Reflection task 3

Malala Yousafzai  

Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani student and education activist from the town of Mingora in the Swat District of Pakistan. She is known for her activism for rights to education and for women, especially in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. In 2009, at the age of 11–12, Malala wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC – she spoke about her life under Taliban rule, their attempts to take control of the valley, and her own views on promoting education for girls. The following summer, a New York Times documentary was filmed about her life while the Pakistani military intervened in the region. Malala show real bravery by giving interviews in newspapers and on television, and she was nominated for the International Children's Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu.

On 9 October 2012, Malala was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while she was coming home with a school bus. In the following days she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough and she was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, for intensive rehabilitation. On 12 October, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā (gave a formal legal opinion )against those who tried to kill her, but the Taliban tried to kill Malala and her father again.

The assassination attempt sparked a national and international support for Malala. In the 29 April 2013 issue of Time magazine, Malala was featured on the magazine's front cover and as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in the World". She was the winner of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize and was nominated for the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize - these are just some of the recognitions she received.

In October 2013 Malala's memoir "I Am Malala", cowritten with British journalist Christina Lamb was released.

Reflection task 2a

Irish dancing (click)

I chose this topic, because I have been dancing for two years. I love Irish music and Irish dancing. One of the most famous Irish dancers is Michael Flatley – he is also the founder of the world famous dancing ensembles “Lord of the dance” and “Feet of flame”, and he also founded "Riverdance" together with Jane Butler.  Irish dancing was popularized worldwide by Riverdance in 1994, and the specific thing about it is that legs and arms are static while the legs and the feet move very fast.

Irish dance can be broadly divided in two categories; social dance and performance dances. Social dances are performed in meetings and celebrations and are divided into céilí and set dancing. Irish set dances are danced by four couples arranged in a square, and céilí dances are danced by varied formations (céilí) of two to sixteen people. There are also some important stylistic differences between these two forms of social dance. 

Most competitive dances are solo dances. The solo step dance is generally characterized by a controlled but not moving upper body, straight arms, and quick, precise movements of the feet. The solo dances can either be in "soft shoe" or "hard shoe".

The origins of Irish dancing are unclear. Travelling dancing masters started to train dancers all over Ireland, as late as the 18th and early 19th centuries. During this time, places for competitions and fairs were always small, so there was little room for the Dance Masters to perform. They would dance on tabletops, sometimes even the top of a barrel. Because of this, the dancing styles were very contained, with hands rigid at the sides, and a lack of arm movement and travelling across the stage. As time went on, larger places for dance competitions and performances were found, so styles grew to include more movement, more dancing across the stage as seen, for example, in Riverdance.

Reflection 1b

Ólafur Arnalds is a multi-instrumentalist and producer from Iceland. He mixes classical instruments with electronic beats and it is not unusual to see him on his concerts, playing in a big opera house dressed with an elegant suit, having placed an electronic sound-maker on his royal piano. His style can be defined as indie.

Despite his great talent, Olafur Arnalds has given many of his tracks for free on the internet and most of his sheet music too. For a long time he has been an independent artist, but recently he joined
the Erased Tapes Records recording company, which is a very artistic and non-commercial label. That much words are enough for this , I suggest you listen to his tracks and see for yourself.

Official site - here you can find all the tour dates, music to download and free sheets.

Enjoy some great music from here!

Reflection task 1a

My name is Anil, and I came to this world in a country called Bulgaria - I am Turkish though. I am quiet and tranquil, a person who speaks only when it is needed. I think a lot and speak a little, and I like quality music. (La Noyee ) - and quality films too.

I don't eat in McDonalds and Burger King type of places and I don't buy anything that is related to Coca Cola (as much as it's possible), because I believe all these companies care about is money and power, and not a bit about the health of people. In the future, I want to become a full vegetarian. My heart aches when I see someone waste plastic or throw away food – I think I’m quite an environmentalist. I buy things from street sellers and I always give change to street musicians and other street artists, because I don't want them to stop doing what they do - I want to encourage them. 

I myself play the piano, I can draw portraits and dance on Irish music. I also love science, but not the part where math interferes – I feel like an alien there, because I am not that good in math. My dream is to learn more languages, to improve the ones that I know and to write and translate books. I also want to marry the person I love and live in Paris for some time. Last but not least – I want to learn how to cook amazingly well! If I manage to do that, I may someday open a vegetarian restaurant and it would be great!