Presentation of the cultural workshop programme
Every day from 09.10-10.30
(Spanish 2 from 13.30-15.00)
For the first time will we this year every day from 09.10-10.30 (just after our fantastic and inspiring morning assemblies) offer a series of fascinating cultural courses, which will provide a perspective on dancing and salsa as both a technical, sensual, communicative, cultural and social experience, as well as – not to mention! – a source of greater joy and passion in your everyday life!
The cultural courses consist of:
1. Spanish 1 – Language and Culture for beginners
2. Spanish 2 – Language and Culture for intermediates (1.30-3.00 PM)
3. Rhythm and Theory
4. Dance, Culture and History
5. Art, Desire and Motion
6. Orientation
The cultural courses are included in the Camp, and you can chose which courses you wish to attend.
Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 are planned so that you attend the course the entire week, and they each have a maximum of 25 participants.
The remaining cultural courses are organised as independent modules of 1 hour 20 min, so you can choose to either attend all modules of one cultural course, or choose different modules from different courses, according to your interests. This will be exciting!
Talks and walks
Every Tuesdag at 2.00-3.30 PM and Thursday at 3.00-3.30 PM there will be a talk on relevant topics.
Every Thursday at 1.30-5.00 PM there’s a trip to the National Park Mols Bjerge, with an introduction to the history, culture, geology and geography of the area. It is a hike of 4-6 km for nature lovers.
(The guide will be Randi Bruhn Mannion in week 1, and Johann Bang Jensen in weeks 2, 3 and 4.)
Presentation of the workshops
Spanish 1+2 – Language and Culture
The folk high school’s spanish teacher Randi Bruhn Mannion will be in charge of Spanish - Language and Culture.
The classes are designed as appetisers for Spanish language and culture, and the aim is to stimulate your interest in learning more Spanish and more about Latinamerican society and culture. You will be taken on a city tour of Havanna, where you will learn to get along with simple phrases and where you will be introduced to the history, culture and dancing venues of Havanna.
You will get to know the Spanish names of the fundamental figures and calls of Cuban salsa and shouts (Eso! Aqua! Azucar! Rumpe el Coco! etc). You will ge guided around Cuba by translating a Cuban salsa melody and lyrics, and you will learn to sing a Cuban song.
Randi will be assisted by Cuban salsa instructors and guest instructors.
There is a limit of 25 participants for each Spanish course, and you sign up for the whole week. For Spanish 1 classes are all 5 days at 9.10-10.30 AM. For Spanish 2 classes are Monday to Thursday at 1.30-3.30 PM.
About Randi: Randi Bruhn Mannion is a teacher at the folk high school at Kalø, and teaches Spanish at Salsa Camp.
Randi is looking very much forward to teaching you Spanish at Salsa Camp, since her own knowledge of Spanish has markedly broadened her horizons.
Randi has worked in Chile for the Chilean labour movement in 1997/1998, and was later project coordinator for LO’s European conference for employees in multinational companies.
Apart from her job as a folk high school teacher, Randi is a master’s student of History of Ideas, and is co-editor of the online periodical www.kritiskdebat.dk Nos vemos!
Rhythm and Theory
Rhythm and Theory is tought by Bo Johansen, who is employed part time as a folk high school teacher. The aim of this course is to improve your musical appreciation and sense of rhythm. Both with regards to keeping with the beat, and to improving your dance by listening to the music and to the composition of a salsasong.
You will be tought music theory and how the Latinamerican rhythms and styles are composed – like salsa, son, cha cha, bachata, mambo, rumba and reggae-ton. The participants will perform different rhythms themselves on percussion instruments. Furthermore the course will include the development of Latinamerican music from its African and European roots.
Henrik Normann and Cuban salsa instructors will join the course and give examples of how to develop your dance by interpreting the music.
About Bo Johansen: Musician and music teacher with a special interest in world music, Latinamerican rhythms and rhythmic interplay: Bo Johansen is a percussionist and has studied percussion and Afrocuban music at Instituto Superior del Arte (ISA) and with Justo Pelladito from Conjunto Folklorico National in Havanna, Cuba.
For many years Bo has been teaching percussion at Byhøjskolen in Århus and at the salsa class ”Cuban Rhythms” at the Folk High School of Vestjylland. In 1997 he published the teaching material ”Toques de Santos” – a book/CD with Afrocuban rhythms and songs.
From 1998 to 2005 Bo was leader of the Orquesta Llego la Hora and Son Como Son, and from 1985 to 2008 he played with among others Jorge Cordero. Currently Bo plays with the Århus salsaband Little Havana. www.littlehavana.dk
Dance, Culture and History
This course is tought by Carl Nielsen, course leader, former chairman of the Kalø School of Languages and an enthusiastic salsa dancer in the Århus salsa community.
During this course you will travel on a journey through the dances and cultures of Denmark, Europe, Cuba and Latinamerica.
The aim is that you get an experience – and learn from – the roots of dance. What does dancing mean to you and to society? On this journey you will get to dance, listen to stories, debate and reflect along the way, as well as contribute with your own ideas.
Together Carl Nielsen and Diana Melgaard will be your guides on this journey. You will meet a range of guest instructors, who all want to share their dance or their story with you.
About Carl NielsenCarl Nielsen is Political Scientis specialized in the democratic development in Europe and Latin America. Carl has been on the Folk High School’s committee since 1999, as a representative for Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke.
After 14 years with travels and development work in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, Carl mentaly settled down in Århus in 2004, where he began to dance salsa. This was a way for him to maintain his love for dancing and his passion for Latinamerican culture, which holds a great place in Carls’ heart.
In 2006 Carl Nielsen and Henrik Normann got the idea to start a salsa camp, where the cultural meeting between Denmark/Europe and Cuba/Latinamerica plays an important role.
Art, Desire and Motion
This course is tought by Mette Maria Gye Aagaard, who is a teacher of Danish and history of art at the folk high school at Kalø.
Historically, dancing is associated both with praise and condemnation of the human body, sensuality, desire and motion, depending on the morals and habits at the time.
From her perspective of history of art, Mette Maria will give examples of how our attitude towards desire and motion has changed over time. During the course you will get to experience, debate and reflect upon the influences of religion and morality on desire and motion.
About Mette Maria Gye AagaardMette Maria is a teacher at Kalø School of Languages, and teaches Danish.
Mette Maria is Cand.mag in History of Art and Rhethorics, specialising in art as a national identity.
Mette Maria has worked at the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum as a guide and scholarly assistent, after this as PA at the art and architecture festival Smart Light Sydney in Sydney, Australia.
Mette Maria is looking very much forward to teaching the course on art, desire and motion at Salsa Camp.
Orientation – history by mind and senses
The principal of Kalø School of Language, Johann Bang Jensen, will teach this course on orientation. Here you will be challenged on your understanding of senses, time and place. Orientation is about how you orient yourself in new places, and how to find your right way.
The course is based on the missing sense of orientation that marked Columbus’ landing in Cuba! The aim of the course is to demonstrate that history can still be seen and sensed around us. That we are literally shaped by history. And that it is barrier-breaking business to import a Latinamerican phenomenon like salsa – just like globalisation.
About Johann Bang JensenIs the principal of the Kalø School og Language, and is Cand.mag in History and Nordic language and literature. He is also a translator.
His special fields are European relations, international politics and history of religion and civilisation.