VOICES - MARCH 2018

VOICES

English

МАКЕДОНСКИ Shqip

Magazine for all young people in Macedonia

Boom of korean CULTURE!

March 2018

EDITORIAL

ГОРАН АДАМОВСКИ - УРЕДНИК НА „ВОИСЕС“ GORAN ADAMOVSKI - EDITOR OF “VOICES” MAGAZINE Кралот на Јутјуб

The King of YouTube

Кога во 2015 година, „Јутјуб“ прослави десет години, помалку изненадувачки прозвуче информацијата дека најгледаното видео на оваа веројатно најпопуларна платформа во светот е „Гангам стајл“ на јужнокорејската сензација Псај. Малку познат на европскиот и американскиот контитент, сега 41-годишната планетарна ѕвезда набргу ги зарази милионите фанови од целиот свет. Иако, неговата ѕвезда почна да паѓа, благодарејќи му, се запознавме со корејската култура. Но, колку навистина знаеме за неа? Во новиот број на „Воисес“ дознајте како функционира забавната индустрија во Јужна Кореја, која сѐ повеќе станува алтернатива за американскиот шоу-бизнис. Подготивме осврт на тукушто Олимписките игри, кои се одржаа токму во Јужна Кореја, прочитајте за театарот со кукли во Турција, различностите на Белгија, како е да се биде диџеј, за веганството и вегетаријанството, актерката Сара Климовска, како настанале најголемите музички хитови, за балетот...

When YouTube celebrated ten years in 2015, it is less surprising that the most viewed video on this probably the most popular platform in the world is “Gangam Style” of the South Korean sensation Psy. A little known to the European and American continent, now the 41-year-old planetary star quickly infected the millions of fans around the world. Although his star began to fall, thanks to him, we became acquainted with Korean culture.

But how much do we really know about her? In the new issue of „Voices“, find out how the entertainment industry in South Korea works, which is increasingly becoming an alternative to American show business.

We have read the review of the Olympic Games just held in South Korea, read about the puppet theater in Turkey, the diversity of Belgium, how to be a DJ, about veganism and vegetarianism, actress Sara Klimovska, how the biggest music hits has birth, for ballet ...

Кажете ѝ добредојде на пролетта и опуштете се со лудиот танц на Псај. Горан Адамовски

Say hello to spring and relax with the crazy dance of Psy. Goran Adamovski

STAFF VCS DIRECTOR: Nikola Stankovski COORDINATORS: Ivana Angelovska Goran Adamovski Gjoko Vukanovski Kristina Mitrovska

2 - VOICES

VOLUNTEERS: Aleksandra Grzyb Paulina Gołębiowska Chris Maiken Chloe Dumeusois Antoine Lomba Ann Aro Atahan Gokce Aida Athmani

WRITERS: Igor Pop Trajkov Milan Gjapic Bekim Jashari Vafire Muharemi Andrej Naumovski

TRANSLATORS: Goran Adamovski

CONTACT: Volunteer Centre Skopje Emil Zola 3/3-1, 1000 Skopje Tel./Fax. +389 22 772 095 vcs_contact@yahoo.com www.vcs.org.mk https://voiceskopje.org

P.26

P.16

P.24 P.4

4

TOPIC OF THE MONTH 4 Korean Culture MKD - Aida 28 Korean Culture EN - Aida

6

REPORTAGE 6 Belgium - Antoine

ERAsMUS +

8 8 9

10

14 16

18

24

Culture

26

10 Turkish puppet theatre - Atahan 12 Kenzo Tange - Igor

Vegans & vegetarians - Chris Famous songs- Paulina

Interview

18 20 22

YE Czech - Blerim YE Cyprus - Vafire

CONTENT

P.22

Sara Klimoska- Igor Rocket science- Ann DJ Maiken Reel - Aleksandra

Opinion 24 Ballet - Chloe

sport 26 Olympic games- Milan

VOICES - 3

ТЕМА НА МЕСЕЦОТ

Бум на корејската култура Популарниот Псај и неговиот Гангам стајл ја отвори вратата кон светот за корејската култура што станува алтернатива за американската

С игурно сте слушнале за Псај и за неговиот „Опа“

Гангам стајл? Тоа е најгледаното видео на „Јутјуб“ од Јужна Кореа. Веројатно за многумина тоа беше прв допир со корејската забава. Сепак, атрактивноста и културата на оваа земја не започнаа сега, ами многу поодамна. Во оваа статија ќе се обидеме да откриеме што се крие зад овој културен феномен. Најмногу познат како „Hallyu“, станува збор за корејски културен бран, кој се рашири низ целиот свет. Халуи вклучува К-поп (музика), К-драма (серија), кино... Како и „larger” што се однесува на висока технологија, храна, писменост и козметика. Секако дека популарноста ја предводат К-драмата и К-попот. Од првиот пробив на кинескиот пазар кон крајот на минатиот век, корејската култура постојано расте. „Што е љубовта“ е името на првиот голем хит во Кина. Повеќе од една деценија подоцна, корејската забава продолжува да пасионира милиони млади луѓе пд целиот свет и успева да продре низ сите континенти. Но, ајде да се фокусираме на К-поп и К-драма.

K-поп е корејска популарна музика. Тоа се момчиња/ бендови и девојки/бендови, кои пеат на корејски со англиски хор, беспрекорни кореографии и оригинален изглед. Се разбира, исто така можете да најдете уметник соло. Поп, рок, хип-хоп или балада, изборот е голем. Членовите на бендот имаат обука од неколку години пред да започнат со кариера, тие се избрани поради нивниот талент, но и убавината е значаен критериум. Некои од нив се посебно избрани токму поради нивниот физички изглед, како членот на "L Infinite“. Очигледно, визуелните и естетските моменти се важни точки во К-Поп, слично како и во САД. На тој начин, и јазичната бариера е далеку од проблем. К-поп е комерцијална музика. За најдобар извоз во странство и допирање до масовната публика, музичките агенции одлучуваат да создадат подбендови. На пример, „Супер Јуниор“, еден од најпопуларните бендови во земјата креираат различни правци, па така дел од нивната музика е наменет за пазарот во Кина, друг е само за балади, трет... Бендовите можат да бројат многу членови;

4 - VOICES

„СНСД“ е составен од 8 членови. Со музички пазар споделуван меѓу три главни агенции и помали агенции: музичката понуда на К-поп секоја година се обновува со доаѓањето на неколку нови бендови. Долговечност на бендовите не постои, ретки се тие што опстојуваат со години и години. Што е со К-драма? Телевизиските серии од од Јужна Кореја продуцираат романса, акција, трилер, мистерија или комедија. Тие немаат „сезони" како американски ТВ-шоу. Најпопуларните обично имаат 16 до 20 епизоди. „Saeguk“ (историска драма) обично имаат повеќе од 30 епизоди. Драмата е добар начин да се откријат некои аспекти на корејскиот живот. Ако сакате да дознаете повеќе за корејскиот работен век гледајте „Misaeng“, доколку сте заинтересирани за корејската историја гледајте „Princess'man““ или „Empress Ki“, јапонската колонизација може да се види во „Bridal mask“. Дефинитивно, К-драмата е маркетинг производ со добар квалитет за да ја промовира земјата и тоа функционира. Секоја година се одржува церемонија на која се избира најдобрата драма. Можете да ги најдете со превод на „Јутјуб“. Сè е направено за да се следи актуелноста на културната сцена во Јужна Кореја. К-поп и К-драмата се шират надвор од земјата, благодарение на интернетот. Можете лесно да имате пристап до платформи посветени на гледање на серии и музика. Властите се решени да ја претстават земјата како „мека“ сила со цел да ја направат поатрактивна за туристите. Халуи е само еден чекор од откривањето на корејската култура, која, всушност, сѐ повеќе станива алтернатова за американската. Се надевам дека ја разбудив љубопитноста кај вас. Аида Атхмани

