Yesterday, a “digital friend” to the blog, Eneko Sagarbide, a Basque man living in Estonia, shared a short (less than 30 seconds) video we found fascinating, so much so that we had to dedicate a blog entry to it.
The video, we’re told, was recorded by a journalist at Euskadi Irratia, Manu Etxezortu, as he was on his way to the studio. The video features two protagonists: a Scottish bagpiper playing a Basque tune in the Alderdi Eder Gardens, with the La Concha Bay in the background, and a choral group of young Basques who, on passing by and hearing the music, started dancing and to encourage those who did.
This was not only a marvelous surprise to passersby, but it was also an amazing way to brighten our day.
We don’t know any more about the girls, except that they have the energy, grace, and joy of youth. And, most importantly, they have the basic knowledge of dance to come up with a choreography on the spot. UPDATE: Thanks to our readers, we have learned that these dantzariak are from Berriatua, and belong to the Sarats Dantza Taldea troupe.
Regarding the bagpiper playing the Basque melody, Scotsman Alan Joseph Kennedy, we do know a bit more. Thanks to an article by Alex Trelinski and published by Olive Press, a newspaper aimed at Brits living on the eastern and southern coasts of Spain.
He was born in Glasgow and spent over 20 years in Spain until, for love, he decided to move to the Basque Country, specifically San Sebastian. He’s a multitalented artist, and during the pandemic, he’s played music and acted, as well as working as a storyteller to help young people learn English.
Under his brands Celtdram and Storytime, Alan shared an original take on learning English while visiting places with his bagpipes and telling popular tales. He’s earned many fans thanks to his popular tales about Celtic, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh cultures, as well as those of Galicia and Asturias.
The pandemic kind of threw off his plans a bit, as it did with everyone. Without being able to perform or tale tells, he sat down to start writing his first two stories, with notable success.
But as he is a musician, he’s used to having an audience, so he goes out into the streets whenever possible. And in one of those outings, while playing his bagpipes in the heart of San Sebastian, he set up a scene that simple made our day.
Now that he lives in our country, it’s quite possible that, in addition to tales and stories of Celtic culture, Alan Joseph Kennedy may start telling Basque tales and playing Basque music. Honestly, it sounds quite good on Scottish bagpipes (we’ve been informed they’re not Scottish bagpipes, but rather perhaps Galician, which would not be surprising, given the musician travels there frequently). It may be due to how both Scottish bagpipes and Basque music enjoy the sounds of freedom.
We’ll leave you with the video and the Oliva Press article about this Scotsman who’s settled in San Sebastian.
The Olive Press – 11/10/2020 – Spain
Nostalgic return brings publishing debut for British storyteller based in Spain
GLASGOW-BORN Alan Joseph Kennedy has switched from storyteller to storywriter with the publication of a tale inspìred by his memories of London’s Brixton area in the eighties
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Last Updated on Jul 9, 2021 by About Basque Country
