Día de Sant Jordi, 23 de Abril (Saint Georges Day)

BCEA students hit the book and rose filled streets of Barcelona to mingle with the crowds and find out just what Sant Jordi means in Catalunya. April 23, is one of the most important holidays in Catalunya: the day of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalunya. Jordi (or George as he´s known to English speakers) is the Roman soldier from the third century who has gone down in history as a successful dragon-slayer and princess-rescuer. As well as being the patron saint of Catalunya, Jordi also protects those afflicted by love. Sant Jordi is celebrated with an exchange of literature and roses. Women give their loved one a book, while men buy their sweetheart ( and often female relatives and colleagues too) a red rose.

Part of the book fever associated with the 23rd is also due to the anniversary of the deaths, in 1616, of Cervantes and Shakespeare, which led UNESCO to declare April 23 World Book and Copyright Day.

As the biggest day of the year for the Catalan editorial industry, 10% of bookshops annual sales are made in and around the 23 rd. Many writers, like Carlos Ruiz Zafón The Shadow of the Wind author are out signing copies and promoting their new books. Around 6 million roses are sold, so we were really glad to see for ourselves this very special day and enjoy the atmosphere.

Flamenco Night

Last night BCEA students had the chance to witness the passion and energy of Flamenco. It was a great opportunity to see an inspiring performance.We were amazed by the powerful yet graceful movements, the intricate hand and footwork and the musicians who framed the whole ensemble. The evening began with performances of flamenco guitar, toque, violins and cello accompanying the singer and dancers. The singer´s voice was dramatic and full of emotion. We saw how the dancer responded to this and interpreted freely these strong emotions. The traje de flamenco, flamenco costume is extremely femenine and accentuates the hourglass silhouette of the dancer. The evening left us eager to learn a few flamenco steps and moves, and take visiting parents to see a show.

Costa Brava Excursión, 12 - 13 April

Mediterranean blue sky and sunshine accompanied BCEA´s overnight trip to the Costa Brava which took place on the weekend; saturday 12 and sunday 13 April.

Saturday was dedicated to art,history and culture while Sunday was more leisurely and slow paced with the day spent on the magnificent Costa Brava. Saturday morning got off to an interesting start with a guided tour of the Museo Dalí in the town of Figueres. Ana, our guide for accompanied us around this fascinating building (the museum is housed in what was once a theatre), which was created by Salvador Dalí himself. It is a great showcase of his work, the perfect backdrop and most appropriate context in which to exhibit his work. While Dalí lived, no explanation or guided tours around the museum were permitted by the artist. But we were glad to have a chance to understand the motivation behind his work.

In the afternoon we moved on to Girona, a fascinating medieval town in the northeast of Catalonia.As Ana our guide explained, the 12th century saw a flourishing of the Jewish community of Girona, with one of the most important Kabbalistic schools in Europe. The history of the Jewish community of Girona ended in 1492, when the Catholic Kings expelled all the Jews from Spain. Today, the Jewish Call is one of the best preserved in Europe and is a major tourist attraction. On the north side of the old city is the Montjuïc (or hill of the Jews in medieval Catalan), where an important religious cemetery was located.Most traces of Girona's rich Jewish history were wiped out when the Jews were expelled from Spain, but we visited what remains of the district.

We also visited the Banys Arabs, Arabic Baths which date from the 12th century and which have been restored and Girona Cathedral which consists of a big Gothic revival nave, the widest Gothic nave in the world 22.98 m (75.39 ft).

After some free time to go shopping and explore Girona a little further, we climbed back on the
coach and headed to Platja d´Aro where we checked into our hotel for Saturday evening.

After a group dinner we headed off in different directions; cinema, bowling, local bars.

On Sunday morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast looking out on the beach from the hotel dining room. We checked out and headed down the coast to the pretty beach town of Tossa de Mar.

The located on the rugged Costa Brava, Tossa de Mar is an enticing location. Artist Marc Chagall called it his Blue Paradise. The place has sprawled since Chagall was there in the 1930s, but Tossa has remained a pretty beachside village. The surviving walls and towers and ruins of the castle and fortress which once stood to protect the old town from pirates are beautiful and a provide a great viewpoint over the beach. We spent the afternoon eating picnic lunches on the beach or eating paellas on the restaurant terraces.

Exhausted and drifting off to sleep on the coach on Sunday afternoon we drove back into Barcelona, back to Spring in the city.

A great weekend!

Bailes Latinos Master Class

BCEA´s aula (classroom) C was transformed last night into our very own dance studio with the help of Roger, Latin American dance enthusiast and teacher and the easy going, vibrant energy that Latin American rhythyms inspire.

Roger taught us the basic steps for Salsa, Cha Cha Chá, Merengue and Bachata which are among the most popular Latin American dance styles.
The style of Latin American dancing is very sultry and physical. These dances for the most part are done with a partner as a social dance. Unfortunately, none of the BCEA quite made it it to the class! Nevertheless, Roger gave each of us girls a swirl round the dancefloor.The music is so inviting you´d be hard pressed to hear a Latin beat and not want to at least have a go. It even had Laura Burkett, program director, having a try!

We now feel much better to prepared to hit the dancefloor!

Almodóvar Night

BCEA students got some in-depth insight into the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation, Pedro Almodóva,r in evening dedicated to his life and work so far led by BCEA´s very only Spanish Cinema fan Joanna.

The evening began with an overview of Almodóvar´s beginnings, and illustrated the very great influence that his family upbringing has had on his cinematic work.

We went on to watch Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios ( 1988) (Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) accompanied by palomitas ( popcorn).

The movie takes place in and around the tiny apartment of pregnant actress Pepa (Carmen Maura).

Distraught over her recent breakup with her married lover, fellow dubbing actor Iván, Pepa prepares to overdose with sleepign pills, which she blends into a gazpacho so they´ll go down easier.

She is diverted from her suicide by the call for help from her best friend, Candela, a fugitive from justice ( her boyfriend is a shiíte terrorist) who needs a place to hide....

And the crazy plot continues, unravelling with a series of unreal Almodóvaresque coincidences which made us laugh at and sympathise with the characters. A young pre-Hollywood Antonio Banderas is her ex lover´s grown son!

For some of us this was a first introduction to Pedro´s work, and what a colorful and kitsch introduction! It left us very eager to see the rest of his films.

Five star!! *****