I don’t really dance…like, ever…not even at parties. I don’t really like parties for that very reason. I’m more of a runner/hiker/biker and I never really broadened my horizons! I’m talking about real dancing here, like swing dancing, hip-hop, ballet kind of stuff. My sister is the dancer of the family. And my mom loves to dance. But I often am embarrassed to dance because it doesn’t feel natural to me. Since I’m in Alsace though, I want to learn what I can about a culture that isn’t as vividly alive as it used to be. And part of the Alsatian culture includes a type of folk dancing. There’s a club called S'Narreschiff (which sounds like an Alsatian name to me!) that hosts “bal folk” events once every month or so, and Accès put an April 27th evening on the agenda for us. I almost didn’t go because it sounded like I’d feel awkward, but I went anyway because I needed to get out of my room at least once that day, and I had invited Sama to go with me. I figured it would at least just be an experience, right? Well, let me tell you, if I can dance, anyone can! What a great night. I absolutely loved it! I stayed in the place from 8pm til about midnight. There were people there who obviously knew all the dances, but there were plenty of others who didn’t, just like me. There were those willing to teach you how to dance, and it wasn’t even that hard! And all you had to do was jump in. I couldn't believe how simple it was! No one noticed if you “weren’t good” because it was 100% about fun. My favorite was when everyone danced together in a big circle. Partners rotated each time the pattern of the dance repeated, so you kind of got to know everyone in the room a little. I guess it was a bit like square dancing, but I always thought square dancing was difficult! Now I'm so willing to try it though. Below is a video you can download (hopefully) that I took at the bal folk.
And the music! I mean, I am a kind of “folksy” person I guess, but there’s just something about the accordion, fiddle, and guitar that I especially liked, and it was fun, upbeat, dancing music. There were occasionally other instruments too, like the bassoon and a fife. The band was an Alsatian group called Triozoiso. They’re on Facebook! I learned 3 dances, but I don’t know what they were called. No one wore any traditional Alsatian outfits, but I saw a few kilts. That’s because there were some Scottish jigs we danced to as well. I keep hearing bits of the music in my head, and I really love it. The club moves around, so the bal folk events aren’t in the same place every month. This one was in Illkirch, which is just outside Strasbourg. I got there by taking a tram allllllll the way from one end to the other. Please take my advice—if you get a chance to do something unique like going to a bal folk or taking accordion lessons, do it. Even if you’re a little uncomfortable. Even if you kind of don’t feel like it as you’re already on the tram in the right direction. But especially do it if you’re studying abroad. You will think back on your experiences and realize all you did. Maybe it won't be the best time of your life, but you can't hide from uncertainty. I tend to do that. Right now I feel like I wasted a lot of time being homesick and seeking comfort by staying in my room, but really, I DID do a lot. I made the most that I could of my time here in Strasbourg. I never in a million years thought I would love dancing so much, for one thing (though secretly I always wanted an opportunity to learn). Above all though, learning French in a country where it’s the first language spoken has proven to me that that’s the best way to learn a language. And a culture, for that matter. It’s uncomfortable, but doing hard things makes you grow. Testing yourself makes you confident. Sometimes I feel so angry that this entire semester was a real struggle for me. Why couldn't it have been the most fun semester? I'm in FRANCE! I should be loving it. That's not realistic though. I had a good mix of wonderful days and extremely troublesome days. I think any genuine experience that sticks with you is like that in some way. When I come home and everyone asks me how my semester was, don’t expect me to say it was the best time of my life. I learned so much—but I had a lot of bad days. I want to reflect on it and keep all the memories, but I want to sort of "set it aside" for a while after I get home. It's like any summer after a semester of college! You just need to relax and have yourself a vacation. It took me this entire 4 and a half months just to start feeling normal and familiarized here in Strasbourg, but at least now I know I can do it. I think I could stay longer if I needed to. But I’m happy to be going home! I can’t wait to discover the other ways I’ve grown once I think of my experience from a different perspective. This is most likely my last blog post, but I'm still in France for 3 more weeks. Finals are coming up fast! I'll be sad to leave, and I'll miss the Alsatian pretzels and French pastries, the forest and park right near where I'm staying, and the beautiful yet annoyingly complicated city streets. Not to mention all the people I've met. I've loved biking to class everyday too. Still, I'm super excited to go home and see my family, pets, and friends. Hope you enjoyed my petits mots! A la prochaine, Elda Hricko P.S. I tried to upload videos of the folk dancing, but I can only do that if I pay for the pro version of this website, which I am too cheap to do. Hopefully the attempt at attaching a file worked. Otherwise, next time you see me I can just show you!
1 Comment
Lynn
5/6/2019 03:14:02
I have loved reading your blog this semester - and can't wait to hear more in the fall! :)
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AuthorHello! I'm Elda, a French/Anthropology major and Applied Language Studies minor studying in Strasbourg for a semester. Archives
May 2019
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