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The Rhythm of Life
WE used to do something called ‘music and movement’ at school. It involved the Sailor’s Hornpipe but I remember little else. And that’s a pity. Later in life music and movement meant jiving, waltzing, salsa, the polka with my granny and slow-dancing with a favoured boy! In every case it was exciting and stimulating – the rhythm of life in rainbow colours.
When people leave their own country to live in another place they naturally leave a lot behind – their friends, the food they are used to, the countryside and the music so how wonderful if their new home offers them a chance to enjoy music and dance and to bring their own traditions to blend with those of their adopted environment.
DU Dance NI is an organisation that offers that opportunity but it’s not only to enjoy getting together to dance, the programme also offers young people the chance to integrate, to develop social skills and language and no more so than in Dungannon where the DU Dance Sutemos group is about to celebrate a fifth birthday.
Sutemos is a Lithuanian word meaning Twilight and members are mainly migrant children from Eastern Europe and Africa.
They are the children of men and women who work in the factories in the area, they are members of local schools and many of them initially find communicating a difficulty.
Slowly and surely they are learning English, the young pupils really quickly apparently, but it’s not their main language so joining groups like Sutemos is an ideal and happy way to become one of the community, forging friendships and sharing the universal joy of music and dance from classical, jazz, pop and electronic to new world and hip hop.
Something for everyone from the age of eight to 24 every week and another class for younger children all held in the Youth Resource Centre in Dungannon.
They have a busy time coming up with a special contemporary dance piece for the Lyric Theatre, taking part in the St Patrick’s Day parade and on April 9, and fifth birthday celebrations at The Hill of the O’Neill arts centre in Dungannon.
“What ages ago used to be a sleepy little town is now rich in cultural diversity with people from round the world celebrating together,” is the message from the woman behind the project, choreographer Sheena Kelly.
The last time I saw a DU Dance performance was in St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast. All the chairs were pushed back to allow 54 women and girls aged from 85 to seven to take the floor. Three generations of women from Belfast, Ballymena and Ballymoney telling the story of coping with the tough life on the farm, their daughters growing up in their shadow longing to follow their dreams but unable to turn their back on mother love.
The children danced with the delight of youth, loving their mothers and sisters, adoring their grandmothers but seeing a life beyond, all reflected in their exuberant movement.
Not a word was spoken but the message was clear and emotional. The power of dance to tell a story and forge friendships.
More at www.dudanceni.com
A Wee Cup of Tea
I ONCE picked tea leaves on a plantation in Bangladesh – it was some experience. It was blisteringly hot and back-breaking and I certainly wasn’t as efficient as the other women in their colourful sarees.
Someone gave me a big wide woven hat to protect my head and I was glad that I could stop when I wanted to. I had a new respect for tea from that time onwards. In her home in Greyabbey, Isabella Corr likes her cup of tea too and favours Nambarrie – or she did – but now she has a problem.
“Once the standard box contained 80 teabags, indeed one contained 100,” she writes, adding: “Each teabag made easily two good cups of tea in a teapot.”
However, she claims that her latest box contains only 50. "All got up in individual wrappings, string and label.”
Now she wants to tell Nambarrie how disappointed she is that she only gets one cup of tea per bag and has to wait up to three minutes to get the desired consistency and by that time the tea is cool.
Well Isabella, I can’t find a telephone number for the company that now own the Nambarrie name but this is their address: Twinings, 216 Strand, London www.twinings.co.uk
However, I would urge you to be sure of your facts as I’d be surprised if any reputable company will be “ripping you off to enhance profits” just so blatantly.
On The Move
News from Lucinda Trouton who built up the Linen Memorial and condolence book which started life in St Catherine’s Dominican Church, Newry in 2014.
From Newry, the installation travelled to Stormont and Omagh, is due in Alberta Canada early next month, then on to China before returning to Derry Public Library.
The memorial takes the form of hundreds of linen handkerchiefs each embroidered with the names of all those who lost their lives due to the Troubles between 1966 and 2006.
More at www.linenmemorial.org
The Savile Inquiry
ONE local woman who was the target of Jimmy Savile’s vile behaviour doesn’t find comfort in Dame Janet Smith’s report.
“It makes no difference, the irony of it is I just want to forget it, yet I can’t.”
Untold damage to so many.
