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The Copenhagen Post cphpost.dk
12 - 18 October 2012
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Dave Smith Party in a style befitting of the Emerald Isle: reel like there’s no tomorrow and saturate your sweat with a pint at the bar
Chris Eichbaum
No luck of the Irish needed – good times always guaranteed!
I
f you happen to come by Rysensteensgade 3 during the fourth weekend of October, you might be lucky enough to be met by the exciting sound of an Irish reel and frequent yells streaming out of the open windows. But it is not a concert – it is instead a frenetic session of Irish set dancing you have stumbled upon. That date is one of the annual highlights for the CIS (Copenhagen Irish Set Dancers) because an Irish instructor (this time, Ultan Mulcahy) is invited over from the old country to teach the Danish dancers new sets and steps. There’s a workshop during the day, and a ceìlì – the Irish word for a ball – in the evening with live music. But that’s not the only thing going on with the CIS. Every Monday night throughout the year – except during summer – a group of dancers, both beginners and the more experienced, meet in Frederiksberg for dancing in a most joyful atmosphere. Here local instructors, although still very able, teach the dancers new sets and lead them through old ones to lively Irish jigs, reels and polkas played on CDs – of which there is a great selection. The dancers work hard and it can get extremely hot! As they say in Ireland: “It’s cheaper to dance than to heat the house.” There is a very friendly atmosphere, and after the dance there
The banter will be flying when old acquaintances catch up: “You looked good on the dancefloor ... in 1984!”
its 20th anniversary! It will be marked by one hell of a night: an explosion of an international event with workshops and ceìlìs. However, it is still a while away and is currently in its planning stage. Take a moment to imagine the scene at such an event as old and regular faces catch up, sometimes after absences spanning decades. And then, once the joyous reunions have dissipated, a cheerful and friendly
is always a smaller group who meet at the local pub for a beer. There are set dancing groups not only in Copenhagen, but also in south, mid and west Jutland, with whom there are fruitful co-operations, whether it’s visiting each other or sharing the expenses of visiting Irish instructors. There’s no better time to join CIS, because at the end of the present dance season, in June 2013, it will be celebrating
atmosphere will settle in, punctuated by banter, as errors inevitably creep in, rippling across the floor. Later, it will be lovely to see everybody dressed up for the ceìlì. And once the music gets going, it will take those gathered to a different dimension, and it will only be afterwards that you can truly say you were there. “It is wonderful the way dance and music can unite,” en-
thuses John Christiansen, one of the CIS board members of the group, who is still reeling strong after years of dedication. “A state of pure being with no thinking. You are in a state of sublimity, unbreakable. The band creates that state; no-one can explain how it happens; the band affects the dancers and the dancers the band – it’s a magical synergy. The dancers are suddenly the creators of the music and the musicians the creators
of the dance.” Newcomers are welcome to attend one of the regular Copenhagen Irish Set Dancers meetings at Skolen on Nyelandsvej, every Monday from 18:00 for old-style step dancing, or from 19:30 for set dancing. An annual membership is 1,000 kroner. However, newcomers are welcome to try it out three times free of charge before joining. Learn more at www. setdance.dk
Mark Hojelsen Some 70 percent of the team were making their debuts, but that didn’t stop the international team from impressing
T
he Exiles Ladies side will this Saturday take extra motivation into the next round of the Dansk Rugby Union (DRU) DM 2012 Ladies Series, after an impressive display from some of their debutants at the Frederiksberg rugby grounds on September 22, where they won one and lost one of their two games. It bodes well for 2013 at the end of what has been a transitional season for Exiles. It was initially a nervous squad who assembled, as it only included three stalwarts of the regular team and no less than seven making their debuts, including three playing their first ever game of rugby. But there were no signs of the pre-game jitters once the
game got under way, and Exiles – who are out of contention to win this year’s championship – started with a bang when debutant Kirstine Liedecke scorched down the wing to score the first try of the game, or so the crowd thought. Unfortunately, Liedecke’s inexperience showed, as the try was disallowed by a referee not satisfied with the grounding of the ball. And then to confound matters, CBS Rugby, after soaking up some severe Exiles pressure, scored a try of their own to lead 5-0 at half-time. But the Exiles were clearly not in the mood to lose, and debutant Julie Sjøqvist quickly levelled matters, sidestepping through the CBS defensive line to sprint home a try in her first ever game of rugby. And then another rookie, Christina Jorgensen, took an excellent lineout steal, which led to Becky Jensen scoring from a quick tap penalty and dummy. Linda McLean added a third before CBS replied with a converted try just before the final whistle.
Doane Gregory
Hopes raised for 2013 as Exile rookies prove to be tough cookies
There was seemingly no way of stopping Kirstine Liedecke when she scorched down the wing in the opening moments of the game
Final score: Exiles Ladies 15, CBS 12. However, in the second game of the day, the ladies faced tougher opposition in the form of Grenå, the third-ranked team in the series. And while Exiles raced into a lead thanks
to quick tries from debutants Laura Shrum and Sjøqvist again, Grenå responded with two of their own to lead at the break 12-10. The second-half was a stalemate in which two fatigued teams cancelled each other out. And while Exiles debutant Kir-
sa Nørregaard impressed with her stamina, it was Grenå who eventually prevailed, scoring a converted try at fulltime to seal a 19-10 win. “I love this game and cannot wait to play again in the next round,” said two-try heroine
Sjøqvist after the game. Which is great news for Exiles fans and an ominous warning to the rest of the teams in the DM 2012 Ladies Series ahead of the 2013 season. The Exiles’ next games are on Saturday at Grenå Rugby Klub.