Bernard‘s Summer School Day By Day

20. 09. 2009 | 167 reads

15 August 2009
The day starts and proceeds as during all seven previous summer schools which were organised in Prague: taking over the school, creating a working area, signposting the way from the nearest bus stop, signposting inside, installing the sound systems etc. That is linked with transporting the teachers from the airport and their accommodation. This takes place with abundant help from the Loužecký couple; I cannot imagine the Summer School without Martin’s graphic design independence. I drive to the airport myself around noon to pick up the teachers from Dublin (Tereza, Ronan McCormack, Gerard Butler) and two Irish ladies, Chris and Jenny, who came to Prague to attend Gerard Butler’s lessons. They are accommodated in Jedličkův Institute and we go back to school. In between, school participants are arriving, registering and settling in.

    Dancing lectors - photo by Milan Hašek
 

We start off with the evening ceilí – with the help from Roman Kozák we mix dances from various areas – American country, Brittany, Scotland, Ireland. Some eight dances were done in two hours. One more journey to the airport in the middle of the night to pick up Michel Sikiotakis and Eileen Quinn whose airplane from Paris had a five-hour delay.

16 August
After the usual morning introduction the lessons get under way. Everything runs according to plan which has been sent to the teachers and also displayed on the website. Step dancing lessons start first, led by four teachers. They are followed by music lessons in the afternoon. I bring in Gerard Butler and thus the sean-nós and set dancing lessons begin. 

    Sean-nós lessons led by G. Butler. Photo by Markéta Bernardová

We put together almost 4 sets and Gerard starts teaching the Connemara set. I gradually visit almost all music lessons and I have a good feeling that the teachers take their work very seriously. Míša Nováková is walking through the school and the lessons during the day, preparing a documentary about the Summer School. It will be a part of the DVD which will be finalised by Martin. In the afternoon we are visited by Dan Materna, a photographer from MF DNES newspaper, who is taking pictures for a report about our event. In the evening we show the film Man of Aran. Around 10 participants come to watch.

    Class of Michel Sikiotakis. Photo by Markéta Bernardová

17 August
Knowing that I will find a report about the Summer School in MF DNES, I buy the first copy I can find. And really – the Prague section has a large photo of toe-standing legs in colourful striped leg warmers. Around it and on another page there is a text which copies our press report. Dan Materna obviously liked the legs and leg warmers of Beáta Mrózková.

MFDnes - Photo by Alena Gaálová

In the afternoon set lessons we learn The Derry Cholmcille. It is one of the recently discovered sets which do not often appear on dance lists, but you can find the description on Joe’s pages.
Lessons are running according to plan. Another film evening follows. We choose a film called General. There are two more people watching with me.

18 August
Lessons without any problems. One injury on the way to school with subsequent transport to Thomayer Hospital. Pavla Hernandézová got a few stitches in her knee which disables her from the dance lessons and she is left just with the fiddle.
There is a session in a pub nearby in the evening. I think it was a good event, especially after Marek Poledna showed up. I think the musicians – be it the teachers or students, were glad to play in this fellowship and it was also another opportunity for the dancers to dance on live music. Even the pub bore it very well, service was fast and the beer was zesty.

     Evening session. Photo by Alena Gaálová

19 August
Set dancers practise the Moycullan Set. It was recently printed in the Set Dancing News and can be found in Pat Murphy’s new book, Apples in Winter. Eoghan O´Reilly arrives for the evening ceilí at KC Novodvorská. The first half is accompanied by Shannon. Interesting dances are successfully included and attendants do not have to be urged to occupy the dance floor – it is full for every dance. In the second half the music teachers enter the stage. Their music accompanies the dancing further – usually taught first and then danced on live or cd music. Some teaching is done also by Terka Loužecká – Bachová and Ronan McCormack.

