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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">===========================================<br>
L O W L A N D S - L - 16 April 2009 - Volume 04<br>
===========================================</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br>
From: <span class="gd"><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28);"><a href="mailto:fredvanbrederode@home.nl">fredvanbrederode@home.nl</a></span></span></span><br>
Subject: <span class="gi">Standing ovations</span></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">This week the 47-year old lady, Susan Boyle, hit the
world media after she had a fabulous performance in the “Britain’s got
talent”. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">Her non congruent appearance together with her
outstanding talent for singing was more than stunning.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">I just repeat what the news paper wrote about her. I
did not even bother to check YouTube and see it all with my own eyes. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">What intrigued me was a particular part in all the
comments on the event . Let me give you an example. “Mail Online” stated it as
follows:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">“Her powerful rendition of the Les Miserable hit won
her a standing ovation from the crowd when she performed”</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">There’s no question about it. The lady performed
outstandingly, the crowd went berserk culminating in a standing ovation.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">From the article I take it that in the editor’s view a
standing ovation is something very special. Only rare occasions like Mrs
Boyle’s performance call for one.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">This is not so in this country. In Dutch theatres
standing ovations came to be standard in the last 10 or so years. My wife and I
are habitués in local and regional theatres. All the performances end
with a standing ovation, no exception. I hardly met with bad performers, but we
came across quite a few mediocre ones. Nevertheless a good round of
applause did not seem good enough. In a few moments after the applause
started one or two persons in the audience stand up and more follow. Eventually
I do so as well. With everyone standing up and blocking the view it is no fun
staying seated. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">I am not sure when the habit of the obligatory
standing ovation, regardless of quality, started. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">Don’t get me wrong, an outstanding performance
deserves one. After being treated to a fascinating, incredible and surprisingly
outperforming show, it is pretty normal to jump up your feet. How could one
expect to stay seated. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">Susan Boyle’s performance definitely meets with the
criteria. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">Last week I went to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. I
expect Amsterdam,
being the country’s cultural capital, to take the lead in our theatrical
habits. I must say that we attended high standard performance. This may be the
explanation for the standing ovation that followed. I honestly had the idea
that an extra round of applause would suffice. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">In theatres abroad I never experienced standing
ovations. It was a long time ago that I went to a theatre abroad. While in this
country the situation grew out of hand in my view, I wonder how these
habits evolved in other places. Standing ovations may be the rule in all Dutch
theatres. I don’t even know if the rule also exists in neighbouring areas like Flanders. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="EN-GB">Ron in more than one occasion stated that culture in a
wider sense than just languages fit fine in LL’s scope. Let us start a thread
on the above issue.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;">Ik ben benieuwd
naar jullie reacties.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="NL">Met vriendelijke groet,</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;" lang="NL"></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: black;" lang="NL">Fred van Brederode</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;" lang="NL"><br>
<br>
----------<br>
<br>
From: R. F. Hahn <</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank"><span style="" lang="NL">sassisch@yahoo.com</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;" lang="NL">> <br>
Subject: Traditions<br><br>Hi, Fred! It's great to hear from you again.<br><br>Thanks for that thread. Cultural topics are most certainly encouraged within our scope.<br><br>What I see is that extraordinary gestures are sometimes reduced to ordinary ones. Standing ovations apparently are a good example of this. In the USA you can see it during presidential addresses when certainly the members of the president's own party feel obligated to stand while applauding after every couple of sentences or so. Even applause itself started off as a special gesture that was sparingly given, while nowadays people clap politely even if they hate a performance (when in the past they would have booed and would have thrown objects at the stage). But there are differences between cultures, though international media exposure does its part to make us all move toward acting alike.<br>
<br>As for Susan Boyle, I am sure you and I are not the only ones that relish her success and the splash she has made with her first performance in the contest. What it's really about is that the world loves an underdog turned hero. A supposedly plain Jane, an unemployed no-spring-chicken, never-been-kissed spinster who lives in semi-rural West Lothian, Scotland, with her cat Pebbles, wowed all those that had made faces and had giggled sarcastically when she said she was dreaming of becoming a professional singer.<br>
<br> Even though there may be a bit too much to-do about her right now, I feel that the message ("Don't judge a book by its cover") is coming across clearly. Also, I welcome the slap in the faces of those media folks that routinely discriminate against people on the basis of their looks and ages, that make their living by dictating what sorts of persons we should find attractive and worthy of respect.<br>
<br>Should any of our Lowlanders have been visiting a different planet while this was going on, here are three video clips to fill you in:<br><br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk</a><br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY</a><br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn7So0NC74s">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn7So0NC74s</a><br><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsaF5-moIvQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsaF5-moIvQ</a><br>
<br>I like that lass. Yes, she does have a "cheeky smile", and that's always a good start as far as I am concerned.<br><br>Regards,<br>Reinhard/Ron<br>Seattle, USA<br></span></p>
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