Showcase (By jessie)

I hope you enjoyed the last blog! The show in which I sang Popular, was the Stage School 's annual showcase. A showcase is where it is all 1 big show but there are several different songs, dances, and monologues from heaps of different musicals. It was SO SO fun and I didn't want it to end. Our next show will be around Christmas time and it will either be Annie or Thriller (the Michael Jackson musical) I personally want it to be Annie because i really don't like Michael Jackson.
In our showcase there were songs, dances and monologues from Haispray, Wicked, Matilda, Is There a life after High school, Les Miserables, Oliver, Sweet Charity, My Fair Lady, Sister Act, dream Girls and Annie!

Here is the program

Listen -  (Dream Girls) -  Melina Kouyalis

Food Glorious Food  (Oliver)  - Whole Cast

Wouldn't it be Loverly (My Fair Lady) - Joanna Papanastasiou and Julia Jenkins

Sunset Boulevard -  ( i have no idea which musical this is form) - Ariadne Andreou

Football Monologue - Jad Sayegh

I Dreamed a Dream (Les Miserables) - Dani Advani

Hairspray Songs (Purr Youth Theatre, Pre Associates)

In the Hairspray Section there was - Good Morning Baltimore (Ariadne Andreou)  and Nicest Kids in Town (Purr Youth  Theatre and Pre Associates)

Never Fully Dressed Without A smile (Annie) - Olivia Jade Michael

We Are What We Are (Tap Dance) - Panayiotis Soteriou and Miss Veronica

Disney Medley - Custard Cubs

Wicked Songs (Melina Kouyalis, Antonia Kasoulidou, Jessie Piper and Hannah Arnott)

In the Wicked section there was - What Is This Feeling (Antonia Kasoulidou and Melina Kouyalis) , Popular (Jessie Piper and Hannah Arnott) and Defying Gravity (Antonia Kasoulidou)

School Speak (Poem/Monologue) - Purr Youth Theatre

Matilda Songs  (Full Cast)
In the Matilda section there was Naughty (Custard Cubs) and Revolting Children (Purr Youth Theatre and Pre Associates)

There's A Kid Inside (Is There a life after high School) - Panayiotis Soteriou

Sister Act Medley  (Sister Act)  - Pre Associates

Rhythm of Life  (Sweet Charity) - Full Cast  (Finale)




Ok so there was the program! There were 3 classes involved in the showcase and they were the Custard Cubs, Purr Youth Theatre and Pre Associates.

Custard Cubs - 8-10 yrs

Purr Youth Theatre - 11+ yrs

Pre Associates  - 16 and over

Below there is a few more videos from the show! I am sorry if this blog was a bit boring to you! (the videos aren't boring!) By Jessie

Some of the finale (Rhythm Of Life)

http://youtu.be/icboL7x70Hk

Some of the Sister Act Medley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt3WFAlss1A

Revolting Children (After the audience clapped, one of us shouted "Now Lets Raise The Roof!!!" and another shouted "5 6 7 8!" Then we did the last bit again! As rehearsed! )

http://youtu.be/ZgAwbWi3VII

Musicals and talent shows

Jessie in a recent performance

Four children, four personalities and four different interests!  In our case it's a little more like two and two, where Jessie and Sam continue to love theatre and music, and Angus and Anna are into anything involving football or physical activity. Jessie and Sam go to a local stage school at different times each week, and have recently enjoyed being in a talent show and other performances.  Jessie in particular is really loving and thriving in it, and has developed some great friends through the stage school.

There was a talent show a few weeks back in the coastal city of Limassol.  Both Jessie and Sam performed well and enjoyed the chance to be on the stage (see clips below). Sam won his section, much to Jessie's chagrin, but they both did a great job and the standard in the older kids groups was very high. Ross was rushing to make it back from meetings in Vienna for the show, and arrived just in time from the airport to see both Jessie and Sam's performances (so the all important principle of justice and precise equity between children was maintained)!

Click here to watch Jessie's performance of 'Popular' from the musical Wicked at a recent show, or if not on a mobile device you should be able to see the clip embedded below:

Click here to see Sam's performance at a talent show in Limassol (apologies the video is sideways, but you get the general idea!):

And click here to see Jessie's performance from the talent show in Limassol. Note the ongoing inspiration from the musical Matilda in the family!

The winners in Sam's section in the talent show

And finally a recent picture of the kids with Menaka, celebrating her birthday.

