Radio România Internațional

Tag: performance

  • Bestiary, a Vanner Collective project

    Bestiary, a Vanner Collective project

    The independent theatre company Vanner Collective is known for its original initiatives in the Romanian cultural space, translating burning social issues into theatre performances. Their latest project is “Bestiary. Consumer good”, co-financed by the Bucharest City Hall. The project opens the discussion about the worrying tension between teenagers’ need for individuality and the pressure to conform exerted by society and the online environment, social media.

    We spoke with Anca Spiridon, Cultural PR, about the sources of inspiration for the project:

    “The source of inspiration for the play and subsequently the show ‘Bestiary’, Vanner Collective’s newest production, were the challenges facing today’s youth, especially when it comes to their presence on social media and the pressure in terms of models of behaviour, of physical appearance and success that they propose. And so, young people, as I said, feel pressured to conform to standards that are not even theirs, are particularly arbitrary, are particularly rigid and do not allow them to express either their individuality, their personality, or authenticity, but rather force them to enter a zone of conformity.

    Nowadays, it seems obvious to me that social media creates, for people of all ages, the young in particular, a pressure to conform to certain standards, by promoting models of behaviour, physical appearance and success that are not even ours, regular people. And especially, we wanted to address the online presence and the risks that come with it.”

    Here is Anca Spiridon once again, this time telling us why Vanner Collective opted for the topic.

    “The Vanner team deemed it necessary to start this discussion, as they more often than not start difficult discussions in the projects they propose, in a bid to show to the public, especially to the younger segments, that there was a time when we all had to face the pressure of society, irrespective of the options we may have made. Whether we speak about the university study program we were supposed to pursue, or about the path along which we had to push our careers forward, or about a life style, or about our look, in particular, or about our choices in general. We wanted to create, with that project, with this performance, Bestiary, a safe space where they could express themselves, so they could see they were not all alone and, why not, to feel more comfortable in their bid to express their individuality. “

    But how did the project labelled Bestiary unfold? What were the methods used for the artistic pursuit and expression? Speaking about that is again Cultural PR Anca Spiridon:

    ”All throughout the project we held a series of workshops and focus groups with teenagers and youngsters and somehow the feedback we got from them spoke about the fact that, indeed, society seems to demand pretty much conformism from them. They have the feeling they are easier to manage, that it is better for them to be subservient, rather than express their opinions or express their personality. And that strengthened us in our belief that we started a good discussion and that we can provide a context where individuality can express itself. We used the metaphor of the sacrifice beasts, perhaps the sacrifice of the self, of one’s own personality, precisely as a departure point in our bid to explore stereotypes and conformism. The Vanner team started off from the idea that if you conform to something, you lose part of you, you lose what you can become. You lose the tribe; you lose the herd that actually belongs to you when you’re being told you need to comply with norms and standards.”

    Here is Anca Spiridon once again, this time speaking about Bestiary, the stage performance that represented the epitome of the whole project:

    „Bestiary is a stage performance based on the text of a new play written by Raluca Mănescu and Denisa Nicolae, the co-founder of Vanner Collective. It is also to Denisa Nicolae that the concept and the stage direction belong, while part of the team is made traditional collaborators of Vanner Collective, yet the team of actors featuring in Bestiary, all of them are very young actors. Through Bestiary, the Vanner Collective team sought to get closer to youngsters, to speak about their specific problems and strike up an intense dialogue with them. Also, they sought to present their own challenges to the public, who may not have experienced such challenges as they have today, with all the social media pressure, or, perhaps, they do not remember them: parents, teachers, friends.”

  • Awards for outstanding performances in education

    Awards for outstanding performances in education

    Proficiency in the
    education system is vital for the development of Romania, the PM Marcel Ciolacu
    said at the annual award gala for international Olympiad winners. In his
    opinion, a truly educated Romania cannot be achieved instantly, particularly
    since every education minister in the past 30 years tried to introduce their
    own outlook and sought to restructure the system fundamentally.


    The PM said that many of
    the changes made in the past were not preceded by thorough assessments, which
    contributed to declines in the quality of education. He told the participants
    in the event that next year, public education will have a 61% higher budget
    than at present.


