How was BSS 2010

19. 09. 2010 | 132 reads

Only a short time has passed since the end of the Summer School and it is too soon for a definitive evaluation. However, feelings and opinions of participants and teachers are already starting to penetrate to us through various communication channels. These freshest feelings are usually the truest ones. After some time one usually resigns, time blurs some of it and let's face it, our memory fades because it is not infallible.

And so perhaps just some statistics right at the start (although nobody does it in this industry, we like to boast how many participants we had ;-)
BSS 2010 was attended by 143 persons and these persons applied to attend 208 activities. We appreciate that many approached their summer school participation as a full-time job and have signed up for 2 or more lessons. Of these 143 persons, there were 113 from the CR, 20 from Germany, 2 from Italy, 2 from Ireland, 1 from Great Britain, 3 from Poland, 2 from Slovakia. The step-dancing lessons captured the interest of 80 persons on the various levels, 26 dancers joined the set dancing group, 41 people enjoyed the sean-nós dancing class. Music lessons were attended by 45 candidates (19 persons on whistle, 18 people on bodhrán, 6 guitarists, 1 on bagpipes, 1 banjo), the teaching of Irish sean-nós singing and the Irish language equally captured the interest of 8 persons. We all drank 44 barrels of water (1 barrel of about 19 litres). Water consumption for washing was certainly somewhat reduced due to the outage in this area caused by the Prague Heating Company.

Statistics says that Polish participants interested in Irish culture rather cease to come while more and more Germans find the way to us. This is primarily due to the effects of Tereza Bernardová teaching on the local "market". The increased number of people interested in playing the bodhrán is a sign that the people would like to play Irish music, but they do not dare to take on a melodic instrument or are not keen on expensive instruments (more whistle players). I absolutely cannot explain the collapse of interest in learning the fiddle. Last year, the lessons were attended by 9 people. I would like to see a future rise in the interest to play the box, banjo, uilleann pipes and maybe we will try to also offer the bouzouki. We will see how we manage to popularize Irish music through Bernard's Irish Music School.

Sean-nós teaching is developing very positively. It is a big question for me, how will this activity develop in the Czech Republic. On the one hand, there are signs that this style of dance may not be so difficult (Emma O'Sullivan has been dancing for only 5 years and other presenters of this style are of a relatively young age). And so the long announced presence of one of the best dancers of this style at the moment had some people interested in this kind of dance quite cold and even a with little interest to watch her performance during the BSS 2010 Final Evening. On the other hand there is the English warning "But," because only few people realize how much attention should be paid to this dance, in order to get to a comparable level, or that such dance expressions could be called sean-nós dancing and not "cabbage crushing for the county ". Step dancing dancers have strong preconditions for their expression rapidly approaching the desired standard (feeling the music, the emphasis on rhythm, etc.), but not sean-nós must not be taken just as a "sideline", while omitting the possibility to see the performances of experienced dancers or ignoring the offered seminars with quality teachers.
Irish step dancing lessons at BSS have been very stable. The participation of dancers on higher levels was limited but primary and beginners keep coming. I think that many of them realize that a week spent at a summer school gives them more than a year in various courses or pseudo-schools. The quality level of teachers at the summer school is certainly very high and any other school can hardly boast with similar tutors backgrounds. And because the restrictions connected with competing cease to be bearable (as they are restrictive, do not give a choice, do not guarantee quality), I think there will be always interest in the middle categories of this type of dancing. And we will of course try to maintain the high quality of teachers, at the very least.

The interest in Set dancing rose slightly, but it is very dependent on the activities of clubs in the vicinity. It is absolutely incomprehensible to me that just two dancers came from other places. I understand that not everyone is going to gain experience and soak up the atmosphere in Ireland. But I do not understand when a very good Irish lecturer comes to Prague, it is not worth for someone to get up and go... And since there is no other club besides the people from Prague, who were represented very well, clients of this BSS activity will have to come from the foreign groups . This year Poles and Germans danced the sets, and thus the BSS future of set dancing depends on more foreign candidates and activities aimed at them.
Irish and singing sean-nós are in a sense very selective groups which have to have their candidates. Fortunately, they are here. It may be difficult to find the content to create a meaningful final performance show in the Irish language. Singing it is much easier. I will be very happy if these two activities keep up.

Accompanying events
- film screenings. A good idea, but requires someone who would deal only with this topic. It is about the choice of films, the screening, promotion, information about the films, etc. It is also a question of interest. This year, we screened three films, but the interest was not great. Unless we get some major initiative, we will keep this activity in the current state.
- Sessions – these are a bit beyond us. We got used to the musicians organizing them. This year I only attended one in the nearby pub. I was a little sorry that musicians who could have been leading the session sat in a corner of the pub with no interest in other events. I would then propose that the next time they go to another pub. I want to thank Vojta Tlustý for his sincere effort to get the session going.

- Ceilí night and opening night - in my mind, these fulfilled what was requested and expected from them: a dance party to live music, learning new dances and dancing those we already know. The social part of these events is also important - introductions, strengthening of mutual ties. I do not know why it is more important for a dance group to have a mandatory training at the same time. I am not too fond of banning participation in "competing“ events and try not to encourage such behaviour either.
- Final Evening - this year‘s programme has integrated performances of our special guests. That was a reason why I refused other interested groups to perform during this event. I felt that the programme was good, interesting and very inspirational – especially the star guest performers. All the more I lacked the participation of dancers from Prague or other Czech dance groups. I do understand that if they compete (and thus have not the permission of their TCRG) or have their own school camp (and thus no more money for another similar event), they do not participate in BSS. However, I do not understand that they would not come to the long-announced performances of top class dancers, where the tickets are at a very affordable price. Leaders of groups have come, but not their members. I am not mentioning this in order to increase the revenues. The cost of this evening was in tens of thousands and I found the resources to cover them elsewhere. Participation of these dancers would not have economically saved the day. I am just sorry that these top dance performances were appreciated beside the BSS participants by grandmothers, mothers, girlfriends and others only indirectly involved, and those for whom this evening could have been an inspiration, were not here. As a dance group leader I would even ensure the presence of its members at such event maybe even by ticket refunds.

Write me, please, your opinion or views on this year BSS.

Václav Bernard