TOPIC OF THE MONTH

VOICES - 5

РЕПОРТАЖА

THE DIVERSITY OF BELGIUM W

hat mind to you s e m o c m? Do iu lg e B t about ou ould think w think ab u ne o y e b y r ma rong, anyo O w o u ? e y te b la ’t o n c n ld o w h e from a , you wou ers and ch eciaalbier n Pis? Well waffles, be p e s , k s e a ie n , n s fr a e t g u M o ow iè s think ab ns know h waffle in L tions and it ia tu lg rm ti e a s B w in s w a u o , o h s vari Brussels m is a l tell you Brussels, it ture. Belgiu itraillette in ic ocolate wil m p h r c ll e r p fu ’O e ro d p th tic in a te e far from , but gigan who tried b type of Cô e y iz ld n s u a o in r w o y u n y yo f the be is ti . A pearl o Flemish Ab lease their belly. Yet, complex country. It e c ters, n a c ifi n are kilome rily in sig lly p u a s q fu s in u ti o d rd n n o le rm a a s p o tr u n x o to uages, bers, but e erse and e fficial lang ts, thirty th iv m o n d u a e n it t, re b n in a th ra ll h a d ib in v offer an culture, sm ven million ernments ch more to le v u e o m g s s it t a , n h s , re is ie d e tr e equal diff Low Coun ver Belgium you d to be call o e — c s is n u e d it v o e s T s a . , s , es surprise Europe” ery pushes a seven — y ground of ntry full of ach discov e nt re e h w “The Battle e thought. It is a cou ountry. Re c hunt, , g re u in s ’v a u rm e a o tr y than pected yet so ch hhike on an unex intriguing, mb to hitc u is th th r u to o in y r like going pe m. From r prepare to dig dee erse, Belgiu our bikes o y iv t d , n g u o in z m a car, re am dense dy to explo from the t, s e -w and get rea h rt of no to ide coast w e th to t south-east fores ildings es e shiny bu th Ardenn h g u ro th the de let’s hunt , ls e s s ru Oosten B ! of of Belgium treasures

Yes, Belgians give an important role to their language, but its bind to their identity will vary greatly across the country. Fault lines are not merely entrenched between the Dutch, French and German speakers. In the Province of Wallonia alone —which englobes both the French and German-speaking communities but excludes Brussels— besides French, hardened locals could speak to you in Luxemburgish in Arlon, Lorrain in Virton, Picard in Mons or Tournai or hundreds of different varieties of the Walloon language anywhere else in Wallonia. Cross the linguistic frontier between Flanders and the French community and your problems are just getting started. First, don’t even think about telling Flemish people they speak Dutch. Sure, it is technically their national official language, but Flemish people speak…well Flemish — a softer-sounding version of Dutch that, truly, only Belgians and Dutch people can tell apart. The most erudite ones will tell you that Flemish is the actual correct version of Dutch, and that standard Dutch is, actually, a dialect falsely promoted by The Hague. The most hardened of them all, coined Flamingant by their French-speaking counterparts, will refuse to speak to you in any other language than Flemish.

Should you be heard speaking either French, Dutch or even German, in certain restaurants or bars of Antwerp — considered the informal capital of Flamingants— you might never be served at all.

6 - VOICES

REPORTAGE The first thing that you will get struck by, when putting your first step on Belgian soil, is the diversity of languages, especially its salience in Belgian society.

Indeed, Belgium is among those multicultural countries whose citizens bind their pride and sense of belonging to the language they speak, and particularly to the way they speak it. So much so that three “linguistic communities”, with their own borders, capital city, parliament and government, are formerly recognized by the Constitution. To give you an idea of the salience of language representation, the governments respectively representing the Flemish, French and German-speaking communities are granted as much power as the federal one.

Should you take it upon yourself to integrate and learn Flemish, then you might have to choose your city wisely. As a result of the historic failure of Dutch standardization, Flemish finds itself as an even more fragmented language than Walloon. Virtually every city has its own kind of Flemish. Leuven, Antwerp, or Oostende all have their own dialects, distinct from each other. A native speaker from Brussels wouldn’t be able to understand a West-Vlaams speaker from Kortrijk. In all this linguistic mess, the region of the capital might very well be the easiest pick, right ? Not really. Brussels is both technically Flemish — with its very own dialect, the Bruxelleer —, the only officially bilingual region of the country and, also, the largest French-speaking city in Belgium. Over 95% of the city’s citizen use French daily. Although its international status, as the informal capital city of the EU and host to many international institutions, is giving English a lot of leeway.

The role and complex situations of languages across Belgium might either fascinate you or give you headaches. However, the most striking feature that will leave you in awe and in love with the country comes with the Belgian way of life. Belgium might be a disorganized, sometimes messy, often complicated country institutionally and Belgians sometimes have a hard time coexisting among one another, but one thing unites them across the whole country. It doesn’t matter whether it is in the dirtiest streets of Charleroi— repeatedly crowned the ugliest city in Belgium— the taverns of Antwerp or the canals of Bruges, the “Venice of the North”, you will find one treasure among all Belgians and across all of Belgium : their love of life. If there is one thing Belgians are good at, it is celebrating life. Leisure is an intricate and essential part of the Low Countries' culture. Every corner, every town, every village, has its own, very Belgian, way of celebrating life, its pleasures, its gifts.

If you want to find the treasures of Belgium, drive your car to Liège during the 14th of July. Ride your bike to Visé, 20 mins away from the Netherlands, in the middle of August, and spend your day drinking from stall to stall across the whole village. Hitchhike back to Dinant and take a trek across the woods of the Ardennes. Take a train for Louvain-la-neuve and take part in its student 24h race, again, of beer drinking. Give your liver some rest and maybe carpool to Leuven for a day city-trip, enjoy its picturesque architecture in one of the oldest town in Belgium. Visit the center of Brussels, try its mitraillette sandwich, a large 40cm baguette filled with tons of fries, meat and a buck load of sauce. If your belly is still alive, taste the frikandel, a Belgian meat, which recipe you do not want to know. Take another train, take a stroll to the small romantic streets of Gent before doing a tour of the “trappist” monasteries, producers of the best beers in the world :Leffe, Affligem, Forest, Val-Dieu, Westmalle and the king of kings, awarded best beer in the world in 2005 and 2013, the Westvleteren XII. Careful with that one though, you are only allowed to buy one pack per year and you may only do so at the monastery itself.

To reward yourself and take a much needewd rest after your incredible journey, what better way than to rent a small apartment on the coastline in Oostende ?

You might not understand their Flemish but you will sure appreciate the calming sound of the quiet waves of the English Channel. As you’ll be sipping your light Hoegaarden, you will remember the humorous spirit of Belgians from every generations that you met in old taverns and their terraces, in abbey’s gardens and cobblestoned streets. You will reminisce the generous ambient good-heartedness and passion for tasty gluttony. As one of them once explained to me: “We, Belgians, are used to be trampled on by all the great powers of Europe, our history is nothing but stretching from both arm between greedy insatiable neighbors. It is our way to cope with it, to take pride in our modesty through deprecating humor, bonhomie and love of leisure”. That is the Belgian spirit, and that is what you will remember whenever you’re asked again : “what comes to mind when you think about Belgium?”

