I just got back from photographing the 4-day Applied Improv Network conference in the Laurentians near Mont Tremblant. This is the second of three posts highlighting the amazing things I saw during the conference. See Part 1 and Part 3 here! Clearly, the organizing team of the Montreal AIN conference wanted to spoil us. As if the delicious food, cozy cabins, bonfire stargazing, and hilarious improv shows weren’t enough, they also treated us to a perfectly timed sunset-gondola ride up Mont Tremblant, where a massive feast was waiting for us in the Grand Manitou restaurant.
But there’s another reason why I was ecstatic about reaching the peak of Mont Tremblant: Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra was waiting for us!!! Knowing that they’d be coming, I made sure to bring my lights and all my equipment. I wanted to capture the frenzied chaos that is Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra. And sure enough, they put on a ridiculously energy-packed performance and partied with AIN conference attendees until midnight.
For those who don’t know Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra, they’re a Montreal-based band who fuse the Cumbia percussion rhythms from Caribbean-Colombia, along with the Gypsy style brass melodies. And along with their musicians and singers, they have dancers, who are as much part of the Orchestra as the trombonist or violinist. Only (yes only) 11 of them were present, all crammed on the small stage, but their infectious energy extended over the entire hall. The next day, I overheard a 60-year-old conference attendee say that he had initially planned on taking the early bus back, but once they started performing, he had to stay because he just couldn’t stop dancing.
Thanks for reading! In the next blog post, I’ll actually talk about the AIN conference and what it was about.
p.s. GKO - I’d really really really really love to do a photoshoot together.