21 November 2009: Frankfurt Intercultural Weeks — Final Party

For the third time in as many years we took part in the varied final event of the Frankfurt Intercultural Weeks which again let us be part of a diverse cultural assortment of culinary and performance delights and offered a few opportunities to join in (dancing, singing and clapping).

This year the event was organized mainly by Peter Speier Forum für mehr Integration e.V., and Klaus Kasper, Deutsch-Japanische Gesellschaft e. V. in a different place - the DB Casino, Galluswarte. The new venue allowed the viewers to be in two separate halls - one for the performances and one for the culinary experience and talking. It was well organized - but started with a delay which was difficult to catch up. The technical facilities were not easy to handle. But since the varied participants were closer to the audience improvisation was welcome and possible. The programme ranged from Indonesia (music) to Serbian dance (a children's group and the very impressive adults who also managed a dance for everybody interested in joining), to Chinese Kung Fu, very professional classical Japanese dance and song , lively Ecuadorian dance and song, colourful Pakistani theatre, very impressive athletic Capoeira vom Brasil and our finale, some Scottish Country Dance on stage - and two easy dances for the few in the audience who were interested in trying Ceilidh-dances.

The new venue was impressive but the changing rooms in the basement somewhat difficult to reach and a bit crammed for the clothes the performers brought along. The stage was lower and thus the dancers closer to those watching, the floor was almost perfect for our dancing - but the shape was new: A half-moon-shape, wide but short, a real challenge for the parts of Anselm's slightly modified Museumsuferfest-choreography which were danced in a square set ...

Sadly, one of the dancers had had a (moderate) bicycle-accident the very morning and thus Anselm had to take over his part (due to the November-course in the Kuckucksnest and other activities the number of FSCDC-dancers was just the minimum ...) - Matthias still had to dance (two parts of the 15 mins) but it was considerable less than originally planned.

A big thank you to the organizers and all those who came along! For most of us it was a Saturday we enjoyed!

Pictures from Carola Finkel, Sabine Meier-Ude, Sandra Missbach.