Antoine Lomba

VOICES - 7

ЕРАЗМУС+

TRAJNIMI KOMUNIKIMI NË VEPRIM

Në periudhën 29.1. - 7.2.2018 në qytetin e bukur të

Brno-s në Republikën Çeke, u organizua një trajnim nga organizata joqeveritare "Be International" e cila është themeluar në të njëjtin qytet. Katër vullnetarë të Volunter Center Skopje morën pjesë në të. Vullnetarët tanë morën pjesë në këtë trajnim të quajtur "Komunikimi në veprim" së bashku me 20 pjesëmarrës të tjerë nga Italia, Gjermania, Rumania, Gjeorgjia dhe Republika Çeke. Ky kurs trajnimi u zhvillua në Kaprálův mlýn af ër qytetit të Brno-s, e cila është një Qendër Arsimore Mjedisore Scout e pozicinouar ne natyrë me një peizazh të mahnitshëm. Ky projekt u mbështet nga Programi Erasmus + dhe qëllimi i tij kryesor ishte të zhvillonte aftësitë e pjesëmarrësve në strategjitë e komunikimit, në mënyrë që të rrisin ndikimin e komunikimit të organizatave të tyre dhe të mësojnë si t'i përcojnë mesazhet e tyre në mënyrë efektive grupeve të synuara.

Vullnetarët tanë kishin këtë përvojë të mrekullueshme jo vetëm që edukoheshin në fushën e komunikimit të gjerë, por gjithashtu ndanin njohuritë dhe kulturën e tyre me të rinjtë e tjerë që janë të gatshëm të krijojnë miq të rinj gjithashtu.

Ky trajnim u përqendrua kryesisht në praktikat më të mira, të cilat i ndihmuan pjesëmarrësit që po të njejtat ti vendosnin në praktikë në organizatat e tyre.

Pjesëmarrja në këtë trajnim ndihmoi vullnetarët tanë të identifikojnë nivelin aktual të njohurive dhe aftësive në organizata, duke siguruar aftësi gjithëpërfshirëse të komunikimit të vendosur për të rritur ndikimin në punën e projekteve dhe për të komunikuar në mënyrë efektive me audiencën e synuar. Ata gjithashtu kishin një mundësi të mahnitshme për të folur në radion më të famshme të studentëve në Republikën Çeke të quajtur '' Radio R ''. Të gjithë pjesëmarrësit kishin një periudhë prej pesë minutash për të prezantuar organizatat e tyre dhe për të përfaqësuar punën dhe rolin që kanë në OJQ-të e tyre. Kjo njohuri e madhe që ata fituan ishte nën udhëheqjen e trajnerëve dhe ekspertëve me përvojë në këtë fushë. Ata u treguan pjesëmarrësve shembuj frymëzues nga jeta reale dhe gjithashtu ua dhanë mundësinë për të vënë në praktikë njohurinë e sapo fituar.

Duke kaluar nëpër të gjitha këto vullnetarët e VCS u kthyen në shtëpi plot me përvoja, njohuri dhe kujtime të bukura. Përvec kësaj, ata gjithashtu vizituan Republikën Çeke dhe kryqytetin e saj Pragën e cila është një ndër qytetet më të bukura në Evropë. Ata gjithashtu vizituan qytetin e Brno-s dhe atmosferën studentore të qytetit.

Tani ata janë të gatshëm për të ndarë gjithcka me ne dhe për të na ndihmuar në përmirësimin e komunikimit në organizatën tonë.

Bekim Jashari

8 - VOICES

ERASMUS+

YE IN CYPRUS: TRIO Every spot in this Earth has some

small details that makes it unique in the Universe. So it is time to discover new small sweet places that make us happy. This time our boat took us to one shiny island. This natural treasure is placed in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the map you can find this island named as Cyprus. Yes, you are not wrong this is the most famous island throughout all history. Nowadays, this island hosts Cypriots. Nation that mainly lives on the sea side. And you ask yourself from where comes the inner peace of this so calm and warm people?

You have to visit this place and to feel the sea waves and bird sounds. If someone asks you to describe how these people look, the only word that you can use is: Cypriot. Their traditional life in small villages by the seaside has developed so kind and amazing humans. And as one friend of mine said: you cannot feel Cyprus in Nicosia; you have to visit these incredible small villages to feel what Cyprus is. Love comes through the stomach.

Is it true? Go to this lovely island and try from there paradise food. It is so hard to stay hungry in this place. There is food for everyone’s preferences. So many kind of food cooked so carefully and with so much love. Even if you are not addicted to degustation, you will become here! Architecture! What all these houses, buildings and walls say? They loudly speak for different periods in the history and human beings, their life and habits. British style - shows how people lived in this historical period. The stones are smooth and the colour is uniquely between yellow and brown. When you will notice houses which entrances have stairs it means that there lived one of the richest people many years ago. Today, those are not abandoned houses, not at all. These are witnesses speaking loudly for the period when they were inhabited by these lovely people. The TRIO doesn't stop in the architectural styles but continues through three official languages, separated Nicosia on North and South is a wonderful space in between that you cannot describe with words. One of the most famous quotes from the older women here is: “Are u married?” and if you answer negatively they will make big effort to marry you with one person from Cyprus, so you will become Cypriot. Neither pictures nor words are enough to describe this wonderful island.

Vafire Muharemi & Andrej Naumovski Photo: Andrej Naumovski

VOICES - 9

КУЛТУРА

FROM ТHE PAST TO THE PRESENT

`

I

Puppet theatre isn’t just for comedy. When written in a dramatic way, it becomes an artistic paradigm that raises awareness.

n Turkey, when someone says puppet theatre, “Karagöz and Hacivat” is the first thing that comes to mind.

The latter are the characters of a shadow play.

According to a general opinion, the Turkish shadow play technique can be traced back from 16th century Egypt. In the 17th century, “Karagoz and Hacivat” appeared.

Karagöz is an uneducated, yet very intelligent, character and Hacivat is educated and gentle.

These characters always argue with each other in the play. The comedy factor develops as a result of Karagöz misunderstanding Hacivat. This shadow play takes on topics from real life situations, like neighborhood relationships, marriage rules, social and political criticism etc.

The Karagoz Hacivat play is played as a shadow play on a white screen. The play needs to be enacted in a dark environment in order to work as a shadow game. Karagoz Hacivat figures are made on a specially crafted translucent leather. The puppets used to be made by mixing camel leather with other natural materials, using various chemical enzymes allowed by the advancement of the technology. As camel leather is, nowadays, difficult to find, cow leather is usually used instead. The figures are then drawn on the material and painted over the leather. After painting, the contours are drawn with black paint on the edges. When the painting process is finished, the puppet parts are connected to each other with strings and ready to play. Karagöz and Hacivat are played by a single master who is called the “Hayali”. The Hayali manages all the scenes, in addition to performing imitations and songs. The “Yardak” is Hayali’s assistant.

He plays tambourine and gives the puppets to the Hayali.

10 - VOICES

CULTURE

İBİŞ & İHTİYAR

There are also two important characters in the traditional turkish puppet theater, which are known as İbiş and ihtiyar. Ibis is a cunning, intelligent, talkative character and his speech and movements entertain the audience at the play. İhtiyar represents rich people, and is the boss of İbiş in the play. Other than İbis and İhtiyar, there are characters who have specific personalities in the play.

The subjects are usually improvised in old Turkish puppet theater. Like in regular theater, costumes and decors can also be used for the puppet performance, which can also be exhibited with music.

Enacting puppet plays requires talent. Puppeteers are experts of mimics and movements. They developed new techniques over time, such as Marionette, hand puppet, wearable puppet etc.

In a Marionette, every piece of the puppet is movable.

Puppets are connected to the playing table with strings.

Hand puppet’s body are worn and controlled by the hand of the puppeteer, whereas its arms are manipulated by the latter’s fingers. The other kind is a wearable puppet. This technique allows puppeteers to wear the puppets and move it from the inside. Wearable puppets can also be bigger than human size.

Atahan Gökçe

Puppet theater isn’t just for comedy. When written in a dramatic way it becomes an artistic paradigm that raises awareness. With the advancement of technology, techniques such as “stop motion” have come a long way to become an art form, which is often seen in cinema and television.

In Turkey, in terms of education, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University has a main branch for Puppet and Shadow Play Design. The aim of the branch is to train Tolga Gündoğdu successful puppet designers.

Nowadays, the puppet art in Turkey is maintained by various puppet and shadow play festivals, theatres and movie screenings.

