Category Archives: Events

Plan wisely

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When you’re first deciding how to plan an event there are many things you need to do.
There’s an overwhelming amount of information and action to take – especially if you’re looking online.

Event planning is the process of budgeting, scheduling, choosing a venue for your event, coordinating permits and licenses, arranging entertainment including bands and speakers, and meeting with caterers to choose a menu. The term event planning is used when planning party and event venues.

Event Management is the process of overseeing and managing the entire event from start to finish, including the event team and/or volunteers. Typically, event managers have more experience than a planner and manage the entire project. The term event management is usually used when referring to large-scale events like festivals, conferences, or concerts.

Regardless of which title you choose to give yourself, there are 3 key qualities that an event planner must have to succeed.

Time Management – you must be able to coordinate multiple schedules at once, in order to be a successful event planner.

Resourcefulness – thinking quickly on your feet is critical to planning events – no matter what size – because even the best laid plans don’t always go as planned and you’ll need to know how to seamlessly fix issues without your client or the event guests knowing.

Budgeting – one of the most important skills to have as an event planner, yet often ignored because many of us like the creative side of event planning more than dealing with the bottom line. However, in order to be a successful event planner and make a profit, you must know your numbers. If budgeting scares you, sign up for a class at a local college to learn the basics.

Knowing how to schedule and organise correctly can make for a wiser selection, and have better organisation at your event.

Ensuring the right entertainment

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So, you have been planning your private party for ages and now the moment has come… the big day is now in sight! Of course, you already have an idea about your venue type, colour scheme, decoration and considered the entertainment. Ensuring you have the right entertainment can be the difference between a ‘good’ party and an unforgettable one! It’s important to keep your guests entertained throughout and it’s important you get it right, including picking the right venue to suit your plans.

Whichever entertainment you decide on, you need to make sure your venue can accommodate. Whether you have ideas on a party band, or dance troupe you need to ensure the venue suits the entertainment.

Stage
Some venues will have a stage or something similar, such as a raised part of the room. These are quite useful particularly if you want musicians or entertainment acts to be seen clearly by your guests.

The size of the stage is also important. If you planned on having a dance troop come and perform, you need to make sure the stage will be large enough to accommodate their routine and numbers.

Space
Function bands are always a great form of entertainment as they can work as a brilliant ice breaker and really help to get your guests on their feet and dancing. If you have a function band in mind, you need to ensure not only that there is enough space for the band to perform,but plenty of space for your guests to get up and dance.

Other forms of entertainment such as closeup magicians or caricaturists only need space to move freely around tables, whereas more exotic forms of entertainment such as a fire dancer will need a large area for safety reasons.

Accessibility
Checking that your venue is accessible can sometimes be the make or break for your choice. It’s important your venue can be accessed by all. If you’re having a twelve-piece band but your venue is on the top floor of a building with no lift, it’s certainly not ideal for a band to carry all their instruments up. You need to make sure that any equipment or props your entertainment may need can be easily transported to your venue.

For the love of St Patrick

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St. Patrick is the beloved patron saint of Ireland. The Irish are famous for spinning exaggerated tales, so despite the infamous stories traditionally attributed to St Patrick, quite little is actually known about his life. We do know that St Patrick was born in Britain and that at the age of 16 was captured by Irish raiders who attacked his family’s estate. He was then transported to Ireland where he was held captive for six years, living a solitary, lonely life as a shepherd. It was then that he became a devout Christian, embracing his religion for solace. From his writing, we know that a voice, which he believed to be that of God, spoke to him in a dream, urging him to leave Ireland. He did. Walking nearly 200 miles, Patrick escaped to Britain and undertook seriously religious training.

Believe it or not, the first St Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City on March 17, 1762. Irish Americans were not the first, however, to celebrate the feast of St Patrick. Irish families have traditionally celebrated the feast of St Patrick as a religious holiday for thousands of years—a great pause during the Christian season of Lent when prohibitions were lifted for one day of dancing, drinking and feasting on meat. Corned beef and cabbage anyone?

The history of St Patrick’s Day in America, however, begins with Irish soldiers serving in the British army. Befitting of the Irish, it is a tale of Irish patriotism and evolving political power. That very first parade in New York City not only helped the homesick Irish soldiers connect with their roots through the familiar strains of traditional Irish music—usually featuring bagpipes and drums, but also helped them to connect with one another, finding strength in numbers.

Over the years as nearly a million Irish immigrants fled to America in the wake of the Great Potato Famine, St Patrick’s Day parades became a display of solidarity and political strength as these often ridiculed Irish immigrants were frequently victims of prejudice. Soon enough, their numbers were recognized and the Irish soon organized and exerted their political muscle, becoming known as the “green machine”.

