March 29, 2024

The finishing touches begin with the basal tattoo

Production assembly

Exchange of ideas from New Zealand, Canada and Switzerland: Final work begins on Basel Tattoo.

From July 14 to 22, 2023, Basel Tattoo will take visitors on a tour around the world. Those in charge met for the first time in Basel on Tuesday for a major preparation meeting.

Many exotic groups are traveling from all directions to Basel Tattoo this July. Among them is the Banda Monumento de Mexico, made up of a total of 130 dancers, Aztecs and Mariachis.

Video: Youtube/Basel Tattoo

A big attraction this year will be a performance by the combined bands of the Royal Cavalry and Royal Guards from Oman, producer Eric Juilliard said when announcing the program in late April. The formation consists of 50 wind musicians and bagpipe players and 46 horses. The latter are brought in on a cargo ship from Oman and get stalls specially set up for them in the exhibition halls.

The Basel tattoo later made its way from the Middle East to New Zealand. The New Zealand Army Band is best known for its Maori performances, particularly the haga dance, which sees the musicians wide-eyed and shouting loudly.

Video: Youtube/NZ Defense Force

After the big planning, Tuesday is all about the details. Representatives of the participating organizations met in Basel for a joint production meeting. Among others, there were representatives from New Zealand, Scotland, Canada and Switzerland.

“We do stupid things sometimes”

One of them was Graham Hickman, music director of the New Zealand Army Band. He traveled 34 hours from New Zealand to Basel. He made his way to Basel via Singapore, Dubai and Zurich in particular. “We’ve always wanted to come back to Basel Tattoo, and we last performed here eight years ago,” says Hickman. He appreciates these preparation meetings, he added. “The musicians are well looked after and you feel part of the whole – not like an act.”

Graham Hickman, Music Director of the New Zealand Army Band.

Image: Aimee Baumgartner

Graham Hickman doesn’t want to reveal too much about his band’s performance. But it will be a mix of classic military music with a New Zealand touch. “Our advantage is that we don’t have a centuries-old tradition,” Hickman says. “New Zealand is a young country. There are no rules about what military groups can and cannot do. That is why we break many international norms and sometimes do stupid things.

Basel tattoo artist Eric Juilliard.

Basel tattoo artist Eric Juilliard.

Image: Kenneth Nurse

And shows like this belong at Basel Tattoo, says producer Eric Juilliard. “New Zealanders are the best in the world. They carry emotion, culture, performance and authenticity – and at an incredibly high level.

From personal discussions, Juilliard and his team are now taking important points to fine-tune Basel Tattoo from July 17 to 22 at Kasern Basel to make it go as smoothly as possible. The next meeting is during the rehearsal week before the premiere.

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