Zanna Abbasova

Atahan Gökçe

VOICES - 11

КУЛТУРА

THE MODERNISM WHICH LIVES IN NATURE Portrait of Kenzo Tange

The designer of the tallest building in Japan, the "Tokyo

Metropolitan Government Office, Shinjuku” and winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize is also the author of the urban plan for the city of Skopje. Unfortunately, only a small part of Kenzo Tange's project was realized; as the Railway Station and the complex of buildings called "City Wall". This complex reflects the the architect's distinguished taste for planning and combining living and working spaces, as well as his influence from the traditional Japanese architecture, which main goal is to be a part of nature. That is why the center of the city is an elegant combination of concrete massive blocks with parks and trees. According to his plan (which was not realized) all the traffic was supposed to go along the same level as the railway station- that is based on high concrete columns. How very unfortunate this was never built, since this would have been an excellent solution against traffic jam. Kenzo Tange received this project from the UN, in order to help the rebuilding of the destroyed city from the earthquake in ’63. Later, he became one of the 20th century greatest architects in the world. The habit of working together in a team on equal grounds, he took from his friend Walter Gropius.

Hence, in his designs, he was strongly (especially in the beginning of his career) inspired by Le Corbusier, whom he met before he became a student of architecture. In the 50’s he became part of the movement that was lately called the Metabolist one, and was also one of the founders of architectural structuralism.

12 - VOICES

CULTURE He also did the urban plans of the cities of Tokyo and (for the restoration of the destroyed city) of Hiroshima. From 1963 till 1974, he was a professor at Tokyo University.

His lectures were amazing, so he was frequently invited to lecture in other universities. In 1964, the “Yoyogi National Gymnasium”, a facility for the Olympic Games, was opened. In 1967, he prepared the urban plans for the Fiera districts in Bologna and Libirino in Catania. He also designed the St. Mary Cathedral in Tokyo and is the author of the façade of the “Supreme Court Building” in Islamabad. Some theoreticians consider Kenzo Tange as part of the brutalist movement and, consequently, as the architect that had the greatest influence on British architects during the 60’s. In the 60’s and 70’s, Tange was the most wanted architect in the world; in the 80’s he was invited by the mayor of Paris - Jacques Chirac - to design the master plan for a plaza at the "Place d’Italie" that interconnects the city along an east-west axis.

Igor Pop Trajkov

VOICES - 13

КУЛТУРА

VEGETARIANS & VEGANS

NOT ONLY ABOUT THE ANIMALS For the most part, going vegetarian or vegan is usually about preserving life and not killing animals, but there is a lot more to it as well. People who have not eaten meat for a long time shed some light on this matter.

In this day and age, eating meat is so normal and

not even thought about as anything but ordinary that it goes right past us. Only the smaller part of the population notice this, and that is the vegetarians and vegans of our beautiful planet. I was curious about this so I decided to ask some people I know who are non-meat eaters as well as doing some of my own research to explore more of this.

I spoke with Darryl, who has been vegetarian for 5 years; Gabriel, who was a vegan for 4 years and vegetarian for 4 years as well, so 8 years in total; as well as Ayo who has not been eating meat for 12 years (5 years vegan, 1 year raw food eater, and 6 years vegetarian). And it was very interesting to hear what they had to say about this topic. I asked what were the main reasons they decided to stop eating meat and most often it was about the animals being killed, however, there were some other reasons too. Darryl mentioned that, from an energetic perspective, he does not want to consume the animal’s fear, anguish and stress as the animal is being killed as this energy is transferred into our bodies (as they say, energy is neither created nor destroyed). Gabriel says for him it was also for religious beliefs and he mentions that in the Bible it says something about “Your meat shall be fruit, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds”, and also read the story on Noah’s Ark which can bring more insight to this as well. Ayo says she’s loved animals from a young age, and when she was 15 years old she started listening to reggae music, which preaches about love and unity and worshipping

14 - VOICES

She was never really a big meat eater before, and she was stepping into her spiritual path at this time as well like doing yoga, reading spiritual books, was into ecology, etc. Interesting to point out is that animals are being fattened up for mass production, using up a lot of the world’s agriculture which could be used to feed people who are starving in the world.

Some of the benefits of the vegetarian / vegan lifestyle include having the body feel lighter and more energy. Darryl says his aggression has dropped (as he used to have a lot of anger before). I can believe this because when I used to be vegetarian I had a massive drop in anxiety levels as well. Gabriel also says he is able to control his thoughts a lot easier, and being able to think in difficult situations with more clarity.

Ayo mentions as well that fruit/vegetables and such also gives you more of the earth and sun energy, and for her spiritual journey she feels more compassion on an individual level, helps open the 3rd eye, and on a global scale the meat industry destroys more of the natural environment, as well as chemicals that are being used as well.

CULTURE this lifestyle usually happened overnight or same day.

When they decided to stop eating meat, it just happened like that. In this day and age, some people say they don’t eat meat as some trend, or hipster thing. Some people who become vegetarian can be judgemental in the sense of judging those who eat meat, but like Ayo mentions, those people are missing the point. It is not about looking at the differences, but rather it should activate more kindness, understanding and compassion in us. Nobody’s perfect.

To maintain this lifestyle I thought, was quite difficult because in my time I was surviving mainly on cheese sandwiches and not enough nutrients. But according to those who have been living it for some time it’s not that hard at all. Usually in the beginning it can be quite tricky, but once you figure out your body’s dietary requirements and what food items to buy/eat, it gets easier. You can also find in some places lots of meat substitutes like veggie patties, and soya and such. There is also so much variety of fruit, vegetables, grains, etc.

What is important for the body’s dietary requirements is to try to make every meal a balanced meal. You can find proteins in beans, chickpeas, even broccoli! Or at best, just have a protein bar. When I asked about their favourite meals, it was very hard to get an answer, purely because there is so much good food and combinations out there, they say. Darryl does enjoy a good veggie bake though, with seeds, nuts, butternut, feta, etc. Ayo enjoys pretty much everything in traditional non-meat Bulgarian cuisine, and Gabriel will finish a vegetarian tortilla anyday, as well as pasta and salads.

Now for the question that has been boggling my mind for some time is if there are any setbacks or disadvantages from being a vegetarian or vegan. The answer I could kind of predict, was that there are no setbacks.

However, they shed some light and explained in a bit more detail why this is so. There can be disadvantages if, and only if, you don’t prepare the right meals. This can lead to falling into the habit of not eating the right foods and getting the right requirements the body needs for optimal functioning. So it is important to take the time and prepare meals. As a result of this lifestyle, they are now even more sensitive to topics on animal abuse and spirituality, and more mindful of nature and interacting better with mother earth.

Essentially, most people choose this way of life because they believe you cannot kill something you did not create. On an energetic level, the pain is transferred to our bodies when we eat meat. Spiritually, food contains information from the cosmos. Plants transfer light energy from the sun into us when we eat them. So I guess it all depends on one’s perspective on things. We are after all what we eat, drink and think. Food is also our medicine, let it not be about instant gratification.

Just something to ponder on.

I then wanted to find out if a lot of people they know are vegetarians or vegans, and the answers I got were quite different. With Darryl he says a lot of his closest friends eat meat, however, there are a number of people who have been influenced by him to go vegetarian because of his reasons for this lifestyle. With Ayo, most of her friends in Bulgaria are vegetarian, and so is her mom.

She says the people she attracts into her life are nonmeat eaters, which I thought was quite cool. Also, her boss (who really enjoys meat) has started to include meatless Mondays into his eating plan, because he has also been somewhat influenced. And a lot of people in Gabriel’s church are vegetarian. Their transitions into Chris Maiken

VOICES - 15

КУЛТУРА

BEHIND THE SCENES Have you ever wondered how your favourite songs were made? What was the inspiration and the story behind that motivated an artist to wrote lyrics that still have millions of enthusiasts all around the world? It might be just a happy coincidence. Sometimes it is just a personal, often sad experience.

