Here
we Fringe again!
When
I think about the month of August here in Edinburgh, I might visualise summer, a
holiday period crammed with happy tourists… But what naturally comes to my mind is the Fringe Festival. Last year I wrote a few
posts in which I explained what the Fringe is and I also gave information about
a few acts I attended. I will dedicate the next posts to the shows, events and
any particular thoughts about the 2013 edition.
You can find the posts from last year's Fringe here.
Like
every year the Fringe festival offers performances in major artistic
disciplines such as comedy, theatre, dance, music… Artists from all over the world entertain us
with their acts in the hundreds of dedicated venues. Pubs, theatres, art galleries…are
transformed in venues for indoor performances. And thanks to the numerous
outdoor stages built all around the town we can also attend shows in beautiful
surroundings. And YES, the summer 2013
is particularly sunny and mild in Edinburgh, which is a great opportunity for
each of us to enjoy the outside acts while adding some colour to our pale skin :-). Needless to say that outdoor venues attract a
lot of people. And as you can imagine the numerous open bars and drinking spots
are also very popular; the perfect place for a get together in the
open. I've already chilled out at The Famous Spiegelterrace on
George Street and had a few iced coffees (yes I'm a coffee lover) at the Assembly George Square Gardens with its lovely bars
and food stalls built on synthetic grass. There are also barbecues at disposal so
we can really make a great moment of our time out.
If you want to know more about the outside drinking spots during the Fringe, check out this blog.
You can find more information on the venues and shows of the Fringe 2013 edition on the official Fringe website
Belgian
presence at the Fringe
The
Fringe welcomes thousands of artists from all over the world each year. And my precious
homeland, full of great talents, is also taking part. Indeed, a few Belgian
artists have taken the opportunity of this internationally renowned artistic
event to share their passion and craft. I will start the Fringe series with the
Belgian acts. I have listed below this year’s Belgian performances. And I am
happy to say I attended 2 of them.
Micheline
Van Hautem
The
Fringe officially started on August 2 and I was lucky enough to attend a great
show on that very evening. My friend
Celia had won 2 tickets to see Micheline Van Hautem, a Belgian singer known for
her French cabaret (Brel and Piaf) interpretation. This show was dedicated to a
few of Jacques Brel’s best songs, such
as Ne me quitte pas, Bruxelles, Amsterdam, Les Flamandes….. Micheline is a
great singer and performer. She has a beautiful and powerful voice and she sings
with the heart. On that night she offered us a great performance interacting
with us. Each songs came to life. For sure, singing Brel’s songs is not an easy
job as there are so much emotions involved to render the profound meanings of the lyrics. Micheline did
a great job, her performance was so good that if I didn’t know the songs before I
would easily have thought they were hers.
She
was accompanied by Bert Verschueren who offered strong acoustic sounds on the
piano and guitar.
I really enjoyed the act.
Micheline will be performing every
evening (except Mondays) at The Famous Spiegeltent on George Street until
August 25.
Les Taupes qui boivent du lait
Last
Saturday, I was invited to the Mediterraneo festival at the Summerhall. The
Mediterraneo Festival is a celebration of Italian and Mediterranean music. It
gathers over 30 musicians from Europe offering a mix of tarantella, brass
beats… everything to bring you in the mood for dancing, singing and being
connected to one another. I really enjoyed the performances of the Edinburgh
based Italian collective The Badwills and Les Taupes qui boivent du Lait,
coming all the way from Brussels.
Their
music is different but oh so entertaining, and most of all, it had the same effect on the
audience: everyone was dancing, stomping, clapping hands – in a positive and
collective spirit.
At
the end of the show The Badwills and Les Taupes qui boivent du Lait got
together for a last performance, offering us a moment of great music full of
passion and the sense of being connected. They finished off leaving the stage to
join us on the dance floor. There was such a positive and collective spirit
floating around. I had a lot of fun and felt so good being part of it. I’m so thankful for having the chance to live
such great human experience.
I have a special thought for my sweet Love who let
me enter his world, enabling me to enjoy great moments like this.
Apart from the music scene, Belgian artists are also present on the Fringe theatre programme. I’ve
listed below the other Belgian acts that are performed this year.
Bonanza,
contemporary theatre
Crying
Out Loud presents Daydream, short music show (for children)
Fright
Night, contemporary theatre
Freeze!,
devised, performance art theatre
Good
Mourning!, new writing theatre
A
Marriage Proposal, comedy/drama theatre
Parkin’Son,
devised, modern dance and physical theatre
Robin
Hood, storytelling (for children)
Tourniquet
2013, contemporary theatre
The
Fringe Festival is such a great opportunity to discover next-door talents and
international performers. Artists from all disciplines get the chance to share their passion and
craft with a large audience. Thanks to the
Fringe we can enjoy moments of entertainment and we open ourselves to a world full of creativity.
The
next post will be dedicated to music.
Feel free to post a comment or send me a message.
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