The silence of Srebrenica

A few weeks ago I was in Bosnia and Hercegovina visiting programs and staff.  Whilst there I had an opportunity to visit Srebrenica in the eastern part of the country.  Srebrenica is of course well known as the notorious sight of the worst massacre since WWII.  This occurred in the middle of 1995 towards the end of the war in Bosnia, when over 8000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica and the surrounding villages were rounded up and killed by the Bosnian Serb army.  This occurred despite the fact that Srebrenica was a designated UN safe haven under the protection of a small Dutch contingent of UN soldiers.  The killings in Srebrenica highlighted the ineptitude and inadequacy of the UN peacekeeping mandate in Bosnia.

Memorial in Srebrenica

To this day exhumation of some mass grave sites continues, and the painstaking process of matching DNA samples of remains found, with that of living relatives is ongoing. The town of Srebrenica and its surrounds are very picturesque, and it can be hard to equate the present day view the tragic events that occurred there less than 20 years ago. This was not some ancient war that occurred in a distant past, this took place just a few months before Sarah and I got married. It is hard to be confronted with the human capacity to carry out acts of evil in our own 'modern' society. 

A new memorial in Srebrenica has been opened in recent years, and its a sobering experience to stand before it and contemplate the events that took place there. Likewise in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, a museum on Srebrenica has opened. The museum provides excellent resources along with many examples of recorded testimony of those who survived Srebrenica.  

The challenge for a country like Bosnia and Hercegovina is that while the war ended some 18 years ago, deep religious and ethnic fractures remain in society, and in many respects the country operates as two separate entities within one, with parallel ministries and government structures at all levels of society. New generations are taught two (or more) vastly different versions of history, and the country is beset with major economic and social challenges. As a Bosnian colleague joked with me the other week: 'When it comes to EU membership there are three groups of countries: those already in Europe, those who are in the queue to join Europe, and thirdly there is Bosnia'.  There is an uncertain future but there is always hope.

A picture in the Srebrenica museum in Sarajevo

Sunset in Sarajevo: a Catholic church, Orthodox
church, synagogue and a mosque in close proximity 

Downtown Sarajevo

Turning 5...

After a full school holiday of counting down to her birthday, Anna's special day finally came at the very end of the break.  She was all smiles as she wore the traditional birthday hat with her new Real Madrid football outfit (her choice)! Just so that we remember:....she received a pirate ship bath toy, some textas, lollies and, much to the older kid's astonishment, a toy police gun in a white leather pouch.  How relaxed(?) one must be as a 4th time Mum to give one's daughter a toy 'weapon', honestly without a second thought, simply because that's what she liked best in the shop. Perhaps it's something to do with relaxing as a parent or lowering standards with the youngest child - a reality that I'm sure many can relate to!  It's been comical to watch Anna running around the house with her shirt off and bare feet, shooting whatever she sees. "Bang Bang Bang!" Oh, the joys of seeing a child in the flow of imaginary play.  

We did put a stop to guns at the table....AFTER her birthday.

We celebrated with a wonderful attempt at an aeroplane cake which had more resemblance to a fish.  Nothing like heaps of lollies and red food colouring to detract from the visual disappointment.  It brought me back to Jessie's 3rd birthday in which the butterfly cake looked like a pear.  In this arena, I am definitely NOT improving with age. The afternoon was spent at the cinema with Anna and Sam watching Rio 2 with Daddy, whilst Mum took Gus to a football match at the pub.

Happy 5th Birthday to a very strong and loveable little character.....Anna!

One of the best presies was from Menaka: a real watch.

yes...it looks more like a fish

Yes, I do need to go to the toilet....
but I'll go when I jolly well want to!

Eurovision in Copenhagen

There's just one week to go until Eurovision in Copenhagen, and across Europe fans and governments alike are gearing up for the big event.  The economic situation is tough in many parts of Europe this year, as evidenced by the noticeable lack of entrants from some of the usual countries, including Cyprus, Croatia, Serbia, Turkey and Bosnia/Hercegovina. One can only assume this is out of concern for possibly winning and having to host in the following year, an undertaking that is sure to tip any struggling economy into recession. 

I'm writing this blog from Sarajevo, and the local population seems far more fixated on Bosnia and Hercegovina's success at qualifying for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil, than on Eurovision next weekend. Fortunately the Balkans are putting in a strong entry from Montenegro. All the Caucasus countries are putting in a strong showing this year, and there is every chance the trophy may head east again.  