Today, St Patrick’s Day celebrations abound. Decidedly less religious, St Patrick’s Day celebrations continue to be a show of Irish strength and patriotism. So, get out your green and get ready to celebrate!

The year of the Pig

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This is how to throw a Chinese New Year party for one night only

Crispy Duck, spring rolls, lettuce wraps, sweet and sour pork, crispy orange beef and chicken chow Mein are just a few dishes you can serve at Chinese New Year. If you’re not up for cooking, hire a Caterer to make up delicious traditional Chinese dishes for you and your guests. Your desserts should be orange based or otherwise relate to your Chinese New Year theme. When it comes to alcohol, you should talk to your Bartender about serving drinks that involve oranges. Do not serve anything with cream or that is white in colour, as white represents death and mourning.

Buy Chinese take-out boxes and fill them with party favours for each of your guests. Some great favours to celebrate Chinese New Year are chocolate gold coins, fortune cookies, oriental fans, Chinese opera masks, character bead bracelets, mini paper lanterns or dragons, and other traditional Chinese sweets or gifts. If your budget allows, you may also consider booking a Photobooth for your corporate event and laying out themed props. You and your guests can pose with paper dragons, red boas, and other fun props.

It’s customary to ask your guests to remove their shoes at the door. All of this is said to lead to good luck and a smooth transition into the new year. Once your home is spotless, it’s time to decorate.
Red and gold – that’s your colour scheme. In many Asian cultures, red envelopes symbolize a monetary gift for a special occasion. So, you may consider sending your invitations in red envelopes to go along with your theme (you can include chocolate coins to replace the money). You’ll want to hang beautiful Chinese lanterns throughout your home (and outside, too, so that new guests can easily identify your home). Cover your table with a rich, red table cloth and use gold-trimmed plates or gold napkins, placemats, or other finishing touches. Many choose to adorn their tables with Chinese dragons as centrepieces. However, you can also decorate by placing bowls of mandarin oranges (which represent wealth, luck, and happiness) out for your guests to enjoy.

You can also hire party suppliers and have some music playing, which adds to the ambiance. Consider instrumental, western, pop, or ethnic music to add to your event.

Chinese New Year is all about new beginnings, luck, and happiness. So celebrate with your loved ones and have a happy new year!

Don’t hire the same old stuff

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We at Red Masque have the best unique artists to hire out for your special event; we have below suggested some great things to consider. Gone are the days when when entertainment used to be a singer, magician or a bad comedian. There is alot of exciting and different entertainment available now which is unique and very clever. Here is just the tip of the iceberg for a suggestions. If you look on Red Masque Directory you will find a vast array of great entertainment for hire which will suit any event.

If you do decide for your private party that you are going to travel into town and visit some extravagant wine bars, why not hire a limo and be treated like a star all night too! You could include some true star quality and hire your own Paparazzi photographers to follow you wherever you go – you’ll be guaranteed to attract plenty of attention and have some fabulous shots of your night to treasure forever!

If you think that your party group are the outdoors type, then have you considered organise some giant games to play outside. Another great idea is circus training! Your party can learn a range of amazing circus tricks taught by professionals and come away from the party with a skill to enjoy and show-off for life. These artists are so much fun and guaranteed to thrill all your guests.
How about a Murder Mystery Night? Mingle your guests with brilliant characters and watch a murder unfold before your eyes leaving the guests as detectives trying to found out “who dunnit”! It’s a superbly thrilling evening where you learn who to trust and who not to trust while you work out who committed the terrible crime but beware of twists in the tale….!

Alternatively, you could hire some themed dance acts to really get all your guests in the spirit at they dance the night away in their themed dress. Don’t forget to include some suitable dance entertainment such as some Burlesque dancers which will be very entertaining for both sexes. There are a whole host of entertainment to book, just glance through all of our entertainment for hire to give you some more ideas.

Make it different and your guests will be amazed!

The Tap Dance

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Tap originated in the United States through the fusion of several ethnic percussive dances, primarily African tribal dances and Scottish, Irish, and English clog dances, hornpipes, and jigs. Until the last few decades of the 20th century, it was believed that African slaves and Irish indentured servants had observed each other’s dances on Southern plantations and that tap dancing was born from this contact.

