Denmark 2006

This was our first C3A dance. The Aalborg 2006 was our first real dance, although we practiced in August in Hamburg, where it was basically a private event for participants of C3A teaching from July. We had it easier because we knew most of the dancers, and one of the callers, Dave Wilson, knew us (as a group), so we could expect fairly comfortable dancing.

The second caller was Bronc Wise. We did not know him personally, we only danced to him once at some iPAC event. Also he was calling really nice. Although he had a lot of work with C1, poor guy, since dancers at this event were not all that gifted. Nevertheless, as far as C2 and C3A the dance went great.

A specific feature of Aalborg dancing is that it starts on Saturday at 11 o’clock and ends on Sunday at three pm. From Aarhus to Aalborg it is 100 km along a freeway, which is a clean hour. We and Hanne had to start already at nine, since Hanne was on a preparation team. We participated in it somewhat automatically and dragged chairs and arranged tables. Afterwards Lenka helped to prepared food in the buffet.

The buffet was a chapter for itself. It was rich enough, no problem, but Danes are not used to having lunch the same way as we are, for them it is like a bigger cold snack. We did not expect this, so you could imagine, how hungry we were.

On Sunday morning I was in for a surprise. To explain: by this time I studied calling under Dave for some time. I got some task from him in the summer, and I should show him in Aalborg, how far I had got with it. So I started calling by memory, what I had learned, and Dave with Lenka made a square with six phantoms. Not for long, however, since when people in the next hall heard the music and voice they did not mind that there was no official dancing yet, and few seconds later I had two squares. It was a hard labor, I was incredibly nervous, on the top of that with horrible Czech accent and overall, from the point of view of large world stages, being a caller embryo. People luckily gave me a break, took it as a nice diversion, even at the moment when they totally fell apart due to rattling R in the command "Right and left thRu, tuRn lady quaRteR moRe".

On Sunday after dancing we helped to clean the school and drove to the Fagerbergs. Hanne and Mona agreed in the meantime that on Sunday night we would sleep at the Fagerbergs, to be able to spend the evening with Dave. Dave was not alone, he was there with his new girlfriend Alex, and also with Bronc Wise and his girlfriend Fia. Alex was completely new for everyone, she was just starting with a two years contract, so we had a chance to befriend one another. Bronc gave me some instrument pieces for callering that he composed himself and practiced metering with me. Dave and Lenka cast looks at each other and got along real well :-). I think it was Monday before we went to sleep. We did not know it then, but it started an era, in which we spend a fantastic evening every year with a couple of world known callers, who, if we had not known them before, we got a chance to get to know from some other side than just from behind a microphone on a stage.

More pictures here.

So, this was our first trip to Denmark, and we took it partially as a get to know vacation. You can find about this trip here.