      Waiting to dance. Photo by Martin Nedvěd

I personally appreciated the fact that some former Rinceoirí dancers arrived and apart from Summer School participants there were some 80 more visitors. The room was almost full and so I believe that it was good event also for KC Novodvorská. The whole evening was monitored by Míša Nováková’s camera and I guess also by quite a few photographers.
 

20 August
Lessons have a regular form. Set dancers have their last class due to the fact that on Friday we will already be preparing the final evening at this time.

     Bodhrán lesson. Photo by Markéta Bernardová

It has been quite hot all week so we constantly keep buying drinking water and the water coolers run non-stop. Despite this “inclement” weather (from a dancer’s point of view of course) I feel that the participants are bearing this hear very well. Gerard who mostly teaches in the evening shows that this is not like typical Irish weather he is used to. Nevertheless he does not lose his humour. Angela’s Ashes are screened in the evening.

21 August
Preparation for the evening show culminates during the lessons. I am fine-tuning the programme and preparing the dress rehearsal schedule during the day. Participants’ certificates are handed over during the last lessons. It was interesting to watch how Gerard coped with reading the names. He did not lose his face and tried the uneasy pronunciation of Czech names. He was brave and also entertained all those present. On the other hand, I can imagine how would we fumble with Irish surnames in a similar situation....
The evening at Ponec Theatre started shortly after half past seven. Rinceoirí opened it by the Swan Dance – a choreography from their Swan Legend dance show. Beautiful costumes supported the choreography and the dance achievements. This is followed by the Witches whose quartet presents an Irish-style choreography. Then the participants’ presentations begin: first of all the „Marušky“ group, i.e. the complete beginners sent to the dance floor by Maruška Dernovšková. Before another participants’ choreography, Gerard Butler was asked to present the Brush Dance – a dance with a broom. It is a jolly style for sean-nós dancers which has not been presented here before. It is followed by a performance of the most numerous group of dancers who spent the week training with the Terezas. They concluded the choreography with their pupils. After them, Hop Goblin presented their first dance. Sean-nós dancers taught by Gerard Butler showed in their choreography that they were really captured by this type of dancing. Next number was created by Ronan McCormack, presenting the intermediate and open level dancers. The Witches continue with a lovely number: They presented a resourceful choreography on a pioneering song from the 1950’s.

     Čarodějky in action. Photo by Milan Hašek

The set dancers then showed how they mastered two figures from their sets. There were 24 dancers in total.

      Set dancers. Photo by Milan Hašek

Fiach Bán dancers followed with their version of the Galway Reel, with live music accompaniment. The first half was concluded by Rinceoirí with another choreography from the Swan legend – the Duel.
After the interval, the musicians filled the stage (there were over 4é of them and almost 50 with the teachers). They started with a common tune and gradually individual instruments presented their solos. Alastair’s fiddle class impressed with a set of Shetland tunes, Roman’s class again presented the bodhrán players’ specific sense of humour....
 

     Musicians on the “stage”. Photo by Alena Gaálová

After the chairs have been put away, Terka Loužecká-Bachová and Markéta Bernardová come in with their sean-nós choreography. Fiach Bán then dance An Lasair Reel. A traditionally successful presentation of the Irish language class led by Radvan Markus follows. However, their effort to convince the audience to sing along was not so convincing. Irish pronunciation is not so easy after all. Great success of the half set on Wednesday’s ceilí at Novodvorská led us to repeat is and again they receive great applause. I included it in the programme on purpose – I want people to notice that sets are a nonetheless interesting Irish dance activity. Then there is one more choreography presented by the Hop Goblin and finally the teachers’ step about: solo dance performances of individual dance teachers concluded by a dance together, with live music provided by the music teachers. All Summer School participants are finally invited to dance St. Bernard´s Waltz.

Final dance. Photo by Milan Hašek

That was the final moment of the 9th Summer School of Irish Dancing - Bernard´s Summer School 2009. A large amount of participants and teachers then left to HZK Club at Smíchov for a session which for some meant a sleepless night and then a somewhat “blurred” following departure day.
V.B.