Where Are Dead Can Dance From?

Dead Can Dance is a world fusion music band which was formed in my home town of Melbourne, Australia back in August 1981. The band made up of by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, relocated to London during May 1982 and disbanded in 1998. They reunited in 2005 for a world tour, and again in 2011-2012 for a new album ‘Anastasis’ and launched a world tour which is currently underway. I am hoping to get attend their Melbourne concert in February 2013.

Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described Dead Can Dance as having an ambient style of world music that “constructed soundscapes of mesmerising grandeur and solemn beauty; African polyrhythms, Gaelic folk, Gregorian chant, Middle Eastern mantras, and art-rock.” The Host of Seraphim is featured in the movie ‘Baraka‘ and really is quite a hauntingly moving piece of music.

The Host of Seraphim – Dead Can Dance

A Passage In Time – Dead Can Dance

For More Information

• Wikipedia
• Dead Can Dance – Official Website

The Balinese Monkey Chant – an excerpt from Baraka

The Balinese Monkey Chant is an excerpt from the beautiful non-verbal film, Baraka. The rhythms and beat are divine. Baraka was filmed back in 1992 by Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson. The music adds to the visual feast and includes musicians such as Michael Stearns and Dead Can Dance. Twenty Four different countries have been represented throughout the film.

Baraka takes the viewer into a delightful trip around the world witnessing splendid landscapes, cultures and humanity. It also makes one question many things about our world and what is becoming of it. I watched it again recently and found it even more moving that the first time I watched it. Why would that be?

Balinese Monkey Chant

Baraka – Special Edition

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Recreate some of the most famous American road trip movies for your next USA holiday!

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next holiday, look no further than your favourite films. Whether it be an intimate tale of friendship and self-growth, a high stakes police chase thriller, or even a silly American teen fest, for decades road trip movies have thrilled and inspired us with the endless possibilities that come with travelling on the open road.

Film critics and bloggers everywhere believe there’s an undeniable link between the concept of the road, movie and the spirit of the USA as a country. So if you’re booking flights to the States anytime soon, take a cue from some well-known flicks and get road tripping, big-screen style.

THE MOVIE: Thelma and Louise (1991)

This classic starring Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis and Brad Pitt sees two small town girls embark on the journey of their lives as their quiet weekend getaway turns into a gripping police chase across the south of America as they attempt the drive from their home town of Arkansas to Mexico.

DO IT YOURSELF:

Thelma and Louise travel from Arkansas to the Grand Canyon via Oklahoma – a journey of roughly 23 hours without stops, but there are plenty of reasons to take some breaks along the way. Oklahoma City and Albuquerque are perfectly placed to make overnight stops along the way, and there’ll be plenty to see while driving through changes in scenery, from vast desert plains, to mountains, to acres of trees and greenery.

Thelma & Louise (20th Anniversary)

THE MOVIE: Highway (2002)

Set in 1994, this independent cult film sees two friends played by Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal flee their home town of Las Vegas after Jack (Leto) is caught sleeping with a Vegas thug’s wife. The pair hit the road and make their way to Seattle, encountering a plethora of wild characters and odd experiences along the way.

DO IT YOURSELF:

The real trip from Las Vegas to Seattle is a long but beautiful scenic drive through mountain passes and plenty of national parks. There are a few different routes to take, all of which offer plenty of things to do for the nature lover. If you opt to start off along the mighty Great Basin Highway, Route 93, Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge offers fishing, hunting and miles of hiking trails, while Nesbitt lake is also a popular and fishing spot. The trip is approximately 20 hours of driving without stops.

Highway

THE MOVIE: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Another cult favourite starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas follows the twisted drug-addled story of a wild journalist and his lawyer who trek from Los Angeles to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race.

DO IT YOURSELF:

You don’t need a boot full of drugs to recreate this road trip (in fact, we’d advise strongly against any kind of illegal behaviour…)The journey from LA to Vegas is one of the most well-known and popular road trip routes in America so expect traffic on the way, especially if you’re making to the trip on a weekend. Although it’s a relatively short drive of around 5 hours, there’s no reason to go straight from A to B. Make sure you stop past Baker to see the World’s Largest Thermometer, and there are plenty of outlet shops just outside Vegas to keep you busy for a few hours. Once in Vegas, it’s also easy to find cheap airfares to anywhere else in the country.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Author bio: Start planning your American road trippin’ adventure and get yourself on cheap flights to the USA. www.cheapflights.com has all the best flight deals.

Where is Zihuatanejo?

Zihuatenejo

Zihuatanejo is located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico approximately 240km northwest of Acapulco. Its name means “place of women” because it was a matriarchal society. The main attraction of Zihuatanejo is the sheltered Bahía Zihuatanejo with safe swimming for families. Several beaches surround the bay which have made this an attractive tourist destination. Zihuatanejo has a very informal, relaxed atmosphere which drawns back-packers to the area, however its sister town ‘Ixtapa’ and only only 5km away, is a modern tourist resort.

Zihuatanejo gained a lot of exposure in the movie ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ during 1994. When the character Andy Dufresne dreams about one day being able to own a small hotel on the beach in Zihuatanejo. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a must – now we’re doing movie reviews!

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map Zihuatanejo

One Great Reason to Visit Zihuatanejo

One great reason to visit Zihuatanejo is for the relaxed beachside atmosphere that drew Andy Dufresne from ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ there!

Zihuatanejo

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