Legendary Hero Revealed at Asian Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan.
We recently received a tip-off that Electro Kabuki had been used to reveal the centrepiece at the opening ceremony of the 5th Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) held in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. As far as we know, this is the first Electro Kabuki rig in Turkmenistan. (In truth, we had to Google Turkmenistan to find out more about the country. There are some fascinating facts to be uncovered if you have time)!
Information is scarce but we have found a YouTube video, which tells us that the EK reveal worked perfectly, playing its part in flawless fashion.
The video shows the opening ceremony. It’s quite a long video, actually, but if you pay particular attention around the 1 hour 23-minute mark (out of a total length of 2½ hours) you’ll see Electro Kabuki do its stuff. (Or click on the shortened clip in the banner above). Like most opening ceremonies for international games, it was a showy affair and a fine spectacle. And yes, at the indicated time, it was clear to see why a substantial Electro Kabuki rig was needed, along with EK’s absolute dependability, to reveal what can only be described as a giant and impressive inflatable figure.
Some more time on Google turned up information about the centrepiece figure. It is Oğuz Han (or Oghuz Khan or Oghuz Khagan), a legendary and semi-mythological Khan of the Turks. It’s a legend used by some Turkic cultures to describe their ethnic origins and the origin of the system of political clans used by Turkmen, Ottoman, and other Oghuz Turks. (Thanks, Wikipedia).
This inflatable incarnation of Oğuz Han is a striking figure holding a bow and arrows with massive horns emanating from a plinth. It looks to be 60 feet tall. We can see that the EK modules were rigged on a large, circular truss high above the legendary hero.
The perfectly-timed EK reveal worked flawlessly. And, though this was just one part of the prestigious show, we think it was an important part of the staging. It proves that EK users can be totally confident with the system. Kabuki drops once had a chequered reputation; we’d like to think that our engineering expertise has consigned that to history.
Check out this AIMAG video clip for yourself. This is a shortened clip showing the part of the event where EK comes in to play.
Got time to watch the entire AIMAG Opening Ceremony? No problem, knock yourself out by following this link.