Marianne Heron

Tuning in to the great television turn o ...

AS I SEE IT

MARIANNE HERON

GRAND isn’t it when, thanks to the dawning of a new normal, you can stop zooming and start meeting up and really talking with people. But it wasn’t the discussion about a book at the rst live Book Club I was at recently that stuck most vividly in my mind but a lament about TV.

“I sat down around 9.30 to watch TV, this is my time of day to relax and be entertained, and there was nothing on!” said one of the members. at remark just encapsulates the sense of disappointment, betrayal even, about the abysmal programming on our TV screens. e other book clubbers joined in the lament and talked about the way that they and people they know were switching o the TV and turning on to streaming channels like Net ix, Amazon and Apple. Someone mentioned several friends who had given up TV altogether and now used their sets for streaming. ere are times — work nished, kids in bed, evening meal over or whatever — when you feel you have earned your time to turn o and switch on as a couch potato. But what do you get? Wall to wall tacky soaps across the networks without even a choice of not watching a soap if you are not a fan, or cookery shows where frantic competitors whizz up the kind of dishes you would be afraid to try in a restaurant, never mind in the kitchen if you could ever nd half the ingredients.

Even a shake up of scheduling so that TV stations aren’t all screening the same or similar programmes would o er more choice.

Maybe current a airs programmes - where presenters might as well be interrogating at Guantanamo Bay minus the waterboarding - have begun to pall. Maybe you ask yourself why movies you might actually like to watch are screened long after those with salaries to earn and families to raise are fast asleep.

During lockdown and cocooning we were a captive audience, a time when good TV programming would have been seriously welcome. But did the stations rise to the occasion? Sadly not.

But decent — or indecent depending on your point of view — programmes can be screened. Look at the soaring viewing gures for Normal People, the mini series based on Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name.

TV viewing gures are going down throughout the Western World, according to Neilsen’s Total Audience report, and when audiences decline advertising revenues go down (public service broadcasters like RTE depend for their revenue partly on TV licences and partly on advertising revenue.)

You could be forgiven for wondering whether those responsible for programming and scheduling on TV are kept locked up in the dark completely unaware of what is happening thanks to their lack of imaginative input on our screens and whatever happened to audience research, telling them our views on their o erings.

Meantime, the revenues for streaming services, especially Net ix, are going up exponentially enabling them to put on spend big budget money on productions. More viewers turn on to watch series like the Queen’s Gambit or Clickbait, currently Net ix’s No. 3 in Ireland. en there’s the attraction of being able to watch what you want, when you want without advertisements and if you have to leave the programme you are watching you can pick up where you left o . e shift to streaming becomes a self-perpetuating circle – the more we are turned o TV the more likely we are to switch over and enjoy streaming services. A pity: it would be good to have attractive choices from both and it’s much easier to do the ironing while watching TV.

DANCEWISE is back!

AFTER a very di cult 18-month break, Dancewise Academy are nally back to class and they couldn’t be more excited. While they are so grateful for technologies such as zoom which allowed them to see students on occasion, there really is no substitute for dancing together and doing what they love.

Dancewise was established by local Kilkenny choreographer, Michele Wise over 18 years ago following her dance and performing arts training in Cork. Michele has always had a huge passion for all things dance and regularly choreographs for local school shows/ panto groups as well as charity events and fundraisers.

Michele is joined in Dancewise by a team of very experienced local Kilkenny teachers who have been dancing with Michele for many years including Castlecomer natives, Lisa Coogan and Sarah Brennan. Lisa studied dance in University of Limerick and recently furthered her studies in the prestigious Broadway Dance Centre, New York and Millennium Dance Centre, Los Angeles while Sarah studied Acting & Musical eatre for many years and is an experienced singer & theatre performer who regularly performs in panto and musicals at the Watergate.

Dancewise o er students from the age of 3+ the opportunity to learn various styles of dance and express themselves in a fun, supportive environment whilst gaining con dence and developing performance skills. Classes range in styles from Jazz, Disco, Hip Hop, Musical eatre, Street dance and Contemporary. All students showcase their talents and hard work in an annual show at the fabulous Watergate theatre. is is the highlight of the year for so many students as they get the opportunity to work with a professional team in a live theatre venue.

Dancewise regularly run workshops where students get a chance to work closely with top industry professionals and an opportunity to learn from guest teachers. Recent guests have included the amazing Zacc Milne from Ireland’s got talent and international movie star, Adam Garcia. In recent years, Dancewise senior students have travelled to Pineapple studios, London for workshops with west end professionals and take in a show or two. e team are so happy to be back in action after a long break. Dancewise have campaigned for the safe return of performing arts classes for the last number of months and are delighted to have been given the green light by the government last week.

Dancewise will operate classes in Kilkenny City on a Tuesday evening in Loreto school Hall and in Castlecomer on a Wednesday evening in the community hall. For further class information or to enrol, you can contact Michele or Sarah on dancewisekilkenny@ gmail.com