Party Props

How about giving those lamb skewers a little spin in the air,or try swirling that hot plate like a frisbee before it lands on your table? Party themes,especially for big occasions like the 50th birthday bash are getting splashier and whackier. Party planners say it is not about making a statement by flying orchids down from Bangkok (that was very in last year),but being innovative with concepts. So for example,when a prominent politician held a party at a Delhi farmhouse recently,the food was served by dancing waitresses — wearing colourful skirts and magnificent headgear with a tray strapped around their waists — while twirling to the table. Flown in from Mumbai and Goa,they are trained in multiple dance genres,and can multi task while dancing with ease. “For sometime now,belly dancers have been regulars at parties to get the party swinging. But dancing table hostesses and coyote dancers are the in thing right now,” says Delhi-based party planner Amrish Pershad. The dancing table hostesses are expensive,each charging about Rs 30,000 onwards for a performance. “Besides,there’s the cost of flying them down and putting them up at a hotel,” says Prateek Sen of GigSupport,an event management company that has organised a few of such events.

For filmmaker Anu Malhotra,her parties are all about showcasing a new talent. “We throw one big party every year and the focus is always on showcasing an art form,” says Malhotra. For her wedding anniversary this year where the crowd hovered between 40-60 years of age,she threw in a Jazz performance first,followed by a belly dancer to lighten things up. “The singer sang old Sinatra numbers,while the dancer got everyone going with Beedi jalaile,” says Malhotra. Besides dancers and musicians,even stand up comics who’ve been voted out of TV comedy shows during the initial episodes are in great demand. “A good stand up can easily charge Rs 10,000 per performance,” says Sen.

Youngsters,meanwhile,recession notwithstanding,are getting even more adventurous with themes. A Delhi-based businessman,who got married in the summer,insisted on an Arctic theme. “We covered the swimming pool with acrylic sheets and placed blocks of ice nearby to give it an icy feel,” says Pershad. While the staff spent a tiring evening replacing the melting ice,the theme,with ice skaters and salsa dancers was a big hit. Whoever said having a swinging party is easy?