Wacky Woods 2011

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Wacky Woods 2011

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Wacky Woods Wacky woods is a festival held just outside of Jeffery’s Bay near the Gamtoos river. Speculation and judgment often surrounded the festival and it’s early followers although many people did not know what the festival was about. Today, Wacky Woods has grown to be a week-end long festival of dance and music, celebrating good vibes, love, tranquility, happiness and most of all the music. Music plays a vital role in the success of the festival and for many people is the main attraction of the event. Dj’s from the surrounding areas are always eager to showcase their talent to a truly appreciative crowd. There are many forms of Transe, and each form corresponds to the mood and time of day. DJ’s rotate around the clock during the festival, playing sets that suit the mood of the crowd. There are some local favourites among the DJ scene and they have attracted quite a following among the Port Elizabeth youth. A recent trend observed by the veterans of Wacky was a movement of the Knysna Trans DJ crowd down to Wacky’s for the weekend, bringing their friends and fans with them.

For many of these trans lovers, transe is a way of life, food for the souls that allows you to let go, be free and enjoys the moment. The Wacky Woods lovers have been stereotyped as tree-loving hippies or Rastafarians who go there ‘for the obvious’ reasons yet very little is actually known about what really goes on at Wacky woods. The festival is very closely

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monitored by the owners of the grounds and is run very efficiently in terms of managing crowds, providing the guests with hygienic facilities and basic needs as well as ensuring the safety around the property.

This year Wacky Woods celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a bigger than usual festival attended by people who travelled not only from surrounding areas, but also places further away. This is a clear sign of how much Wacky Woods has grown in recent years but some of the veterans are not entirely happy with the sudden hype surrounding the festival. They argue that the mood and atmosphere of Wacky woods is being corrupted by the influences of commercialism brought to the festival by outsiders that may not entirely understand their views and beliefs.

Wacky Woods is held periodically every few months, usually about 3 months apart from each other. I was able to document the festival over several months, getting a broad view and understanding of how the festival works, the regulars at Wacky. In documenting the festival I tried to capture the mood and atmosphere the party and the people create. The first images I took was of the dance floor as it is epitomizes and embraces what Wacky woods is all about. People spend many hours decorating the dance floor with colourful murals, setting the tone and excitement for the night.

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Many characters at Wacky have their own unique style of dancing. Individualism and trans go hand in hand as there is no set way to dance except your way of moving to the vibrations of the music. It can be noted by many on the crowd that by the end of the night, the new comers to Wacky are at the same ‘vibe level’ as the crowd, moving with the crowd as one, yet as an individual at the same time.

While photographing the dance floor I tried to capture the different characters of the dance floor, often setting the pace of the dancing. The lighting setup, decorations and music helps make the dance floor the prime attraction of Wacky’s.

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For this picture i used a slow shutterspeed on a tripod to get the blurred out effect of the dancefloor crowds. I wanted just to concentrate on the colours of the dancefloor and the DJ box as it forms part of the main attracion of this festival.

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This photograph was taken the morning after a big storm. Very few people were up but their was a distinct excitement in the air that only the early transers seem to be able to create.

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Colour and light all help to create a dynamic and excited atmosphere which aids the music in helping transport the listener to a state of ‘trans’.

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Jesus is also a well-known character among the Wacky crowd and can be seen most of the night on the danse floor. Masks, sun glasses, colourful clothing and any other distict accessories are worn on the dance fllor to heighten the excitement of the atmosphere. On some occassions Wacky’s will hold a themed festival, one of the most popular one up to today has been Alice in Wacky land.

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This photograph was taken just before a big storm hit Wacky’s. This is Ivan, one of the many trancers that attend most of the Wacky festivals. The camping area is most often crowded with people just arriving and eager to start the party before heading to the dancefloor a few meters away. Wacky Woods is very seldom dependant on weather as the people attending the festival quite enjoy the rain cooling them off while they dance.

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A popular feature enjoyed by everyone at the festival is the massive bonfire created masterfully by the ground staff. Music, conversation and food is shared around the fire and during the summer month festivals people will take the liberty of falling asleep by the fire instead of setting up a tent. People most often hop between the dance floor and the fire-place although the grotto up on the hill is also frequented by the few brave fit enough for the hill.

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This is a common scene of the morning after the hard party. One can see the few remaining dancers on grass before they all head for their tents. The early rises will arrived soon after this and start up the party for that day again.

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Many Thanks to the people of Wacky Woods for allowing me to learn and observe the festival so that i could get a clear understanding of the Trans scene.

Photography by Megan De Souza

www.earthdance.org www.megandesouza.com

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