The klopse season has reached the end with Baruch Entertainers being crowned the champions of Section 2 of the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association’s minstrel competition.
Baruch came full throttle and walked away with no less than nine first prizes at Athlone Stadium on Saturday.
They managed to once again secure the first prize for English combine chorus which I think is well deserved, and Monwa defending his title as one of the best conductors of the combine.
They sang the piece to a well-deserved standing ovation on the day, which left the judge with no choice but to hand them first prize.
This is the third year in a row that Baruch has walked away as the combine kings.
They looked stunning in their checkered costumes throughout the competition and it was no surprise when they were judged the best dressed team of Section 2.
The first prize speaks to the image that Baruch projects as being the gentlemen of the game.
JOYFUL: First runner-up Orients. Picture: Jack Lestrade
I always believe that if you are a top team, then you should win the best dressed trophy because it’s the first thing people see when putting your troupe on the road.
Baruch have now firmly established themselves as a singpak to be reckoned with because they also came out tops in the group song category.
In addition, they also won first prize for their moppie song.
Tashrik de Villiers was on form and proved to be too experienced for his competitors.
He completely dominated the item and it was one of my best performances of the season.
The moppie itself was not one of my favourites but the execution by the Baruch singpak coupled with Tashrik’s flair proved that Baruch can sing and win anything.
Despite the problems that plagued the festival, which resulted in them not being able to perform on some days, this team remained calm and simply came back stronger each time.
The first runner-up of Section 2 was Orient, who also played a brilliant carnival.
They came out guns blazing from day one and hit top form on the singing items.
They can feel proud of their second place as it was a tough section this year.
One of the best moments at the stadium for me was when the Orient’s won first prize for best band.
I have always been a fan of this band, so this did not really surprise me.
What did surprise me was the emotion shown by Faadiel Gasant when the announcement was made.
He burst through the gates and rushed in, joyously shouting: “ek soek my kop!”
His proud team jolled out with their second place trophy in true Orient style and I jolled with them.
D6 Raw also did well and came third.
They bowed out like true champions, congratulating the other troupes and thanking their coaches on Facebook.
To them I wish to say well done, it was a tough section but know that you still have a lot of fight left in you, and you can feel proud of your performance.
I can’t write this column without saying that I was very impressed with the Playaz troupe.
They might have ended fourth but they are certainly a level up from last year.
As we end the klopse season, we welcome the Malay choir competition, starting this weekend at the Bellville Velodrome.
The first section kicks off on Saturday, followed by the second section on Sunday.
Competition starts at 5pm.
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