Homepage › Summer Academy: As Seen by Our Student Talents

Text: Nikoleta Ferková
Photography: Nikolas Radič

Yesterday is completely different from today and from tomorrow – Gabriela Binderová, a designed, did not know that she would reflect in her interview with the talented Nikoleta Ferková a single sentence the entire notion of the Summer Academy held in August, during which talented Roma children from the Divé Maky association literally turned the whole Slnečné jazerá resort upside down. It took them only five days to develop a show for the Minibašavel 2011, a weekend celebration of Roma love of life, thanks to their talent, creativity and energy. The talented students Nikoleta Ferková and Nikolas Radič were always around every day taking pictures and recording and later posted their stories at www.krajinazaskolou.sk.


You can read e.g. about a theatrical performance they watched together with Mária Peštová, a young actress: “The performance is called The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. It is about two boys – the pauper wants to live the prince’s life for a while, always getting whatever he wants. The prince wants to live like a pauper – do whatever pleases him, not caring about his clothes getting dirty and having fun. My role is Princess Elisabeth. It’s quite challenging, I have to act being arrogant which I am not in reality.” Walking around rehearsal halls Nikoleta came across another promising actress Janka Zacharová who admitted that although she is primarily a Summer Academy dancer, her talents extend also to other fields: “I am a musical acting student at a conservatory. I initially thought it would be really easy as I can dance and sing. In reality, it was quite challenging – I was lost onstage, could not annunciate and speak properly. But it’s alright;
I have full four years ahead of me to become a proper actress.”


A dancing performance is, after all, also a drama piece and this is what everyday rehearsals looked like, led by Ladislav Cmorej, a choreographer, who shared his view halfway the Academy stay: “We are all working with immense energy here and are making only sluggish progress. We will have to manage 5 choreographies and we have just covered two and a half. I think we will have to work at nights, too! We are doing great though, we fell for each other although sometimes we feel like …:).“

For Nikolas and Nikoleta it was unbelievable that so many kids can be so good acting, dancing, drumming and singing all day long – they stopped by at the rehearsal room echoing with great voices of young singers to check it out. How is it possible it works so great? Nikoleta asked Alena Čermáková, a voice teacher: “We all share the same feeling; younger kids are taking advice from older ones who are coaching them with great love. Each of them has a unique talent – Lacko has been singing since the age of two and has a great musical ear, the vocals of Mário are top-notch and the girls are just great.” 

Roma songs performed by children, a mix of folklore, Roma-made samba, jazz and hip-hop, traditional hammered dulcimer (cimbalom) of the Divé Maky band as well as unique pieces of art created by would-be design artists – all of this and much more from our special guests is prepared for the Minibašavel festival held over the weekend at the Small amphitheatre, Senec.

Gabika Binderová, a graphical designer, stressed that everything kids develop for the Summer Academy, brings double benefit: “Things we have created do not aim only at communicating the beauty of art as felt with their beautiful Roma hearts; we also want to bring in tangible benefit. We have held several exhibitions of our paintings with auctions.” We are looking forward and keep our fingers crossed. It is a pity that the Academy will be over soon. Nikolas has lived thru the quantity of pictures he has taken without any harm in the end: “Taking picture of the band was best – they just stand and play, no moving around. The toughest job was dancers – they dance and move around and it is challenging to take the picture at the right moment.” Nikoleta feels great about her journalist job: “For me, the most interesting thing was to talk to our director. It was very nice; I found out why she had taken up the job and why we are called Divé Maky (Wild Poppies).” Well, why? Lucia Dohnalová, director: “The Roma are a nomads, they travel a lot and can make them at home anywhere – just like wild poppies flowering anywhere. Red is the colour of fire and of the Roma. Wild poppies are beautiful just like a Roma soul.”

Souls of children can hardly wait until the next summer.

More info at: http://www.krajinazaskolou.sk/…ectView.aspx?…