Let’s start with the legendary ballad Hey Jude, a song

of English band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney in 1968 year. John Lennon and his wife Cynthia Lennon were in separation after John’s romance with Yoko Ono. Their son, 5-year old Julian was really upset about incoming divorce of the parents. McCartney was driving to Lennon’s place with the plan to cheer up Jules and give a support to all the family. In the meantime he was singing the song starting with “Hey Jules – don’t make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better…”.

McCartney very often composed new songs while driving. The idea of writing empathic, hopeful message for Julian became real. Despite the fact that Paul several times emphasized the real roots of the song, many people including John Lennon (and Judith Simons, a journalist of Daily Express) thought that the song is addressed to them. Especially Lennon sought blessing from McCartney’s song for his relationship with Yoko Ono and new music projects. Julian Lennon found out that Hey Jude was intended for him two decades later.

Some songs are part of mourning. On March 20th, 1991, 4-year old Conor, son of Eric Clapton fell from a window of 53rd floor apartment in New York. It was huge loss for Clapton who before was drug user and after birth

16 - VOICES

of son decided to be a good father and stay clean.

After the tragedy the risk that he will take drugs was quite possible. Instead, he focused on music and several months later, together with songwriter Will Jennings, wrote Tears in heaven (Clapton typed the first verse) which was used in the movie Rush. Through this song the artist expected to relieve himself, he also wanted to support other parents who lost their children.

Later on, Clapton were publicly active to raise awareness among parents for childproofing windows and staircases. Originally the song was never meant to be heard by the public because it was too personal and just helped him not to go mad, which Clapton revealed in his autobiography. However, in 2003, musician stopped performing live Tears in heaven for 10 years.

The capital of Poland brought afflation to David Bowie and Brian Eno. He visited Warsaw only twice in 1973 and 1976, both as a train stopovers in his journey between Moscow – Berlin (in that time Bowie had a fear of flying). Experts of Bowie’s work are not sure which visit had direct impact of making song. Nevertheless, during few hours spent in Warsaw, the artist went for a walk and bought some records including Polish folk songs by Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble.

CULTURE The dark, communist atmosphere of Warsaw impressed the musician. In 1977 the song titled Warszawa was released. It’s mainly instrumental song with short vocal part.

Beginning of the song is very dramatic and monumental, it was composed by Brian Eno. The vocal part was inspired by Polish folk song that he heard on bought albums. Bowie invented the lyrics and they have nothing in common with any language. Once, during some interview with Polish magazine Tylko Rock the artist said that through this song he wanted to “express the feelings of people who yearn to be free, they can smell the scent of freedom…but they can’t reach it”. For many critics Warszawa is still one of the best song of David Bowie.

Sometimes the songs are made by accident.

In 1965, Keith Richards, the guitarist of Rolling Stones suddenly woke up in the middle of the night with the melody in his head. He noticed acoustic guitar and cassette recorder next to his bed. In the morning he checked the record and heard 30 seconds of riff accompanied with vocal line I can’t get no satisfaction.

It looked like he made it during the night cause the rest of the record was just a snoring. Initially, Richards haven’t found anything commercial in melody.

Totally different than Mick Jagger who felt inspired and wrote the lyrics in short time. What happened after, we all know.

Another simple story is related to song of Queen, Radio Gaga. The song was written by Roger Taylor who got idea thanks to his 3-years old son. The kid just used too much the word “gaga” and was very active especially when the radio played.

Breakings news can also affect in the shape of songs. For example, Bob Geldof and his I don’t like Mondays was inspired by story of 16-years old, high school student, Brenda Spencer. On Monday, 1979, she opened fire in the school, killing 2 adults and injuring 9 children. Then she returned home where police surrounded her so after a few hours she gave up herself. But in the meantime she was on the phone with reporter who asked her about motives of the act.

She simply answered “I just did it for the fun of it.

I just don’t like Mondays. I just did it because it’s a way to cheer the day up. Nobody likes Mondays”. Orginally Geldof wasn’t sure about potential of song but his record label put this as a single. The song became a worldwide hit except USA because of the subject.

Usually this song was played by radio stations on Mondays.

The real story about another young girl motivated duet Lennon/McCartney to wrote She’s leaving home.

In 1967 headlines in London newspapers were focused on Melanie Coe, 17 year old girl who just took care and ran away from home. Newspapers described Melanie as very good student,who actually has everything what girl in her age might want. Everything except understanding, love and attention from parents.

McCartney and Lennon had no problem with completed the lyrics, the first one wrote general part, the second described situation from parents perspective.

What’s interesting McCartney met Melanie a few years before when she won TV contest and got the award from his hands. In interview for Rolling Stone magazine many years after Melanie Coe is still impressed about precision and adequacy of the The Beatles’ words.

There are many examples of records which settled in the culture for good and still influence young artists and groups of people. Whatever pushed artists to create the unique songs, we should be thankful that they decided to share these pieces of art with us.

Paulina Gołębiowska

VOICES - 17

ИНТЕРВЈУ

ART DOES NOT DEPEND ON MONEY

S

ara Klimoska played the leading role in the short film “Would You Look at Her”, directed by Goran Stolevski,that won The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction at the Sundance Film Festival. One of the jurors was Shirley Manson, the leading vocal of the cult band “Garbage”. She has played in several theatre performances in Skopje’s national theatres, independent productions and in one English performance in Budapest. She has played in the feature movie “Amok” and in several (7) short movies- Macedonian and French productions.

She has participated in the talent campus of “Sarajevo Film Festival” in 2016. She is now preparing her next short film, taking place in France, directed by Thanasis Trou.

What happened to method acting? It seems now everything is intuitive… How do you prepare your roles (for film and for stage)?

- I don’t use any particularly unified method to prepare a role. My approach of acting in general depends on the form of the project and the character’s needs and essentials.

Naturally, I do use my intuition and basic instinct to play, but accompanied with a long process of researching and exploring all the possibilities of the character’s persona to grow into the complete image.

What is the greatest difference between acting for cinema and theatre?

- The film allows the audience to experience the actor in a very close and intimate environment through each minimalistic expression, enough to convey the entire story.

On the other hand, I like the liveliness of theatre without breaking and stopping the actor’s expression, forming real and strong bond with the audience.

18 - VOICES

INTERVIEW What was your main task when preparing your role for this short? Social aspects, psychology, timing…

- From the moment I set my eyes on the script, I fell in love with the main character Ana. I could entirely relate to her feelings and justify her rebel attitude in such a socially conservative surrounding, yet by also using body language, I was able to fully build the character.

Are you a feminist- this short has many issues regarding gender?

- Yes, and as a feminist, I truly relate to strong female characters that bring changes to a male patriarchal world.

This short responds to a still pertaining problem in the 21st century, which is the dominance of male “superheroes” who are also supported by religions. So, this film could be understood as a part of the big revolution for gender equality taking place right now globally.

Artists in other countries are big rebels (e.g. all the changes in Eastern Europe were led by artists); here they are the first ones to sell themselves to something regressive. Do you think this is about to change?

- Unfortunately, in my country the harsh economic situation forces even artists to bow to the government. I am not sure that this would change in a close future because every other government always cares for their own “children”, but I want to believe that artists will uphold their independence and will also contribute to the progress of the community.

Everywhere artists (including actors) have to do something for free. Do you think this is positive or an expression of frustration of societies?

- Art does not depend on money but artists should have a decent income for their lives, but nowaday’s capitalism has damaged art, producing mega expensive pseudo-art products that are not valued for their esthetics, but because of successful marketing. interview and photographs: Igor Pop Trajkov

VOICES - 19

ИНТЕРВЈУ

HELLO, SPACE!

