Festival's full of family fun; Song, dance, enjoyment and (hopefully) sunshine all are guaranteed at a North East market town this week. BRIAN DANIEL looks at what's on offer at the Alnwick International Music Festival.Byline: BRIAN DANIEL NOW in its 34th year, the Alnwick International Music Festival is one of the region's biggest crowdpullers. People visit the Northumberland market town from across Britain and sometimes further afield to enjoy performances by acts from across the globe, mixed with a crop of local talent. The festival's foreign acts always delight the audiences not only with their performances but also with their colourful costumes - each traditional to their native countries. This year's event is no different. Sarisan of Slovakia took to the Market Place stage on Monday lunchtime with the group's ladies resplendent re·splen·dent adj. Splendid or dazzling in appearance; brilliant. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin resplend in red and white hair bands, white blouses, red, black and gold waistcoats, and long dark skirts. This folk art folk art, the art works of a culturally homogeneous people produced by artists without formal training. The forms of such works are generally developed into a tradition that is either cut off from or tenuously connected to the contemporary cultural mainstream. ensemble is based at the Centre for Performing Arts in Presov. It has been running 40 years and is made up of 60 to 70 young people, who perform regularly at home and abroad. Sarisan will be performing at the market place every day (except Friday) until the festival ends on Saturday, as will the festival's three other international acts - Kruspanek from the Czech Republic Czech Republic, Czech Česká Republika (2005 est. pop. 10,241,000), republic, 29,677 sq mi (78,864 sq km), central Europe. It is bordered by Slovakia on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west, and Poland on the north. , Perlyna from Ukraine, and La Poulido de Gemo from France. Kruspanek (every day except Wednesday) is a folk dance folk dance, primitive, tribal, or ethnic form of the dance, sometimes the survival of some ancient ceremony or festival. The term is used also to include characteristic national dances, country dances, and figure dances in costume to folk tunes. and music group from the Wallachia region of the Czech Republic. The group is accompanied by cimbalom
The cimbalom (most common spelling), cymbalom, cymbalum (see Trivia), ţambal, tsymbaly, music called Kycera or occasionally by fiddle music and is made up of folk instruments such as violins, contrabass, flutes, cimbalom and bagpipes. Its programme is a combination of dance, song and stylised craft dance. Perlyna (every day except Tuesday) is a folk dance group established in 1995. It consists of 32 people aged 15 to 30 and regularly features in concerts, festivals and competitions both home and abroad. La Poulido de Gemo (every day except Wednesday) is a traditional folk dance group from Gemenos, a village at Provence, near Marseille. The group is composed of 25 dancers and 10 musicians who take part in international festivals all around Europe and the world each year. Also appearing at the festival is Phynodderee, from the Isle of Man Noun 1. Isle of Man - one of the British Isles in the Irish Sea Man British Isles - Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic , and local performers Derek Johnson, Andrew Lobb, Monkseaton Morris Men, Robert Whitehead, John and Caroline Bushby, Andrew Harper and Malcolm Bennett and Friends. Performances will take place in the Alnwick Playhouse in the event of rain. Visitors to the event can also enjoy checking out the array of stalls in the market place and refreshments served in the neighbouring Northumberland Hall. As well as daytime performances, the international groups will appear at farewell concerts at the playhouse on Friday and Saturday nights, from 7.30pm. A Northumbrian Night also takes place at the venue at the same time on Thursday night, following an Irish Night on Monday, featuring performances by the festival's local acts. Tickets to all evening concerts are pounds 9, pounds 8 concs and available from the playhouse on (01665) 510 785. CAPTION(S): DAILY DANCE - Slovakian dance group Sarisan entertained the crowds in the market square yesterday and will do so all week |
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