European TenSing Festival, August 2011

Ziegenhain. Never heard of it? Neither had I, yet this small German town became my home for a week in August, along with around 2,000 other young people. The larger area of Schwalmstadt, a combination of Ziegenhain, Treysa and a number of other small villages, consists of a population of around 20,000 people, a fraction of the amount I’m used to coming from Bristol, England, a city with a population of around 400,000 people. The town of Ziegenhain was very small yet very beautiful, the houses fronted with timber structures not dissimilar to the old Tudor-style houses found at home in England, and yet somehow still very German.


A timber-fronted building

Despite its small size, the local community of Ziegenhain was incredibly welcoming to us all. The local schools became the bases for all us young people, who are members of TenSing groups from 19 countries around the world. So what had brought us all to descend upon this town? The European TenSing Festival of course! The theme this year was ‘MOVin!’ and many had experienced long journeys before reaching the destination, the longest journey being made by our friends from Brazil! For myself and my Kingswood TenSing group, we had an incredibly long coach journey before meeting the rest of TenSing England, taking a ferry to France and continuing our coach journey through Belgium and Germany.
We arrived late at night on Saturday 30th July, set up camp in one of the local schools and got some well-needed rest. The next day we experienced a taste of the local culture as the town of Ziegenhain was holding a Church Festival, which was hosted by the school we were staying in. Here, we witnessed their celebrations and community spirit, and felt welcomed by the German people. Very few of us spoke German and those who did knew little, yet that did not affect the joyous atmosphere that day, and some of us even joined in singing the German hymns!


The school we stayed at

Once the main service had finished, Ziegenhain’s local TenSing started off a series of TenSing performances, with a beautiful concert that set the standard high. Following them was BusSing, a huge TenSing group from the Buskerud region in Norway. Their size and high-energy performances were impressive, leaving me and the other members of Kingswood a little nervous at following them. However, once on stage our nerves vanished, for the audience was great and the atmosphere was buzzing! After the concert, we were free to explore and interact with the local people, enjoy the baking sunshine and relax for a while.


BusSing performing

Kingswood TenSing performing

That evening we set off for the ETS Festival site, for the official opening of the festival itself. The site was quite large, being held in the ‘China-Messepark’ which was originally built to become a German-Chinese exhibition centre, but was never completed. Nonetheless, it provided an excellent location that could accommodate the needs of the ETS Festival, such as a large main hall that could hold 3,000 people plus a large main stage.

The outside of main stage

Other facilities included space for a number of dining hall marquees, a courtyard large enough for an additional concert stage outside, and a huge grass area suitable for workshops, sports activities and the Church and Lounge tents.
The Church tent was a huge hit with many participants, for it was a large circus tent that provided a space to take a step back and relax, reflect and pray, making it versatile and well needed during the hot, tiring days. The Lounge tent was somewhere for friends to hang out, with comfy sofas and games for all to enjoy. There were also tents set up for a number of workshops, which included a flashmob, bag and shoe decoration activity, advice for solo singers and other fun, diverse activities. Another hit with many was the Dance tent, which opened on the night and acted as a mini ‘rave’, with music pounding through the nights until the site closed, and giving the chance for anyone to let their hair down and show off. It was in many of these tents and activity areas that new friendships formed, with participants learning a little of other cultures and the world outside what they know.

The outside concert stage

Evening entertainment - lead singer on the main stage

In my experience, there were a number of things I learnt over the course of the week while in conversation with people from other countries. For example, I learnt about traditions that hunters in Denmark follow, and many of the reasons why Norway is not a part of the EU, both subjects I would not have had the opportunity to discuss in any other environment I’ve ever encountered. These are just two examples of the diversity that surrounded us at the Festival, and yet there was a feeling of unity that filled the site and those of us within it.
Lyrics taken from the Festival Song capture the atmosphere perfectly, with lines such as ‘we are one’ and ‘you and me, like sisters and brothers, TenSingers from everywhere’ highlighting the spirit and love we had, regardless of the fact many of those sharing it with us were strangers. I was once told that there is no such thing as a stranger, just a friend you haven’t met yet, and the ETS festival was true evidence of this! Every person had a friendly smile on their face and were really approachable, something not usually found in every day life in our home towns and cities. To help us break the ice, one day after the morning show everybody was given a piece of paper, which had a letter and number written on it, and our task was to find the person with a matching code. This was an excellent idea, as for the rest of the week we were all eagerly searching for our match, chatting to anyone and everyone who passed us on the site.