    On the other hand, the PM
    also believes the performance of the teaching staff must be encouraged:


    Marcel Ciolacu: Apart from school
    buildings and equipment, more attention needs to be paid to evaluating and
    incentivising the teaching staff. Reality shows that we need performance
    criteria in the education system. an involved, responsible teacher must be paid
    more for their work. I have already spoken to Minister Ligia Deca about having
    talks with the professionals in the ministry and identifying solutions in this
    respect.


    I hope the unprecedented
    50% average pay raise in the public education sector within a year will attract
    growing numbers of young professionals towards a teaching career, the education
    minister Ligia
    Deca said in her turn.


    At the annual gala, as
    many as 138 students were awarded, who won 164 prizes, medals and honourable
    mentions at international and regional competitions in various academic
    subjects. Also awarded were their teachers and their schools. Romanian students won the
    maximum achievable score in 6 such competitions, as well as 51 gold medals, 55 silver medals, 30 bronze
    medals, and 22 honourable mentions in international academic events.


    The total award funds earmarked this year
    by the education ministry was around EUR 785,000. The awards amounted
    to EUR 4,000 for a maximum achievable score, EUR 3,000 for a gold medal, some EUR
    2,500 for a silver medal and around EUR 2,000 for a bronze medal. Honourable
    mentions were also awarded around EUR 700.


    A
    teacher received an incentive amounting to the highest award paid to any of
    their students, while the school attended by the student in question received an amount equal to the
    one granted to each winning student. In this case, the money must be spent primarily
    on school equipment relevant for the subjects in which the prizes have been
    received. (AMP)

  • Des prix pour la performance en éducation

    Des prix pour la performance en éducation

    La performance du système éducatif est un élément indispensable pour le développement de la Roumanie, a déclaré le Premier ministre Marcel Ciolacu, lors de la cérémonie annuelle de remise des prix aux participants aux compétitions olympiques internationales. Selon lui, une Roumanie véritablement instruite -est un objectif qui ne peut pas être atteint tout de suite, surtout qu’au cours des 30 dernières années, chaque ministre roumain de l’Education a essayé d’imposer sa propre vision et a voulu changer le système de fond en comble. Aux dires du premier ministre une bonne partie des changements intervenus dans le passé ont été réalisés sans une analyse approfondie préalable, certaines modifications ayant même contribué à la diminution de la qualité de l’éducation nationale. Et c’est toujours dans le cadre du même Gala que Marcel Ciolacu a fait savoir que l’année prochaine, le budget de l’éducation serait de 61 % plus élevé que le budget actuel. En même temps, il faut également stimuler la performance des professeurs, estime encore le chef de l’Exécutif.

    « Outre la base matérielle, une plus grande attention est nécessaire en termes d’évaluation et de stimulation des performances du personnel enseignant. La réalité nous montre clairement que des critères de performance sont nécessaires dans le système éducatif. Un enseignant impliqué et responsable doit être mieux payé pour le travail effectué. J’ai donc demandé à la ministre Ligia Deca de discuter avec les professionnels du ministère et de trouver des solutions à cet égard. » Marcel Ciolacu.

    « J’espère qu’à travers l’augmentation historique, soit de plus de 50 % en moyenne des salaires dans le système éducationnel, en moins d’un an, nous attirerons de plus en plus de jeunes professionnels vers la carrière d’enseignant, » a déclaré, pour sa part, la ministre de l’Education, Ligia. Déca.

    Des prix intéressants pour les élèves et les enseignants

    Au total 138 élèves ont été récompensés lors du Gala de cette année. Ils avaient obtenu 164 médailles, prix et mentions dans 28 Compétitions olympiques internationales et concours régionaux par disciplines. Les professeurs qui les ont formés et les établissements scolaires où ils étudient ont été aussi récompensés. Les élèves roumains ont obtenu 6 médailles d’or absolues (avec un score maximum), 51 médailles d’or en tant que 1ers prix, 55 médailles d’argent (2e prix), 30 médailles de bronze (3s prix) et respectivement 22 mentions (diplômes équivalents). Le montant total des prix alloués cette année par le ministère de l’Éducation s’élève à plus de 3,9 millions de lei (soit environ 785 000 euros).