Interview with spacecraft design student Siiri Talvistu

Siiri is a 26 year old Estonian who started her studies in Spacecraft design last year. As of now she is also working

on a REXUS program which gives students an opportunity to work on a real technological experiments on rockets and balloons.

Tell us what is your story: As a kid my ambitions on who Tell us more about your project REXUS/BEXUS. What to be when I grew up ranged from a medical doctor to have been the greatest challenges your team has a zookeeper. I didn’t have a plan until i started to study faced? The REXUS/BEXUS programme allows students telecommunications in my local technical university from universities and higher education colleges across since it seemed to be the coolest bachelors program Europe to carry out scientific and technological experiunder the IT faculty. I took off a year to just work and ments on research rockets and balloons. Each year, two figure out where to go next and eventually found that rockets and two balloons are launched, carrying up to there is a program called Spacecraft Design and it was 20 experiments designed and built by student teams. free to study. I applied without thinking about it and Our REXUS team is BESPIN - it is a student project from then realised that i signed myself up to live in the Arctic Luleå University of Technology for the Rocket ExperiCircle, far Northern Sweden. Plus I remember in high- ments for University Students (REXUS) project realised school sitting in maths class thinking that i will never under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the Gerneed that and barely squeezed points from the subject man Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National to pass. How wrong i was - further on followed nearly 4 Space Board (SNSB). The sponsors include ESA (Euroyears of math studies. pean Space Agency), SSC, ZARM Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA). The aim of the BESPIN project is to design and test an engineering proof of concept for deploying a balloon from a rocket. The goal is to achieve initial flotation of the balloon before slow controlled descent.

The launch of the experiment is planned to be during March 2019 from Esrange Space Center in Kiruna. (The experiment is very similar to the Soviet space probe Vega 1 and Vega 2 in 1986 that were meant to float How did you first become interested in space science? above Venus and do measurements without landing.)

How did you start thinking of a career such as space- The team is at the beginning of the project at the mocraft design? Space science has always been interesting ment so there isn’t a lot of obstacles happening just and during my telecommunications studies i only dared yet, besides just having to work together to create a to think that maybe i might be able to be part of a sat- proper 100-page document. 2 weeks of working finally ellite program, but it felt far-fetched. Yet now it feels paid off and we got accepted. The journey to launching more real than ever and this is what they actually ex- our experiment has just begun and you can follow our pect from the graduates. progress on facebook (facebook.com/REXUSBESPIN ) What were some of your expectations before you or instagram (instagram.com/rexusbespin ). started your studies in Spacecraft design? I didn’t ex- Where do you see yourself after your studies? I’m alpect much - just a lot of mechanics and analysis to dif- most halfway in my space studies and am just now ferent space missions, and i didn’t have to disappoint starting to grasp the possibilities in space industry. Curto that end. rently continuing in the telecommunications line as an What fascinates you most about Space (What solar engineer or researcher in the space industry is in the horizon. system destination are you still most excited/eager for humans to still go explore?) When I think about space it’s mostly about how much we don’t know about it and how unimaginably large it is when you start going past our solar system, our Milky way galaxy. Space nature is amazing. There is such a large variety of planets, moons, stars, nebulae etc. It’s fascinating and yet scary at the same time - are there just a bunch of dust and rocks floating about or is there a spectacular space invasion/battle happening right now millions of lightyears away? Could be both. We don’t know yet!

20 - VOICES

INTERVIEW What advice would you give somebody who wants start studies in spacecraft design? Space Industry is such a wide field - if you like space, this is already enough. People study thoroughly very narrow topics and this is crucial to have a proper team of experts who are skilled/competent in the topic they are passionate about, be it space debris, space optics, geophysics, antenna design etc.

What do you think of Estonian Space studies? ( TTU-Mektory recently announced that they will send a satellite to space in the end of this year or in the start of next year) I’m very happy that Estonia is now part of the “spacegang” and continues to show interest in the space industry - there is definitely a lot of topics and indulging in these would be very beneficial for the country and prosperity of space science. I hope this project will expand from just being a university project, giving an incentive to introduce completely new full-scale courses for students and also spark ideas to create start-ups that tackle the problems of cosmos for humankind. Be it pharmaceutical development to conduct medical research, since in microgravity there is a potential of manufacturing superior and more effective medicine or addressing the ongoing littering in space and working on sending spacecrafts to collect non-functional satellites (so called “space debris”) that pose a risk in colliding with the ones we need and use.

Ann Aro

What do you think is the next big thing for space science? The question - is there life outside Earth? - remains the most fascinating one. Scientists are looking for any kind of bacteria lurking about on Europa (Jupiter’s moon), Enceladus (Saturn’s moon), asteroids, even outside our spacecrafts. There are doubts but tests on Earth might suggest potential of alien life forms being able to survive there. Even if they are just microscopic.

Another big vision is to have people living on the moon.

NASA claimed to schedule a mission to build a base on the Moon to house 10 people which could be expanded to have more than 100 people in a decade. Like St. Petersburg was built to be a window to Europe, a lunar base would serve as a window to space.

What do you think of new private aerospace manufacturers like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab? The exploration of space is in our nature and commercialization of space proves that. The growing investment to private companies gives another good boost to carry on research and space exploration. For example the 2027 Mars One mission wants to bypass bureaucracy and give people the chance to fly to Mars, or the Prospector 1 mission by Deep Space Industries to initiate world’s first interplanetary mining.

Did you watch Falcon Heavy launch 6th of February?

Yes, I did watch it. I have watched so many previous launches and when Falcon Heavy launch got delayed on February 6th by a few hours again and again we (fellow students) got more and more anxious about it. At least we saw the Falcon Heavy dispose the world’s most interesting space debris.

VOICES - 21

ИНТЕРВЈУ

UNDERGROUND FAMOUS MAKING IT REEL A journey from hip-hop to house: on how Christopher Maiken became Maiken Reel.

When your adventure with music started?

It started when I was 13, my friends and I used to get together after school and during breaks and we had ciphers so we made a circle and then someone will go in the middle and beatbox. The bravest would start, we called it breaking the ice, we started rapping but generally we would write scripts, our lyrics and then we would rap them in the cipher to show our skills and the better we got, we didn’t have to write anymore we could just do it straight from the top of our heads.

At that time I was more into hip-hop, we did a lot of ciphers, we used to get into rap battle. Growing up I got into some talent shows and a friend introduced me to a software called Fruity loop studio, music production software and then I started making music from the age of 17 but it was just messing around, at first nothing was good enough, I was pretty much the only one to hear those songs, those beats.

What was the trigger?

The culture, the hip-hop lifestyle, I wanted to be young MC, ya know what I’m sayin. I was very influenced by a hip-hop culture, I was basically practising writing all the time, my rapping, trying to get as much out there as I could, I got to meet a lot of people while doing it, I got to make good connections over the years, I got to meet people that were relatively well known in music, it was nice. I was exposed to different way of living, it had its bad as well, it was not only good.

Would you say that music got you in trouble?

Less often than you would think, to be honest music was actually kind of my saviour because I was very lost in my identity growing up, I was not so confident, with music I felt I had more purpose, I felt I’m getting recognition for doing music with me peers, I felt better, I felt I was working towards something, I was making music. It kind of made me more confident while growing up I guess. It did more good than got me in trouble. I got myself in trouble, it wasn’t the music, it was me, music just happened to be there.

Do you remember what was the first song with which you fell in love?

I’m pretty much like that with all the tracks I work on, it’s more like a love-hate because when I work on a song I feel very passionate about it, I stick with that song, I

22 - VOICES

really work on it and I will be perfectionist about it but then the more I listen to it the more I start to dislike it because I find all the flaws in it then I eventually think that I have got either to finish it or I will never finish it.

It even gets to the point where I’m even too shy to play my music to people because I feel I didn’t work hard enough or it is not good enough. But that’s past now it’s more about progress than perfection. Now I have courage to play despite my fear.

