Tag Archives: videos

Kurentovanje, Slovenia’s Carnival

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

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Although relatively well known in Europe as Slovenia’s biggest festival, I had no clue what kurentovanje was until I started researching my trip to Slovenia in early January. The photos alone prompted me to book my accommodation: huge groups of people running down the street in full body sheepskin costumes, horns and feathers, wearing bells and shaking their groove thing to ring them.

Masks waiting for their wearers in Ptuj.

Masks waiting for their wearers in Ptuj.

I had to see this in person.

So on Saturday, February 10 I arrived in Ptuj, Slovenia’s oldest city, home to a castle, famous spas, Slovenia’s oldest wine cellar and kurentovanje.

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Getting Down in Galway

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

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On December 7, 2012, I took part in my first ever dance competition, the inaugural Galway Lindy Hop Championships!To be clear, I’m not a huge fan of competing in dance. As I mentioned before, I don’t dance to compete, and that was partially why I was never a huge ballroom dancer. I dance for the music and the company and the fun. So when my buddy in Kilkenny suggested we compete, I refused at first. Sure, part of it had to do with saving face; after all, in most of the videos I’ve ever seen from comps at lindy events in the USA, the dancers are shazam good. Like, really. And I knew I wasn’t at that level of anything. I’m not a conscientious enough dancer, I don’t pay enough attention to technique, yadda yadda. But he was persuasive, as was another friend, and they assured me it’d be a supportive environment. It’d just be for the craic, after all. So I caved.

And so it was that I found myself being bussed to the Connemara Coast Hotel with a bunch of other dancers, most of whom I’d met along my travels through Ireland. The venue was very nice; along the coast of Ireland, they had decked out the ballroom with a lovely banner and the floor was a nice, live wood. Seeing so many familiar faces from nights out swing dancing in Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny and Galway made me feel better, although I was still nervous as heck!

I had signed up for 2 events: Jack & Jill, which is where you don’t know who your partner will be until the dance itself, and the Open Lindy–often also called a “strictly”–where you choose your partner beforehand. I was dancing with Rory, with whom I’d be dancing basically for 3 weeks straight only a short time before.

They finally called my heat to dance, and I was wildly nervous. So nervous, in fact, that although I was given 2 great leads to dance with, I totally let my butterflies get the best of me and didn’t allow myself to follow, or be creative, or basically do anything right at all (at least, that’s how it felt.)

Disclaimer: For some reason, some of these videos may not be visible in the USA. I’m not sure why…so sorry in advance if you can’t watch some of them! Also, if you’re interested in watching the whole competition–including fabulous solo charleston, great up-and-comers, and more, you can do so here at the Galway Swing YouTube channel!
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Meet Coco

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in WWOOFing

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This is Coco. She’s a a Cinta Senese (pronounced CHEEN-tah sin-AY-seh), which is a Tuscan breed that goes back for quite some time, probably even before the Middle Ages. The name comes from the Italian word for “belt,” which is “cinta.” (Well, really it’s cintura, but you know how language goes…)

The videographer of this masterpiece is Lenny,  the eldest of the three kiddos on the farm where I’m wwoofing. Big thanks to Lenny for his wonderful narration and camera work, and to the other featured actors in this clip: Sonny, Freddie, and Rob.

Coming soon: Video of the killer rabbit! Ducks! And *dun dun DUN* THE CAPON.

Disclaimer: No pigs were hurt in the filming of this video. 

Dorky videos from Scotland: Part I

11 Saturday Aug 2012

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Scotland was the first place I really started taking video, in part because Kat, my travel buddy, was really good about it and it reminded me to do it. But also because I never felt like I could really capture what I was seeing; video is slightly closer than a photo, but still not quite the same as being there. Excuse the utter nerdiness and unpolished quality of these vids. Needless to say, I will not be a YouTube sensation any time soon.

First video, taken across the street from our hostel in Glen Brittle, which we loved so dearly. You can hear Kat mention a rainbow, which will become a theme of the trip: spotting rainbows, photographing rainbows, wouldntitbecooliftherewerearainbowhere, etc. We heart rainbows.

This second video has symbolism that I think many of my close friends will appreciate. People who know me well know that I have a…er, reputation, for telling really…uh, let’s call them “compelling” stories that are incredibly detailed and then may or may not have any kind of resolution or point. They are known in some circles as Sara Button stories. My award in high school drama was Write It Down And Tell It At A Party award…you get the irony. 
As I was uploading this video, I realized the video itself quite parallels this theme. I had started taking it because the sheep appeared to be about to have some sort of rumble, sans finger snaps, so we watched with rapt attention. 
As you can see, nothing happened, and the sheep walked away. A lot like what happens in a Sara Button story. And then I found $20. 
This video (sorry for the bumpiness) is of our hike to the ruins of the MacAskill with Vlad, a Russian hiking buddy we picked up along the way. 

Stay tuned for more cinematic majesty, courtesy of Button Studios!