    Pour le premier prix absolu (score maximum), un montant de 20 000 lei (soit environ 4 000 euros) a été attribué, pour le premier prix (médaille d’or) – 15 000 lei (soit environ 3 000 euros), tandis que pour le deuxième prix (médaille d’argent) et troisième prix (médaille de bronze) 12 500 lei (soit environ 2 500 euros) et 10 000 lei (soit environ 2 000 euros) ont été offerts. Parallèlement, les 3 500 lei (soit environ 700 euros) ont été attribués pour la mention (ou diplômes équivalents). Pour un enseignant qui a formé un élève, une seule récompense financière a été accordée, soit l’équivalent du montant le plus élevé prévu pour ses candidats. Pour l’école que l’élève fréquente ou a fréquentée, un prix a été décerné, correspondant au montant reçu par chaque lauréat. Dans ce cas, l’argent reçu sera utilisé pour doter les écoles, en priorité, pour les matières correspondant aux meilleures performances scolaires.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Romania a couple
    of days ago has yet again confirmed it fully deserved the status it has earned
    among Europe’s top-flight table tennis teams. As part of the European teams’
    championships held in the Swedish city of Malmo, in the men’s version of the
    competition, Romania reached as far as the round of 16, while in the women’s
    version of the event Romania won the silver medals, The latter’s performance is
    a reiteration of the team’s exceptional feat in Cluj-Napoca, in 2021.The
    Romanian table tennis team’s record includes a couple of European titles, with the
    most recent one being won in France’s Nantes, in 2019.


    In 2023 in Sweden, the Romanian line-up was made of Bernadette Szőcs, Elizabeta Samara, Andreea Dragoman and Adina
    Diaconu, who had no problem outclassing Croatia, Serbia
    and Slovenia in the group stage. In the quarterfinals, Romanian succeeded a
    hard-fought win against Spain, while in the semifinal the Romanian team
    defeated France. However, in the
    final, Romania lost to Germany. For the Romanian team, Bernadette
    Szőcs put on the best performance, winning all the games she played until the
    final, when he was defeated by the world’s number 10 table tennis player, Ying
    Han. For her exceptional performance in Sweden and for her crucial contribution to the team’s winning the silver medal, Bernadette Szocs was designated the Athlete of the
    week by Radio Romania International.


    Bernadette Szőcs was born on March 5, 1995, in the central Transylvanian
    town of Targu-Mures. She took up table tennis at the age of 8. For Bernie, good
    results in the cadets and juniors’ competitions were quick to appear. Bernadette
    won several medals in European and world championships, climbing up according to world
    rankings rather rapidly. In 2016, pairing up with Ovidiu Ionescu in the mixed
    doubles event as part of the European championships in Budapest, she came in 3rd.
    In 2017, at the European championships in Luxembourg, Bernadette Szocs won her
    first European title with the team. In 2018, in Montreux, Switzerland she won
    the European Top-16 tournament, an event for Europe’s top-notch table tennis
    players. In 2019 in Nantes, France, she became a European champion in the teams’
    contest. In Munich, in 2022, Bernadette Szocs won the women’s doubles European
    title, jointly with Austrian player Sofia Polcanova, who
    was born in the republic of Moldova, Also in Munich, Bernadette Szocs won the mixed
    doubles’ silver medals, alongside Ovidiu Ionescu. Bernadette is 11th
    placed according to the as-it-stands world rankings.

  • Artişti români în căutarea visului american

    Artişti români în căutarea visului american

    S-a încheiat proiectul ”iMigrate. The Biology of Transition”, realizat în co-finanțare cu ICR prin Programul “Cantemir”.



    E T A J artist run-space a refăcut simbolic drumul migranților români spre America. Călătoria-performance “iMigrate. The Biology of Transition” a documentat, din multiple perspective artistice, drumul migranților români spre Țara Făgăduinței. Într-un road-residency spre America, Mircea Modreanu, Ilina Schileru, Lucian Sandu Milea și Răzvan Năstase, artiști din colectivul independent E T A J artist-run space, au creat pe străzi, în metrou, în gări și în aeroporturi, pentru a expune la capătul drumului, în Galeria Durden and Ray din Los Angeles.