In the mid- to late 1800s, competitions were a common form of dance entertainment. Later called “cutting contests,” these intense challenges between dancers were an excellent breeding ground for new talent. Dancers matured by learning each other’s techniques and rhythmic innovations. The primary showcase for tap of this era was the minstrel show, which was at its peak from approximately 1850 to 1870.

During the following decades, styles of tap dancing evolved and merged. Among the ingredients that went into the mix were buck dancing (a dance similar to but older than the clog dance), soft-shoe dancing (a relaxed, graceful dance done in soft-soled shoes and made popular in vaudeville), and buck-and-wing dancing (a fast and flashy dance usually done in wooden-soled shoes and combining Irish clogging styles, high kicks, and complex African rhythms and steps such as the shuffle and slide; it is the forerunner of rhythm tap).

Tap dance as it is known today did not emerge until roughly the 1920s, when “taps,” nailed or screwed onto shoe soles at the toes and heels, became popular. During this time entire chorus lines in shows such as Shuffle Along (1921) first appeared on stage with “tap shoes,” and the dance they did became known as tap dancing.

The All American Barbeque

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Thinking of having a Barbeque at your event? Here’s how it all started…

Pork or beef? Kansas or Memphis? Texan or North Carolina? The evolution of America’s four most distinct barbecue styles has come a long way since Christopher Columbus.

While the never ending battle for barbecue supremacy will continue to rage, the history of American barbecue is as diverse as the traditions themselves, moving through a path that begins in the Caribbean – and even involves help from the British.

Spanning across the famous ‘barbecue belt’ that runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, arguably no nation on Earth takes the primitive form of cooking as seriously as the United States of America.

Indeed, it was over five hundred years ago that Columbus first witnessed native tribes on the island of Hispaniola cooking meat over an indirect flame using green wood to keep the food from burning.

Historical records indicated that the Spanish explorers named this cooking style, ‘barbacoa’ – and eventually the technique made it onto the mainland – where it kept its traditional attachment to pork.

This historical accuracy is very important in the arguments that rage between Texas, who use beef, Memphis who use mutton and the Carolina’s who use pork.

Purists argue that the meat used in BBQ must always be pork, because the tradition of southern cooks having to use the cheap, low maintenance hog as the meat in their barbecue pits.

This is because cows are expensive and need large amounts of food and land, unlike pigs who can be left to fend for themselves.

In pre-Civil War times, this meant that because the pig wasn’t cared for like a cow would be the meat would not be as fat and would need to be cooked slowly to tenderize.

Prior to 1861, Southerners ate an average of five pounds of pork for every one pound of cattle – and their reliance on this cheaper method of food lead to a form of patriotism that separated the richer north from south.

Despite the south’s historical attachment to the BBQ, primitive forms of cooking originated in the easternmost colonies.

The vinegar-based ‘whole hog’ barbecue that was started in Virginia made its way down to North Carolina and the technique of adding sauce to the meat as it cooks – is said to have originated with the British, despite their inglorious culinary history.

In South Carolina, where a large portion of French and German immigrants lived, mustard based sauces were created – both sweet and tart.

As the Carolina BBQ’s grew in popularity, the fashion for slow cooking spread to Texas – where the rich German immigrants who lived their used the meat from the cattle they were herding.

Up the Mississippi River in Memphis, the sweet, tomato based sauces used were created by mixing molasses to get the unique taste.

And once BBQ had moved along to Kansas City, he mixed everything up, allowing not only pork to be used, but beef as well.

A barbeque is a delicious and sociable way to feed your guests at your private party or corporate event. What could be better than the smell of a BBQ on a hot summer’s evening?

Heavy Metal history

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To the uninitiated, any loud music is called heavy metal. In reality, there are a multitude of heavy metal styles and subgenres. Heavy metal is a wide umbrella characterizing a style of music that is generally loud and aggressive. There are genres that are very melodic and mainstream, and other genres that are extreme and underground. Here’s a brief overview of heavy metal and its many styles.

The term “heavy metal” was first used in a musical sense in the ’60s song “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf when they referred to “heavy metal thunder.” Although there are debates among experts, most consider groups like ​Black Sabbath, ​Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple to be the first heavy metal bands.

From there the style evolved and branched into many different genres and subgenres. Heavy metal remains a vital force in music today, with sellout concert tours and CDs selling impressive numbers of copies without any radio airplay or MTV exposure.

The backbone of heavy metal is the electric guitar. You can’t have metal without at least one guitarist, and many bands have two or more. Certain genres have some quiet and mellow parts, but most metal is loud, intense, fast and aggressive. The vocal styles in heavy metal range from melodic singing to aggressive singing to unintelligible screaming, depending on the genre.