How important is music in your life?

It is probably one of the most important things in my life. Music is a story, a frequency that I always want to be involved with, it’s a universal language, it’s the one language that no matter what language you speak we all relate to. I feel that music does connect people, one way or another, music has actually been how I have met a lot of people in my life because I was always chasing the music. I was very stuck on certain genres of music but now I try to listen as much different music as possible.

There is good music and bad music, I’m not gonna dispute that but I don’t wanna feel boxed, in brackets.

Basically to me music is crafting my personality, it’s making me more open-minded because I choose to be like that with the music I listen to, it makes me more accepting of different cultures and different people.

Do you have any gurus or mentors?

No one is mentoring me, I’m mentoring myself

INTERVIEW (laughter). I actually aspire to certain DJ and producer by the name of Hot Since82, I even made a hotsince86 mix (the year I was born) in a commemoration.

The reason I like him is that every song he makes is quality, he’s not famous in the sense like David Guetta, he is like underground famous and that’s what I aspire to. I don’t want to be like famous to walk down the street without wearing mask.

If you were supposed to say what kind of music is stuck in your head what would that be?

The genre that I resonate with the most is house and I like dubstep. I feel that house has certain soul. I used to listen a lot of hip-hop, I can quote you rhymes but I found that the message of the song doesn’t resonate good with me, they talk about violence and guns and b*tches and jewellery and bling so I don’t want that to resonate with my character.

How do you get inspired?

I get inspired sometimes through dreams like I hear an amazing song in my dream and I wake up and I have to make this song, I can hear the melody and all that in my head but when I start making it, it sounds completely different than in the dream. So a lot of the time it is not really an inspiration for certain song it’s more a motivation. Sometimes I have to force myself to so I literally have to write it down on a piece of paper: produce a song today.

What is your creative process?

I try not to keep it confined to certain methods.

Sometimes I will just have an idea and I will be walking down the street and I can’t really compose anything so I would take my phone out and I would record some sounds just so I can remember it for later but if I’m ready to start composing then I genuinely just play around, I

try to keep it fun otherwise it’s not worth it.

What kind of influence is visible in your productions?

I’m influenced by European house and by American hip-hop. I like to think that my music is international because I try gaining influence from around the world.

You get up and ...?

My alarm is a dubstep song by Dirty Laundry, it’s a really catchy song, I like the beat. I’ve programmed my alarm to have an affirmation so in order to switch off the alarm I have to read something really positive to start the day off and then I make a coffee, I pray and I write down my hit list for the day.

The best music moment?

My best moment is usually the last song I’m working on because I never know how people will respond to it.

It may sound decent to me for now but later I’m gonna be dissatisfied with it and then I will be working on something else and that will be the best moment, it’s always a now thing, the best moment is usually now.

What's the plan?

I wanna have my music really well exposed and I want to play on big festivals. Being DJ is the best way I know how to push my music further, it’s a brand thing.

How are you making it real?

I mustn’t forget that my life is a movie, that’s how I came up with the name. The main character has to reach that point of victory, he has to accomplish his dream, I’m the main character and I won’t stop till then, till I catch that rabbit. It’s gonna have a happy ending, trust me.

Aleksandra Grzyb photo credit: Ogi Ancevski

Relent for no one, y’all wanna mess with who?

FB @maikenreelworldwide VOICES - 23

МИСЛЕЊЕ

BODY OF PASSION

Between sharp technique and passion, pain and sweetness, rehearsals and performance...

Ballet dance is indeed one of the most paradoxical and fascinating discipline. In appearances, during a ballet at the opera, we only see beautiful dancers in bright tutu (the dance costume for girls), turning and flying on stage as light as feathers. Grace personified...as if everything was easy and obvious. But what is hidden behind these leaps, sidesteps, spins and arabesque?

Pascale Schmitt was a French professional

ballet dancer in the 70’s/80’s. Now, she has her own dance school in Paray-le-Monial, a French town in Burgundy, where she transmits her knowledge. She describes classical dance as an art: an intense physical work to express a lot of things like feelings, messages, aesthetics… For her, ballet dance is the only technique that allows you to work in other disciplines such as contemporary dance, because the contrary is not possible. Even during auditions, national companies with a contemporary repertory start by sorting out candidates through a classical dance class.

Pascale started dancing at the age of 6 and she already knew that she wanted to devote her life to it. But the Opera accept kids from 8 because they can mentally analyze what is asked. She started with an atypical path: from 6 to 10 years old she had one lesson a week in Paray-le-Monial, from 10 to 16, 11 hours of lessons a week (Paray, Moulins, Paris), and then from 16 to 18, lessons and personal training several hours a day.

24 - VOICES

Classical dance is famous to be very difficult and quite dangerous for one’s health, like everything that is done in the extreme. Pascale explains that the skeleton is pushed to its limits. Classical dance is anti-natural, the intense work outside, which is at the basis of this discipline, is a stress for the articulation of the hip.

Moreover, some qualities are necessary to become a ballet dancer: a body line in general, leg line, and a kick, a great natural flexibility, plus a great resistance to pain. After all this, what makes a big difference and that cannot be learned is the artistic sense. Despite this, she succeeded in an atypical way, without joining the prestigious schools, thanks to her extreme passion.

The competition is really rough in this discipline.

Indeed, you can only be a professional dancer until the age of forty to forty-five years old (maximum). Pascale says that it’s always better to dance than to see your friend dancing, so you always have to be the best and to know that nothing is never acquired even if you integrate a national company. For example, if a dance student learns about an audition, she won’t tell her friend: that’s a competition!

OPINION

To be considered as a professional dancer, there is no diploma. When a dancer has a high technical level, when she can express something by the movement, and when she finished her training in school she has to go to auditions to join companies. That’s what Pascale did. In Paris, there were 120 girls for 3 places. Some were eliminated after each exercise… at the end of the day, 10 girls, include Pascale, were selected to come back the next day and learn parts of the company’s repertory. After this, she was waiting for news and she received a letter: the company offered her a contract.

The life of a dancer in a professional company is quite special! It’s comparable to a street performer life: daily classes, rehearsals, shows, tours... the resting days are totally variable according to the period and it is difficult to make room for private life. Pascale traveled a lot thanks to her passion. She danced in South America, Asia, US, Canada, Poland and Europe in general! At the time, art was very financially supported, companies were rich, more than nowadays even if there are still tours.

As a professional dancer, Pascale keeps a lot of vivid memories in mind and she shared some of them. The greatest chance of her career was to meet a great choreographer with whom she really worked in an intense and creative way.

She also remembers the sensation, her beating heart reading the show posters in the street.

Then, she recalls how one of her experience in New York was memorable: “Backstage in New York I had a big bronchitis and I was the only girl dancing. The choreographer wanted anyone else and it was impossible for me not to dance.

Everybody was doing everything to keep me up!”. After that, she remembers the falls on stage taking a lot of technical risks but also the applause of the public when the curtain closes.

“We remove make-up and we go home or at the hotel, it’s like the surface of a lake, flat without wave, we have a memory of sensations that still inhabit the body. Even if we meet friends after the show there is this transition moment before entering the delirium of a party.” Pascale continues “I also remember the people who came to see me, saying that they saw all my shows, that they would like to be me. They idealized me, it can be both scary and flattering, it’s special.” She finishes telling how she had fun moments with friends during tours, even if there is rivalry…

Now, through Pascale’s experience, you can understand better the behind the scenes of the world of Ballet dance.

Think about all this next time you go in Opera to see a ballet…

Chloe Dumeusois

VOICES - 25

СПОРТ

Довидување и благодариме Пјончанг Свеченото отворање на игрите се одржа на Олимпискиот стадион во Пјонгчанг, изградбата чинеше 100 милиони долари, а наскоро ќе биде размонтиран и продаден на делови.