    Expoziția de grup a fost organizată de cei 4 artişti români împreună cu alți 4 artiști: Lana Duong, Carlos Beltran Arechiga, Ben Jackl și Steven Wolkoff.



    Am stat de vorbă la Bucureşti, după «aventura americană», cu artista vizuală şi curatoarea Ilina Schileru.






    Al doilea interlocutor a fost artistul vizual Mircea Modreanu.




  • iMigrate. The Biology of Transition

    iMigrate. The Biology of Transition

    E T A J artist run-space reface simbolic drumul migranților români spre America, un spațiu mixt etno-cultural, care găzduiește zeci de milioane de oameni care au vânat cândva legendarul vis american. Câți din Europa de Est au visat vreodată să fugă în America? Câți mai visează? Câți s-au trezit din reverie?



    Călătoria-performance “iMigrate. The Biology of Transition” documentează, din multiple perspective artistice, drumul migranților români spre Țara Făgăduinței. Patru artiști examinează, dintr-o perspectivă subiectivă, cele mai noi sensuri ale acestei legende, căutându-i semnele în gesturile și privirile călătorilor contemporani către Lumea Nouă. Poate vor găsi visuri alternative, ascunse prin aeroporturi, prin gări sau pe străzile din Los Angeles.



    Într-un road-residency spre America, Mircea Modreanu, Ilina Schileru, Lucian Sandu Milea și Răzvan Năstase, artiști din colectivul independent E T A J artist-run space, creează pe străzi, în metrou, în gări și în aeroporturi, pentru a expune la capătul drumului, în Galeria Durden and Ray din Los Angeles.



    În luna septembrie, grupul va prezenta această călătorie de inițiere într-o expoziție la Galeria E T A J din București.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    The World Swimming
    Championships in Japan’s Fukukoa drew to a close last week. For Romanian swimming,
    some swimmers’ performances were dismally below-par, while other swimmers confirmed
    their standing. We know all too well all hopes were pinned on world record
    holder and European champion in the 100m freestyle event and holder of the European
    title in the 200m freestyle event, David Popovici. He failed to step onto a
    step of the podium at least once. However, high-diving swimmers Costantin Popovici and Cătălin Preda’s
    performance way above par: the two came in 1st and second, respectively.
    Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Constantin Popovici the
    athlete of the week.


    In this past Tuesday’s
    high dives, from the 27-meter-high board, Popovici and Preda came in 1st
    and 2nd, respectively, in the first two series. Following in
    descending order were Ukrainian Oleksiy Prigorov, Spaniard Carlos Gimeno and French Gary Hunt. Following
    two more jumps on Thursday, Constantin Popovici became world champion, with a
    total of 472.80 points. Second came in Cătălin Preda, with 438.45 points.
    Stepping on the third step of the podium was French diver Gary Hunt, with 426.30
    points. Constantin Popovici said the following:


    The pressure was quite high, I tried to focus on what I had to do and I eventually
    succeeded. Given that it was four years ago when we last had a world
    championship, you don’t get the chance to participate in such a contest quite often
    and my motivation was I think the strongest of all participants today.


    Constantin Popovici was born in Bucharest on October 2nd,
    1988. In 2008, in Beijing, Popovici represented Romania in the high-diving event
    and came in 23rd in the 10-meter-high board. Popovici retired from competition,
    then he resumed his activity, focusing on high diving. In 2019 he was the first
    Romanian to have won a contest as part of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. In 2022 Popovici
    became a European champion in Rome. At present, he is the world’s best diver. As
    regards the prospects of high diving as a sports discipline, Popovici was upbeat
    about it.


    There are countries acknowledging this sports discipline as a
    discipline with a cleat-cut future, a sports discipline with a lot of potential,
    very likely to become an Olympic discipline pretty soon. There are such
    countries as Canada or the USA where such dedicated facilities were built and where
    they invest in so many people. It may not be an Olympic discipline, yet they invest
    because they know that time will come when it will gain such a status, and that
    will find themselves having everything at the ready and being also prepared to
    win the Olympic medals. Romania has shown a little bit of interest to that end,
    but I think there’s a lot more that needs to be done, given that we have the
    world’s best high divers.