'Free Hugs'

The Wednesday was a different day for all, as every group were to eat breakfast at the site and then set off on excursions and activities away from the local area, leaving the site empty and quiet for the only time that week. TenSing England travelled to the nearby town of Kassel, which was very different to the traditional setting of Ziegenhain. Severely damaged during the Wars, the town had been rebuilt and pieced back together, creating a mishmash of modern buildings among the beautiful architecture which had stood and survived for hundreds of years.
Even in this large town, the German people extended their hospitable hand to us, offering us a large space to sing inside the Culture Centre after seeing us rehearse in the rain. This proved invaluable, for we were able to rehearse thoroughly in preparation for our performances of the Thursday and Friday, and still had enough free time to explore the town and its shops. It came as a surprise to us that many of the shops were identical to those in England! It felt a little bizarre to walk through aisles with their products advertised in German, yet have English songs playing in the background. It was interesting to witness the ways in which Kassel was both similar and different to Bristol.

TenSing England rehearsing in the Culture Centre

The next day was incredibly busy for everybody, as the performance that evening was the one we were all waiting for – United Colours of TenSing! In a nutshell, this show was unlike any other during the festival, as it consisted of a brief performance by nearly every TenSing group one after the other, linked together by the Festival hosts. Due to the fact so many groups were performing, it meant that it was almost guaranteed everybody would be watching, filling up the main hall. Those of us in TenSing England, however, were especially privileged as we were selected to perform twice, to both open and close the whole show! This meant we were rehearsing A LOT on Thursday, keen to impress and uphold our reputation. Our hard work paid off well, as on the night we sang our hearts out and got such a buzz after! The atmosphere radiating from the audience was incredible, dispelling our nerves and spreading the excitement we felt. It was great to then watch the other performers add their flare to the show, from a Ukrainian contemporary/ballet dance to a fast-paced song from the Czech Republic, a Brazilian dance reminiscent of the famous Carnivals and everything in between. Every person involved created an amazing show that many of us will never forget.


Audience in the main hall

Friday, the last whole day of the festival, was another hectic day for me and my group, as it was the day both Kingswood and England TenSing’s had our concerts on the outside stage. We spent another few hours rehearsing our sets, before having some down time to chill out and de-stress before our performances. 5pm came around quickly, meaning it was time for Kingswood to get up there and show the ETS what we could do. The show went without a hitch and once more the audience was wonderfully supportive, aiding our confidence to perform our best. As always, we came off stage with excitement and pride with what we had achieved, and still had our evening show as TenSing England with our Cambridge counterparts to look forward to! In preparation, we painted our faces with English flags, wore English colours and painted our arms and legs with the time of the concert – we became walking adverts! It proved to be a good tactic, as by the time we were starting our set at 9pm we had a large crowd waiting for us. The familiar mingle of nerves and excitement sparked throughout the group as we began, and once again we pulled off a great show, as judged by the audience’s reaction. Feeling closer than ever as a group, we left the stage to be greeted by the praises of those who had watched, evidence in itself of the friendships and support each and everyone of us experienced.



Ready for the TenSing England concert

Still on a high from our concert, we headed off to the Dance tent for the last time, celebrating each other and spending our last night with our new friends ahead of the goodbyes to come. The Dance tent had been transferred to one of the now-empty dining marquees, due to the flood of people out to have a good time. Even when the music had stopped and it was time to leave, the party continued with acapella singing and impromptu dancing, the routines of which we had picked up during the week.

It was then that many remembered that we had to leave the next day, and the realisation that the goodbyes we were avoiding were to come upon us soon. The next morning there were many tears, hugs and laughter as new friends parted, everyone packed and ready for the journeys home. For us in Kingswood TenSing, it was around 2am the next morning before we finally reached home, and I know for many others across Europe the journey was just as far and further.


I found my time at the Festival to be incredibly rewarding, and on reflection I realise that I have learnt a lot about other cultures and people, and about myself. In that small German town of Ziegenhain I discovered a lot more than I expected, and experienced things I would never have had the chance to take part in if it wasn’t for the European TenSing Festival.
Standing on a stage in front of so many people shows you a piece of yourself not found any other way, brings you closer to the people sharing the stage with you and displays a whole host of different people looking up and supporting you from the audience. It’s the moments like these, as well as those created with others around you, which show you the best bits of life. That one August week made me so much more confident, taught me ways to communicate with others and gave me new friends I hope to stay in contact with for many more years to come. I will hold the memories with me always, and will forever be grateful to the organisers and participants of the Festival. Thank you, ETS!

Toni,
Kingswood TenSing ♥