At the beginning, there was just traditional heavy metal. Shortly after it evolved and splintered into many different styles and subgenres. This site has a series of articles on many of the genres that will give you a more in-depth look at that particular type of metal.

As time has gone on, there are literally hundreds of subgenres

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM)
This genre has influenced almost all metal that has followed it. These were the metal pioneers that took the original sound of groups like Black Sabbath and took out the rock and blues influences to make the traditional metal sound that we’re familiar with today.

Examples: Def Leppard, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon

Nu-Metal
Combining heavy metal riffs with hip-hop influences and rapped lyrics, this genre became very popular in the late ’90s through the early 2000’s and then fell from favor. There are a few bands of this style still doing well, although most have come and gone.
Examples: Korn, Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Slipknot

Power Metal
A very melodic form of metal that utilizes soaring guitars and strong vocals, usually in a higher register. It’s also an epic style, with long songs and many lyrics about mythology, fantasy, and metaphysical topics. Most power metal bands also have a keyboardist.

Examples: Blind Guardian, Fates Warning, Helloween, Jag Panzer

Thrash Metal
This genre evolved from NWOBHM and became heavier and more extreme. It’s characterized by fast guitar and double bass drum with aggressive but understandable vocals. Some of the most popular bands in metal started as thrash bands, although most evolved as they went along.
Examples: Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer

The great thing about heavy metal is that it is continually changing, evolving and improving. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more extreme, something new comes along. Whether you prefer the melody and complexity of power metal or the aggression and intensity of death metal, it’s all part of this widely encompassing genre called heavy metal.

Dance Origins

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History of dance entertainment is filled with interesting events that shaped its foundations, inventors that created new styles, periods of time when dance and music were put in the forefront of innovations, which all enabled it to become the popular social pastime of today.

History of dance closely follows the development of human race. Since the earliest times of our existence, far before the creation of first modern civilizations, dance served as an irreplaceable way of expressing human thought and emotion. As our civilization traveled through millennia, dance was modified to the point of being popular means of expression, health, communication and competition.

Elizabethan Dance
During the period of time in 16th century that is today remembered as an Elizabethan Era, dance and music received unprecedented attention, advancement and refinement that allowed it to become one of the most popular ways for socialization and exercise, and a foundation for the creation of all modern dances.

Dance in Religion and Mythology
Connection between dance and religion and myths can be observed from the dawn of our civilization to the modern times. Here you can find out how dance influenced the religion ceremonies, became storytelling device in describing tales of gods and myths, or in some cases become very integral part of some religions.

History of Ballroom Dancing
History of ballroom dancing started with the rise of European renaissance in 16th century. Ever since then, tradition of ballroom dancing expanded across entire world, pushing along its path creation of many popular dances that are in use today.

History of Waltz
Ever since it first appeared on the ballrooms of Venice, Waltz managed to revolutionize the way we dance. Here you can read detailed accounts of the way waltz was created, moved from folk roots to royal ballrooms, and helped to kickstart new era of social dances and music styles.

History of Salsa
Salsa is the Latin American dance that managed to revolutionize the way we dance and move one the dance floor. Here you can find out everything you need to know about history of salsa, its origins, popularity in Cuba, and spreading to United States and the rest of the world.

History of Ballet
Ballet is a formal dance technique combined with costumes, scenery, and music. Ballet integrated dance, music, stage design and poetry to make a dramatic storyline. It developed under the aristocratic influence as a formalized form of dance. At first its roll was a virtually component of the opera. In a time, it was formalized and codified, and there were founded popular ballet stages all over the world.

Themed party Ideas

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Themed Events are fun and exciting provided they are planned and thought through properly, and we have some great acts advertised, providing the right entertainment so that each event is truly unique and personal to you.

From elegant James Bond themes, through high-roller Casino themes to Halloween themes (not for the faint-hearted), you just need to browse through our various themes and choose any one that you like. Don’t worry if you can’t see one that takes your fancy, just take your time and read the biography and you can talk to your potential choice to go through details.

We want your themed event is the best it can possibly be. We have years of experience and extensive contacts, so we guarantee all acts you see advertised are the best and we are certain you will choose an event that will be just right for you and your guests.

Everyone works to a budget, and we appreciate that the budget cannot be unlimited, so a lot of artists work to your specification, producing an event that suits everyone’s requirements.

Themed events work perfectly for private parties, corporate events, weddings, theatres, nightclubs and hotels – the list goes on and on.

Your chosen act will be sure to attend to every detail, their main focus is on the quality of the event and professionalism to make your event perfect for you.