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Mountain peaks have always posed a challenge for the human being,
    Notwithstanding, it was not until 1950 that the first over-8,000m peak was
    climbed by man. Back then the French Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal climbed the Annapurna peak in the Himalayas.
    Being able to climb at such an altitude has remained, to this day, a great
    performance. Last week such a performance was reiterated by a
    Romanian. Climber Horia Colibăşanu this past Saturday succeeded to climb Broad
    Peak in the Karakorum Massif, on the Pakistani-Chinese border, at an altitude
    of 8, 051 meters. Colibasanu succeeded that with no help from the sherpas and
    with no extra supply of oxygen. For 2023, it was Romanian climbing’s greatest
    performance. Reason enough for Radio Romania International to designate Horia
    Colibăşanu the Athlete of the week.


    The Broad Peak 2023 Expedition was a project
    carried by the Timisoara-based Alternatives Sports Club, affiliated to the
    Romanian Climbing and Escalade Federation. Horia Colibasanu has been a member of, for so many years now. The Romanian set
    off from Bucharest on June 26, heading towards the Pakistani city of Islamabad. From there, he went to Askole, on the Karakorum
    main road, which is part of the ancient Silk Road. From there, he went trekking
    for a week, to the base camp. Then the ascension towards the Broad Peak followed,
    a peak formerly known as K3, a peak separated, to the north, from the spectacular
    K2 by the Godwin – Austen glacier.


    Broad Peak was the tenth over-8,000m peak Horia Colibăsanu has escalated
    in his career. Also, he took part in 25 international expeditions, being the most
    accomplished Romanian in high-altitude climbing. Horia still remains the
    only Romanian to have reached the K2 and Daulagiri peaks, rated among the world’s
    most dangerous such peaks. In 2017, Horia Colibasanu climbed Everest with no sherpas
    and no extra supply of oxygen. Of the 6,000 successful ascensions of Everest,
    less than two hundred were made with no extra supply of oxygen, a performance
    considered impossible until 1978.

  • Alba Iulia, Romania’s other capital city

    Alba Iulia, Romania’s other capital city

    We’re heading today, towards Transylvania. We want to
    hit our destination, dubbed Romania’s other capital city, the town of Alba Iulia, which
    stands out thanks to its Vauban-type fortress, built in the 18th century, in
    the shape of a star. The fortress in Alba Iulia is described as Europe’s second most relevant such
    settlement, being outranked by a similar fortress in Luxembourg. Here you can also
    find the Batthyaneum, a library extremely well-stocked in rare
    manuscripts. However, we shall also discover a modern town, with an eventful
    cultural agenda. Our destination today boasts Romania’s strongest national
    symbolism. Or at least that is what the mayor of Alba Iulia municipal town, Gabriel
    Pleșa, told us.


    It is here that the first Union
    of 1600 was accomplished, under the scepter of Michael the Brave. Then, in 1918, the December 1st Great Union
    Act was accomplished; it was Romanians’ centuries-old dream come true.
    Also on October 15, 1922, the confirmation of the Romanian unitary state was achieved
    through the coronation, in Alba Iulia, of King Ferdinand
    I and Queen Mary, a centennial which in 2018 we celebrated with great pomp and
    loads of people attending. These are three key moments of the town and of the
    Romanian people! However, our listeners need to know Alba Iulia has been
    documented more than 2,000 years ago. Every step you take in the city, you’re literally
    treading on history. Part of the Roman castrum was preserved and also art of the medieval fortress, while the gem
    of the town is, obviously, the most recent fortification, the one the Austrians
    erected over 1715 and 1728, the Alba Carolina fortress, built after Vauban’s
    plans. It is a very well-kept fortress, with forts, counterforts, with bastions.

    The Princes’ Palace, just like many other monuments in Alba
    Iulia, has an old history, linked to figureheads and events that where highly consequential
    for the history of Transylvania and even for the history of Europe. The edifice
    is representative for the Transylvanian Principality’s days of glory when for
    more than 150 years, the fate of the region was decided in Alba Iulia. At the moment, restoration works are in full swing for
    the Princes’ Palace.