It's tough to pick a top 5 this year, but I'd have to go with the following: (embedded youtube clips are included below, but in case you are reading on a mobile device, links also provided)

1. Romania: great look and great track. Strong potential for broken windows from a couple of the high notes! Should be in the top 5 atleast.  A favourite of Jessie's.  Click here to watch

2. Montenegro: after some questionable outings over recent years, Crna Gora has put forward a strong entry this year.  This is a great track with a classic Balkan feel. The singer, Sergej Cetkovic is music royalty in Montenegro.  He has a resonant Balkan voice, no doubt finely honed by smoking a packet of cigarettes each day for the last 20 years! Click here to watch

3. Georgia: this song is actually far too good for Eurovision.  Unlikely to do well though, as does not fit the normal formula.  Musically a great track though, and well worth a listen. A favourite of Anna's. Click here to watch

4. Armenia: great song, that builds with intensity. Kids love the drumming section. A possible winner this year. Click here to watch

5. Greece: this song could be a dark horse in the competition this year.  Will be popular on the dancefloors of Agia Napa and Ibiza this summer.  The Roma brass at the start is a great touch. Click here to watch

I would also sneak in Azerbaijan as a strong Top 5 contender.  The song is good but a little slow, but the small Caspian state always does well as they have they have the oil, and therefore plenty of other countries seeking to earn favour.  Also a guaranteed 12 points from Turkey never hurts either. Click here to watch

As for the other entries, herewith my brief thoughts (countries in alphabetical order):

Albania: not a bad track, a little unconventional but should make the final. Original song was better when it was sung in Albanian, not English

Austria: Interesting look. Lady singer with a permanent 3 day growth.  Song is trying too hard. Not a finalist sorry!

Belarus: something about cheesecake.  Cute song but won't make the final

Belgium: A man singing about his mother.  Powerful ballad but not a winner (is that his actual mother dancing in the background?) 

Denmark: why does the hosting nation always have such naf songs?  Not a winner, but the home crowd will of course love it.  

Estonia: snore......yet another bland entry

FYR Macedonia: catchy tune but not a winner. Singer is seriously tall

Finland: decent rock track.  This could actually do ok, especially with the local Scandinavian crowd.  Channelling 'Flock of Seagulls'

France: No. Sounds like they wrote it in the bus on the way to the competition. Stay home next time unless you can come up with a better song

Germany: have listened to this song several times.  Overall a bit unremarkable.  Not a winner.

Hungary: powerful song with some dark themes.  Not a winner but may do ok. Angus' favourite song.  

Iceland: all about prejudice.  Catchy tune, but I don't think will make final

Ireland: atleast it's not Jedward again (but I'm sure they're due for a return to Eurovision soon).  Anthemic song, ok but a bit bland.  Not a winner

Israel: Don't like the song.  Sharp edges, not a winner

Italy: Good Italian rock track; not quite 'eurobeat' enough to win

Latvia: Solving the world's problems by baking cakes.  Will not make it past semifinal. Sarah's favourite.

Lithuania: Snappy dancing and decent song.  Will be good to watch on the night, but alas not a finalist

Malta: Mumford and Sons comes to Valletta. But where is the lute?  Not a winner  

Moldova: Powerful voice; seems like a bit of an angry song.  Not a winner.

Norway: everyone seems to think this song has a chance, but it doesn't do much for me. In fact I think this guy would be more at home with a chainsaw or axe cutting down some fir trees 

Poland: looks like this song is about food preparation and breasts.  Will do well with votes from the Slavic countries.  Likely to make the final but not a winner

Portugal: NNNNNNOOOOOOO!  Too cliched.  Should have stayed home

Russia: sorry Russia, too boring.  Current activities in Ukraine will be sure to hurt the Russian vote.  Could it be nil points this year (just like the UK when they supported the invasion of Iraq?) 

San Marino: No.  Boring song, and San Marino just lacks the political influence needed to attract many votes

Slovenia: The flute is a nice touch.  I want to like this song, but not a real contender

Spain: Classic Spanish entry, I think will do well.  I just wish there wasn't the wailing cries near the end

Sweden: Sorry, this song just doesn't do it for me, even though some are saying it has a good chance of winning.  Too bland and predictable

Switzerland: Catchy tune, with a good whistling hook.  Some decent fiddle also.  A favourite of Sam's but alas not a winner

The Netherlands: Finally some Country and Western in Eurovision!  This is actually a good song but unlikely to do well as not the usual genre.  Also not too many other countries owing political favours to netherlands this year

Ukraine: average song, but sure to do well given current political impasse with Russia.  If it makes the final Ukraine will attract many votes from Europe in an effort to strengthen western-leaning political interests

UK: They are saying the best UK entry for years, but I have to disagree.  More meaningless schlock, trying too hard to fit a formula. Sorry!

So there you have it.  My 2 cents worth on each of the entries this year.  Enjoy the show!