Lorient Celtic Festival

[Gladys]

1 hour ago, The Phantom said:

Are they Morris dancers?  Whatever happened to them?

Absorbed into British Leyland only to continue the inexorable decline of the British car industry thereafter.

[Declan]

1 hour ago, The Phantom said:

Are they Morris dancers?  Whatever happened to them?

Morris Dancers are English. 

I don't object to supporting L'Orient or other Celtic Folk activities. But I do feel Culture Vannin focuses a bit much on that side of things. 

To my mind Culture refers to a whole communities activities and in this context artistic and historical artifacts. However they seem to provide lots of support to Contemporary Folk music, which is largely a product of the 70s Folk revival* using instruments that weren't around pre-20th Century.

However, there's been rock bands dating back to the 60s on the Island and contemporary "pop" produced on the Island since at least the days of Music Hall. So why is one set of musicians and songwriters writing music about their lives on the Island not seen as part of Manx Culture. https://www.manxmusic.com/history.html

 

 

 

* They had to re-learn Traditional Manx Folk songs from the Manx National Songbook, which itself was a great Victorian endevour that involved a degree of authorship to gentrify the collected sources. 

[John Wright]

1 hour ago, Gladys said:

Absorbed into British Leyland only to continue the inexorable decline of the British car industry thereafter.

Nah, Morris cars never had bells & whistled

[Manx Bean]

3 hours ago, Roxanne said:

Who would have thought that the very people who participate in Manx ancing would attend a festival supporting celtic culture of music and dance.

Would you suggest the clique of plumbers or joiners would be  better representation for the Island?

This 'clique' are carrying on the celtic tradition, their children are encouraged to do the same, and in doing so will ensure the traditions continue. This is a huge part of our Manx heritage. Far from being a clique, they are extrmely welcoming to anyone who wishes to join their numbers. The more the merrier. Perhaps you might like to become involved?

I can’t disagree. What does conflict for me though is that there is a perception that a core bunch of people receive funding year in, year out to attend this festival, yet other people I have spoken to have fought and lost small grant applications..

Just doesn’t seem equitable somehow.

[John Wright]

Just now, Manx Bean said:

I can’t disagree. What does conflict for me though is that there is a perception that a core bunch of people receive funding year in, year out to attend this festival, yet other people I have spoken to have fought and lost small grant applications..

Just doesn’t seem equitable somehow.

It’s no different to the Arts Council funding the same 50 people who turn up to every Manannan Festival production to the tune of a tenner per seat for each of 20 performances. That’s £10,000 ( £200 for each of them ) to a very narrow group of enthusiasts.

Value for money?

Compare that with £45,000 to fund a three concert run at the Villa by the Halle or Royal Liverpool Phil. Sell out, 4,500 seats, £10 per seat subsidy, maximum subsidy per person £30 if you attend all 3.

Value for money?

How do we compare and balance?

[Wake Up Call]

Featured on radio last night. Funding sources included Department of Enterprise.

Super robust business case must have been presented. 

[Manx Bean]

25 minutes ago, Wake Up Call said:

Featured on radio last night. Funding sources included Department of Enterprise.

Super robust business case must have been presented. 

Like..

 a) are yous proper manx?

b) are you able to count to ten in Manx?

c) are you able to listen to fiddle music without having consumed alcohol for at least 5 minutes ?

d) can you pretend to like French people despite them being queer folk?

[piebaps]

Sounds like a touch of "green eyes" to me. Perhaps the OP should put in an FOI request and find out some facts rather than implying things.

[Manx Bean]

11 minutes ago, piebaps said:

Sounds like a touch of "green eyes" to me. Perhaps the OP should put in an FOI request and find out some facts rather than implying things.

On the contrary. It’s just about fairness, and whether its right that a core group of individuals get a funded trip each year, when others are potentially denied funding because x% of the budget is allocated to Lorient every year. 
 

Jealousy doesn’t come into it.

[John Wright]

15 minutes ago, Manx Bean said:

d) can you pretend to like French people despite them being queer folk?

You might suffer serious damage to your person if you suggested the good people of Lorient are “French” to their face

[Declan]

1 hour ago, Declan said:

However, there's been rock bands dating back to the 60s on the Island and contemporary "pop" produced on the Island since at least the days of Music Hall. So why is one set of musicians and songwriters writing music about their lives on the Island not seen as part of Manx Culture. https://www.manxmusic.com/history.html

 

I'm actually a little shocked by this website, which Culture Vannin fund. 

Not only does the history page make no mention of the rock or electronic music made on the Island, which have been since the 60s and 80s respectively. But Performers and Manx Bands section is only the so-called "traditional music" acts, same with the linked Manx Music Spotify Playlist and the Soundcloud page. The Music for sale section is the same it includes on with the blurb ...

"An exciting new CD from America! Carol Walker brings her own unique interpretation to Manx music. The CD features fifteen tunes from her book played beautifully on the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, harp, piano, melodica, upright bass, and vocals. "

But heaven forbid someone uses an electric guitar or synth. 

It feels a little like the Trad Guys have Culture Vannin, Classical Music and Musical Theatre have  the Arts Council and the rest have Soundcheck until they're 18. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Declan

[0bserver]

3 hours ago, The Phantom said:

Are they Morris dancers?  Whatever happened to them?

No, this is in France so they're surely Maurice dancers?

[Roger Mexico]

To be fair, Culture Vannin has always been meant to concentrate on Manx language and related traditional music, dancing, history and so on.  If there's a shortage of support for some music genres, then criticism should be more directed towards the Arts Council.

[Declan]

Even if that's the case, it is disingenuous to present a page called "Manx Music" that ignores a musical community that has a 60-year history on the Island. The "traditional" scene uses modern instrumentation and largely sings new songs or from a cannon developed in the 70s. I'm not making a value judgment against them for that, it's a tremendous achievement, but they're presenting a history and describing a present that is only one part of our Culture. 

 

[0bserver]

55 minutes ago, Roger Mexico said:

To be fair, Culture Vannin has always been meant to concentrate on Manx language and related traditional music, dancing, history and so on.  If there's a shortage of support for some music genres, then criticism should be more directed towards the Arts Council.

Why can't the two of them be combined? There will be overlapping admin areas where costs can be saved. 

I know they pose as independent charities but they're just government quangos