    Gabriel Plesa once
    again:


    All historians who were
    here doing their research told us it would be Transylvania’s most important building.
    It was here that the Transylvanian Assembly was held for 160 ago. Also, it was here
    that we had the Throne Hall for Michael the Brave, the Enlightenment Princes Gabriel
    Bethlen and Rákóczi I, Rákóczi al II-lea, Sigismund Báthory. Practically, it
    was the town of Alba Iulia’s opening towards education through its first university,
    established 400 years ago by Enlightenment prince Gabriel Bethlen prior to the battle of Mohács and the
    principality’s falling under the sway of the Ottomans. It is a very important one,
    the period after the conquest of the Transylvanian principality by the Habsburgs,
    it was a time when roads were built, the fortress was built, a network of
    railways was built, and so many other things.


    Here is mayor Gabriel Plesa once again, this time telling us we’re
    always in for pleasant surprises in Alba Iulia. Also, Gabriel Plesa announced the
    inauguration of a new tourist asset in town.


    We have been carrying a project through which we have already started works for the restoration of the house that belonged to the town’s first
    Romanian mayor after 1918, lawyer Camil Velican. It is a house that will be
    smack bang in the center of the town and which will also be a new tourist asset. Actually,
    it was here that, in the days ahead of the Great Union, all the official documents were signed. The Steering Council, The National Romanian Council, carried all its
    works in the Velicans’ house. That house was nationalized
    during the communist regime, being ceded to various institutions and throughout
    the years, its level of degradation was very high. We bought it from an
    inheritor, and from the bottom of our hearts we hope we can refurbish it. We got
    hold of part of the original furniture, part of the furniture is with Romania’s
    Museum of National History in Bucharest and they promised we shall receive it,
    since they did not have it exhibited, so there we are, it will be a new
    attraction for those travelling to Alba Iulia.


    The town of Alba Iulia is well-known thanks to the events
    staged to celebrated the National Day of Romania, on December 1st.
    However, the town’s cultural agenda goes way beyond that.

    Gabriel Plesa:


    If you want to keep your tourists, you cannot
    just offer them only vestiges, since they come, they see, return to their cars
    and drive away. Reason enough for us to have a list of beautiful events, for which
    we gave the start when we had the Museum’ Night on May 13. On June the 1st we have the Land of happiness, a playing
    festival. We have a Super Rally first leg in Alba Iulia. It will be a circuit, just
    lie in Monaco, on the municipal town streets and the interest for that seems to
    be very high. Then we stage Alba Fest, the Days of the Town over June 23 and
    25th. There are three days of fine concerts and many other events, we
    have thew Feast of Music, held over July 14 and 16. Again, there are three days
    of good music. We stage Rowmania, the rowing
    contest on river Mures, initially staged by the late Ivan Patzaichin, a friend
    of the town of Alba Iulia. Over August 11 and 15, you are
    invited to the Apulum Roman Festival. There will be 300-400 actors for the historical
    reenactment and over 20, 25 troupes from all over the world will come to Alba Iulia
    for combat demos, they will exhibit their apparel and the trades, the old crafts.
    As an absolute first, we stage the European Historical Target Archery Championship.
    Over August 4 and 13, you can see several hundreds of athletes, arriving from all
    over the world. The contest will be held in the area of the fortress.


    These are only a few of the events staged throughout the
    year! And rounding them off is the weekly performance provided by the changing
    of guards in Alba Iulia Fortress. With
    details on that, here is the mayor of Alba Iulia Municipality, Gabriel Plesa.


    The Austrian guard of the
    fortress built by the Habsburgs is active on Saturdays and Sundays at 12 pm.
    We’re most likely going to extend the program, on Tuesdays and Wednesday ,during
    holidays and vacations. Then on Fridays, at 7 pm, in front of the fourth gate,
    in front of the Roman-Catholic Cathedral, the re-enactment show will be held,
    featuring gladiators and those of the 13th Gemina Legion. The show
    is extremely popular, we stage it jointly with the Living History NGO, with some
    of the employees of the National Museum of the Union but also with very, very
    many volunteers. We mull over staging a similar event in the future: the triumphant
    entrance of Michael the Brave in Alba Iulia. We’re still considering how we’re
    going to do that and how often. It was a key moment, that of November 1st,
    1599, when after the battle of Selimbar Michael the Brave entered Alba Iulia.


