Thursday 6th July 2023, folk dance day

 

A day of sensory overload, but in a good way. We skipped breakfast and got to the pavilion for 9.30 and the start of the traditional folk dance competition, which was as colourful as you’d imagine.

A Kurdish group from London kicked us off, followed by a charming Canadian-Greek group, who made us want to get up and join in. A troupe from Northern Ireland stamped their feet in grand style, and a group from the Punjab were also vibrant fun.  But the two stand out groups were from Trinidad & Tobago, and Indonesia.

The first were all exuberance and it felt like they were having a party. The Indonesians treated us to an incredible precision affair, danced almost entirely on their knees. One wrong move somewhere and there would have been a domino effect of a slap in the face all the way down the line.

We skipped the under 16’s version of the competition to get a late breakfast, and came back in to hear a couple of young harpists.

Next up was essentially the same dance groups as earlier, but this time they were asked to do a piece inspired by their traditional dances, rather than sticking strictly to them. This was also great fun, with Trinidad and Tobago coming out on top with an extraordinarily flexible limbo. 

By now we were ready for a cup of tea, but couldn’t quite summon the energy to move, so we heard some remarkable young classical singers, a few of whom will no doubt be opera stars of the future.

Then we scooted into town to get ahead of the parade, which made us realise how few participants there are, but it was lovely to see them being appreciated by the crowds, and they made friends with all the little kids along the route, handing out national flags and pin badges.

We recharged for a couple of hours back at our place, then headed in for the evening concert. The first half was pretty short and showcased three inclusive choirs based in Wrexham. The first was a signing group, the second was focused on drama and song, made up of people with a variety of disabilities, and the third was a large community choir focusing on wellbeing. Pretty much everyone was wiping away a tear by the end.

The second half was a bit of a risk by the organisers, and was not a crowd-pleaser. It was a multi-media piece taking inspiration from nature, and birds in particular. Lots of talking from naturalists and other scientists with music complementing it, a dancer, and stuff up on the screen.

We both found it interesting, but a bit like seeing new art in a gallery that you don’t particularly like, but can appreciate. Challenging, rather than enjoyable. Lots of people walked out during it, obviously not wanting to be challenged, just wanting some nice music.

Em x