Изминатиов период од 9-25 февруари бевме сведоци на 23. Зимски Олимписки Игри, чиј домаќин за првпат

досега беше градот Пјонгчанг во Јужна Кореја. Вкупно 2.952 натпреварувачи од 92 национални олимписки комитети земаа учество во 15 спортски дисциплини, односно вкупно 102 натпревари. За првпат учествуваа натпреварувачи од Еквадор, Еритреја, Косово, Малезија, Нигерија и Сингапур, а беа воведени и нови спортски дисциплини како што се: Биг Ер (сноубординг), масовен старт (брзо лизгање), мешани двојки во карлинг и мешани екипи во алпско скијање. Интересно е да се напомене дека Северна Кореја и Јужна Кореја учествуваа под знамето на Обединета Кореја и се натпреваруваа со заедничка женска хокеарска репрезентација, додека во сите други спортови имаа посебен тим. Рускиот Олимписки Комитет беше суспендиран од страна на Меѓународниот Олимписки Комитет поради допинг, па индивидуалните спортисти кои се квалификувале за игрите и покажале дека се усогласени со допинг регулативите мораа да се натпреваруваат под името „Олимписки спортисти од Русија” и под олимпиското знаме и олимписката химна. Целата организација на Олимписките игри го чинеше Пјонгчанг 13 милијарди долари. Тој е третиот азиски град организатор, по јапонските Сапоро во 1972 година и Нагано во 1998 година. Свеченото отворање на игрите се одржа на Олимпискиот стадион во Пјонгчанг. Изградбата на овој стадион со капацитет од 35.000 гледачи чинеше 100 милиони долари и истиот ќе биде искористен само за отворањето и затворањето на Зимските Олимписки и Параолимписки игри. По завршувањето, односно по месец март годинава, ќе биде размонтиран и продаден на делови.

26 - VOICES

SPORT

Беа доделени вкупно 307 медали на натпреварувачи од 30 Олимписки комитети. Најуспешни беа натпреварувачите од Норвешка со вкупно освоени 39 медали, потоа следуваат Германија, Канада, САД, Холандија... Голем број натпреварувачи освоија повеќе медали во различни дисциплини. Меѓу нив се и Норвежаните Марит Бјорген со освоени 5 медали и Јоханес Хосфлот Клаебо со освоени 3 медали во крос-кантри, Германецот Франческо Фредрих со двојната победа во боб санкање, Французинот Мартин Форкед со 3 златни медали во биатлон и уште многу други. Најмладата победничка со само 15 години беше Алина Загитова од Русија во дисциплината уметничко лизгање, додека највозрасна натпреварувачка беше Канаѓанката Шерил Бернард на 51 годишна возраст во дисциплината карлинг. Пријатно изненадување ни приреди германскиот тим во хокеј на мраз, кои со победата над Канада успеаа да се пласираат во финалето каде што загубија од Олимписките спортисти од Русија во продолжението на натпреварот, но исто така не помалку забележителни беа и натпреварувачите во боб санкање од Јужна Кореја кои како дебитанти успеаа да се закитат со сребрен медал. Беа забележани и неколку нови олимписки и светски рекорди во брзо лизгање поединечно и штафетно. Македонкиот олимписки комитет се претстави со три натпреварувачи, а тоа беа: Антонио Ристевски во алпско скијање, кој за жал не го заврши својот настап во велеслалом, додека Ставре Јада ја заврши квалификациската трка во спринт на последното 79 место, и Викторија Тодоровска која заврши на 85 место од вкупно 90 натпреварувачки во крос-кантри. Сепак, како што гласи олимпиското правило: „не е важно да се победи, важно е да се учествува”, па ни останува да се надеваме дека веќе на наредните игри одржат во Пекинг во 2022 година, Македонија ќе се претстави со поголем број на натпреварувачи во повеќе спортски дисциплини и секако дека ќе биде забележан поголем успех. За крај, можеме да заклучиме дека изминатиов месец ни приреди задоволство и незаборавно уживање во Зимските олимписки игри кои вечно ќе бидат забележани во спортската историја. Милан Ѓапиќ

VOICES - 27

ТЕМА НА МЕСЕЦОТ

BOOM OF KOREAN CULTURE Have you heard about PSY and his famous “Oppa” Gangnam Style? The most viewed video on Youtube from South Korea. For sure for plenty of people, it was the first time to discover Korean entertainment. However, the attraction towards this country and his culture came from far back than that.

In this article you’ll grab what is hiding behind this cultural phenomenon.

Most known as Hallyu or Korean Cultural Wave, the name refers to the spread of Korean culture all around the world. Hallyu includes K-Pop (music), K-drama (series) and cinema. It also refers to Korea’s high technology, food, literacy, cosmetics (BB cream) etc.

For sure, the popularity of Hallyu is mostly caused by K-drama and K-pop. Since the first diffusion of K-drama in China in the end of 90s., the Korean Culture has consistently grown. What is love all about became the first huge hit in China. More than a decade later the Korean entertainment keeps going to passionate million young people and penetrated all the continents.

Let’s be focused on K-Pop and K-drama.

What is K-Pop (Korean popular music): boys-bands and girls-bands who sing in Korean with an English chorus, flawless choreographies and original look. Of course you can also find solo artist. Pop, Rock, Hip-hop or ballad, the choice is large. The members of band have training during few years before to start their career, they are chosen for their talent and beauty as significant criteria. Some of them are especially chosen for their physic, like “L” Infinite’s member. Obviously, visual esthetic is an important point of K-pop, same as for American pop and linguistic barrier is far from being a problem.

K-pop is a commercial music. For the best reach abroad to influence as much audience as possible, music agencies can create sub-bands. For example, Super Junior, one of the most popular bands has some members who are a part of different sub-bands, one is dedicated to Chinese market another one, sings only ballads. Bands can count a lot of members; SNSD is composed of eight of them. With a music market shared among three mains agencies and some other smaller ones: the music offer of K-pop is each year renewed with the arrival of several new bands. The longevity of K-pop bans is short; a few withstand time like Super Junior, Big Bang or BTS.

28 - VOICES

TOPIC OF THE MONTH

What about K-drama? Tv show from South Korea which can be a romance, action, thriller, mystery or comedy. They don’t have season like in American Tv show. The most popular usually have 16 to 20 episodes. Saeguk (historic drama) have usually more than 30 episodes. Drama are a good way to discover some aspects of the Korean life. If you want to know more about the Korean work life watch Misaeng, if you’re more interested by Korean history watch The Princess’man or Empress Ki, there is also Bridal mask on the subject of Japanese colonization. Dramas are often romantic comedies or melodramas. Definitely, K-drama is a marketing product of good quality to promote the country and it works.

Each year a ceremony to reward the best drama takes place. You can even find it subtitled on Youtube. Everything is done to follow the news of South Korean cultural scene. K-pop and k-drama have spread outside Korea thanks to the internet. You can easily access platforms dedicated to watching k-drama and listening k-pop. VIKI, Drama Fever, even on Netflix you can find some K-drama. Of course if you want to listen some K-pop and watch live KPOP show you should check YouTube.

Passing fad or real long-term stay of South Korean soft power like Japan mania? All is settled by the government to keep the soft power Korean on top, to attract the majority of people.

Hallyu, more specifically K-pop and K-drama are one step to discover Korean culture. Actually, South Korean culture continues to spread around, it’s an alternative to the American culture.

Obviously, the industry of K-pop hides a dark side. Hope I have awakened your curiosity.

Aida Athmani

VOICES - 29

You start dying slowly if you do not travel, if you do not read, If you do not listen to the sounds of life, If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly When you kill your self-esteem; When you do not let others help you.

To read other editions on

https://issuu.com/vcsvoices https://voiceskopje.org http://vcs.org.mk/mk/

Join us on

https://www.facebook.com/vcs.skopje https://twitter.com/contact_vcs vcs.skopkje

30 - VOICES