Express Avenue turns one

CHENNAI: It is difficult to miss out a starry night replete with foot-tapping music, groovy dance shows and celebrities. Yes, the first birthday bash of Express Avenue on Sunday night was a heady mix of all that and more.The event kick started with a fiery dance performance by the 5th element which entertained the crowd with their unique performance set to techno music. It was followed-up by a variety dance show by Robo Ganesh, a celebrity in his own right, who has taken part in a host of reality dance shows.As the evening unwinded, the band Soul Sonic belted out classic rock numbers and kept the crowd swaying to their tunes till the very end of their performance. The crowd cheered on the lead female singer, Suvi Suresh, guitarist Joshua, drummer David, and Carl who was on the bass.Off-stage, the fireworks sponsored by Shri Kaleshwari, a Sivakasi based company lit up the sky and kept the crowds, who captured the display on their camcorders, entertained to the hilt. While the final performance by the dance troupe High Kicks that was choreographed by Show Stoppers Inc and Straight Fight Productions and another rocking performance by the 5th element definitely stole the show.The programme turned out to be carnival of sorts. With tattoo makers, face painters, balloon makers and caricature artists who made sure that the young tots, who visited the mall, were spoilt for choice. The stilt walkers and Punjabi dhols that were played outside the mall provided the element of amusement to the milling crowd. The gaming contests and screening of wildlife films at the atrium was an added bonus.The “best-shopper” walked away with a Tata Nano at the end of the show. The chief guests for the evening were Vijay Ebenezer, music director of the film Kanden, Actress Bhuvana, playback singer Suvi Suresh. The programmes were part of Express Avenue’s week-long celebrations that began on June 5.