    Accessing the site turism.apulum.ro, you can get details
    on the historical objectives, you can see the timetable of the events ad you will
    get info on the public transportation conditions or accommodation recommendations.







  • Global Wellness Day

    Global Wellness Day

    The Global Wellness Day is rapidly drawing near, and, this time around as well, we say Yes! to the invitation extended to us to discover the latest on the domestic SPA market. This
    year as well, we are invited to view life from a fresh perspective, under the
    slogan One Single Day can change your entire Life!

    The founder of a spa
    platform, desprespa.ro, Ioana Marian, has launched an invitation for us:

    Global Wellness Day is the moment when you
    can discover, when you can have your own hands-on experience of what SPA and
    wellness actually mean. You can participate, free of charge, in all sorts of
    wellness activities, correct breathing, stretching exercises, meditation, you
    can even do mini-SPA therapies, all that offered free of charge. The event
    takes place on the second Saturday in June, this year it will be on June
    10th.


    The initiator of a SPA center in the capital city, Alin Simion, gave
    us details on the concept underlying the setting up of the center. It was a
    center that started off from the need for self-development and out of love for
    his wife, who always had that dream.


    A key element
    was the care for the client, the care for the human being as such. And that pushed us forward
    towards our own personal development, I work with myself a lot so I could be a
    more balanced man, while the professional aspect followed suit, as well as the understanding
    of our client’s needs. We opened the center in 2011, I met my wife at the Dalai Lama Center in Tibet and, taking one step after the next, we went from strength
    to strength, we’re now in our third location, a superb location we ‘re so proud
    of. It so much resembles what we wanted for ourselves, from the very
    beginning: to be able to offer people a beautiful and elegant SPA environment,
    with a lot of nature and perfect-to-a-fault services.


    Invoking, though the name of the center, that kind of feminine
    energy we all have, irrespective of our gender, the center creates a special atmosphere.

    Alin Simion once again:


    The spirit is one of intimacy, where people can discover
    that very particular thing we call home. That particular thing means relaxation,
    intimacy, enhancing people’s intellectual or self-knowledge capacity. We offer
    classical beauty services, we offer over 90 types of massage, SPA rituals or signature
    rituals we laid so much emphasis on, as we wanted each and every one of our
    therapists to offer a signature therapy, at once allowing them to introduce
    themselves for what they truly are, using everything of what they learned all
    along their professional career. We have the personal development and self-knowledge,
    coaching side, we have yoga and meditation. Furthermore, we organize very many
    courses and events. We try to offer a
    personalized solution to each and every person visiting us.


    The founder of the desprespa.ro platform, Ioana Marian, heaped
    praise on Romania’s SPA market being on the rise in recent years. It literally progressed
    from scratch only to reach its extremely diverse dimension of today. However,
    Ioana Marian said, there is still a lot more work to be done, to that end.


    There are still many regions that have not just as
    yet acquired the status of a center in its own right. As we speak, my estimation
    is that of 30 to 35 centers have the status of a SPA proper, and which are
    not salons. The SPA experience entails the relaxation of all five senses, and
    not the tactile one alone. Besides, in another development, we cannot possibly speak
    about a SPA proper in the case of the hotels or guesthouses pointing to the
    existence of their own spa center, while the moment you step in there you see they
    actually have a swimming pool, a sauna, maybe a massage room. There is no SPA
    there, actually. What a consumer wants is a complete switching-off for himself,
    since he is stressed out when he enters there. Everybody knows that after an hour
    they spent at the SPA, he emerges a different man out of that treatment
    facility, not only is he more relaxed, but also he has a lot more energy.


    Ioana Marian explained what the elements were, that contribute to
    the transformation you experience in a SPA center, from a stressed-out individual to a
    person who is completely relaxed and full of energy.


