Teams from the USA, Russia, Japan, Italy and the host team Da Nang-Viet Nam will compete in the 2013 DIFC (Da Nang International Fireworks Competition) which will be held on 29 and 30 April.  The event is expected to feature spectacular performances by the participating teams.
This is the first time that Melrose Pyrotechnics (USA) has participated in this competition.  This team is famous for its professional performance skills plus its excellent pyrotechnic technologies.  It will thrill the audience with enchanting background music and the precision choreography by its talented technicians.  The team started its professional career in the 1960s at Melrose Park Village, Illinois, USA.  In the early 1980s, Mr Mike Cartolano, who is now the Chairman of Melrose Pyrotechnics Inc, has led his company to become one of the world’s first companies to initiate electronic fireworks displays.  This marked an important milestone for the world’s pyro-musical performances.  His company has won numerous awards at international fireworks display competitions in Japan, Canada and China.
The other new participant is Russia’s Centre of Fireworks “Khan”.  It has 20 years of experience in the Russian pyrotechnics market.  In 2005, the team attended the International Fireworks Festival in Croatia with its pyro-musical performance entitled “Kalinka”, and then won the Open Championship of Fireworks in Ustka, Poland.  “Khan” is now Russia’s leading fireworks company and represents the country at international fireworks display competitions.  “Khan” is also the only company in Russia which uses the most modern equipment, “Pyrodigit”, to perform large-scale pyro-musical shows and indoor special effects.  This really makes “Khan” dominant over other companies in the country.  Team “Khan” has won championships at many international fireworks competitions in Russia, Poland, Croatia and Germany.
This is the third time Team Italy has attended the event.  Its Parente Fireworks Company has over 100 years of history in the nation’s pyrotechnics sector.  The company’s founder was Mr Romualdo Parente, who started a fireworks business in south-east Italy in the late 19th century.  He cooperated with a local fireworks producer to perform small-scale fireworks displays until 1955.  With the strong support of his two sons, he set up his own over 3,000m2 factory to manufacture fireworks the following year.  Currently, his manufacturing facilities have been expanded to cover an area of about 100,000m2.  In addition, his family has established 20 factories and 16 warehouses for the storage of fireworks and gunpowder.  The company is well-known for the quality of its fireworks, and outstanding fireworks firing system and choreographies.
Team Tamaya Kitahara (Japan) has 30 years of experience in the fireworks sector.  Since its establishment, the team has participated in 150 domestic and international events every year.  Tamaya Kitahara boasts its traditional and latest technologies for fireworks shows.  In addition, it has won dozens of contests in many countries, including South Korea, China, France and Spain.  In particular, the team came third at the DIFC 2010.
The host team Da Nang -Viet Nam has joined the event five times and its performance skills have improved significantly.  It was the runner-up at the 2012 Vancouver International Fireworks Competition in Canada.  In recent years, the team has performed in the Sekong and Champasak provinces in Laos, and at the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Da Nang.  Noble spirit and solidarity are its main characteristic features.