico: the audience will dance

Though Pyrotechnico have only won two golds at recent international festivals (Quebec 2008, Montreal 2009), they annually put on over 2000 shows a year in the US, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.

Team leader Rocco Vitale III said Pyrotechnico brings over 75 years of experience to the competition. Its 24 minute show will be full of rock and roll energy.

“We have watched video clips of the Da Nang firework festivals 2008 and 2009 and researched our rivals. To tell the truth, we are very confident. We aim to turn this year’s festival into a real ball and rouse the audience to dance together happily to rock music!” said Vitale.

Calvin Shook, a team member, added that “Rock is the most popular genre of music in the world. Our slogan for the Da Nang International Firework Festival (DIFC 2010) is ‘Rock loves the …. DIFC’. We want everybody to feel excited by strong music and wonderful fireworks above the Han River and on the water surface”.

Tamaya Kitahara will perform on March 27 with Grupo Luso Pirotecnia and Vietnam’s Da Nang 1 while Pyrotecnico will perform on March 28 with the Jacques Couturier Organisation.

Hai Chau