In my younger days I was a gymnast and a keen dancer sadly now I am getting old and no longer can do this. It is superb to see these incredible young German dancers - I wish many could come to the UK to give us a show? I have seen the amazing Karneval dancers as well, a shame the UK doesnt have such events as this. We have a few simple street Carnivals but nothing as exciting as this - It lifts the heart and spirit - DANKE SCHON -
As an Englishman I am fascinated by these events and the energetic performances of the dancing girls. Can any Engllsh-speaking German who reads this please tell me what these events represent. Why the strange dress of the presenters and fancy dress of the audience?
These are celebrations around Karneval. A festival that is now almost 1000 years old and where all citizens are equal, regardless of their social status. This was especially amazing in the authoritarian societies of the last centuries. The dancers originally made fun of the soldiers of the 18th century, which is why their costumes are still based on them today. The rest is also custom. The dance is called "Garde" and combines many elements from ballet, acrobatics, etc. It became more and more competetive in the last decades.
As the other user already said, it's all about carneval. The weird custumes and hats were originally about mocking the military back in prussian decades. Also most of the dance costumes are somewhat related to military patterns and style.
Thanks for both these replies. There are still a couple of things I don't quite understand. 1.Do the acrobatic precision dancers only prepare for this annual event or do they do other similar dancing for the rest of the year? 2. What is the significance of the flamboyant Uniforms and weird hats of the important looking announcers? Although I am English, my grandparents are from Baden Wurtenburg so I am interested in many things German.
@@henrybyrd5402 you're welcome. :) 1. The "Tanzmariechen", as we call them are solo dancers with versatile skills in dancing and acrobatics. They are members of a carnival club, like Buchnesia Nürnberg or Besenbinder Röttenbach. They compete in championships against each other. The highest title possible is "Deutscher Meister" aka National Champion. 2. The flamboyant uniforms and hats date back to the origins of German carneval. Making fun of Prussian military and peers. They are fantasy uniforms with tradition. The announcers are just the hosts of the TV shows. But you will be rewarded with medals the longer you are an active member of a Carneval club. It's great that you want to learn about German Carneval and Garde dancing!! You should also check out the mixed Garde (gemischte Garde), Show dance (Schautanz), Men ballet (Männerballett).... I can show you a lot of great vids here on RU-vid!