    That is possible, in a SPA, thanks to the
    atmosphere: through the setting you find in the SPA, more often than not
    elements of nature, plants, stones, living elements that come with their own
    energy and which contribute to your state of well-being. There are also the colors
    that relax you, green, tree-bark brown, then there is the smell, through the essential
    oils you can feel. It’s just as f if you took a walk through the forest. You can hear the murmur of the water, you breathe
    in those essential oils and, after a simple walk through the forest, you already
    feel you are a different person. Here, apart from the water and the plants and
    the soft sound of music, you also benefit from a therapy offered by a
    professional. As in the SPA centers we work with therapists who graduated from
    a faculty, whether it’s the Physical Education Faculty, the Kinesiotherapy
    one or the Kinesiotherapy Faculty offered by the Medical School, which means a
    lot more than a massage course pursued for a couple of months .


    We have also found out that this month, the
    first awarding-ceremony Gala was held, for the SPA centers across Romania. It was a
    one-of-a-kind event, meant to encourage performance. Therefore, we invite you,
    wherever you may be, to say Yes! to a special day: the Global Wellness Day!

  • Radio Romania International Sports Club

    Radio Romania International Sports Club

    Romanian gymnastics
    seems to have been marred by the gymnasts’ constant lacklustre performance in
    recent years. The national team no longer qualified to the Olympic games, while the
    medal tally in world and European competitions has been unavoidably low. For instance,
    in the 2022 edition of the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, the
    Romanian gymnasts walked home with no medal. Romanian delegation’s best result
    back then was Gabriel Burtanete’s coming in 4th in the vault final. Gabriel
    needed only two tenths of a point to step onto a step of the podium. In the all-round
    event final, Gabriel Burtanete came in 23rd. In the women’s version
    of the championships, the only Romanian gymnast to have advanced to the final
    was Ana Maria Barbosu, who in the all-round event came in 20th.


    The 2023 competition season, however, had a
    more auspicious start. In the FIG Apparatus World Cup held in Qatar’s
    Doha, the Romanian Sabrina Voinea won two gold medals, in the beam and floor
    events. Sabrina was granted 13.766 points in the beam final, outclassing the runner-up
    gymnast Ana Lascevska of Ukraine by more than four tenths of a point. In the
    floor event, Sabrina’s win was
    even clearer. Sabrina was granted 13.600 points, that if seven tenths of a point
    more than silver medalist, Japan’s Chiaki Hatakeda.


    It was the first international seniors’ competition
    for 15-year-old Sabrina; her performance is all the more impressive, given
    she is still very young. Sabrina will now need to confirm her stunning debut
    performance in an international competition at the coming European Gymnastics Championships,
    to be held in Turkyie’s Antalya between April 11 and 16. Sabrina’s trainer is
    her mother Camelia Voinea, a former gymnast and a silver medalist in the Olympic
    Games in Seoul, in 1988, in the nations’ competition. (EN)

  • Radio Romania International Sports Club

    Radio Romania International Sports Club

    Romanian gymnastics
    seems to have been marred by the gymnasts’ constant lacklustre performance in
    recent years. The national team no longer qualified to the Olympic games, while the
    medal tally in world and European competitions has been unavoidably low. For instance,
    in the 2022 edition of the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool, the
    Romanian gymnasts walked home with no medal. Romanian delegation’s best result
    back then was Gabriel Burtanete’s coming in 4th in the vault final. Gabriel
    needed only two tenths of a point to step onto a step of the podium. In the all-round
    event final, Gabriel Burtanete came in 23rd. In the women’s version
    of the championships, the only Romanian gymnast to have advanced to the final
    was Ana Maria Barbosu, who in the all-round event came in 20th.


    The 2023 competition season, however, had a
    more auspicious start. In the FIG Apparatus World Cup held in Qatar’s
    Doha, the Romanian Sabrina Voinea won two gold medals, in the beam and floor
    events. Sabrina was granted 13.766 points in the beam final, outclassing the runner-up
    gymnast Ana Lascevska of Ukraine by more than four tenths of a point. In the
    floor event, Sabrina’s win was
    even clearer. Sabrina was granted 13.600 points, that if seven tenths of a point
    more than silver medalist, Japan’s Chiaki Hatakeda.


    It was the first international seniors’ competition
    for 15-year-old Sabrina; her performance is all the more impressive, given
    she is still very young. Sabrina will now need to confirm her stunning debut
    performance in an international competition at the coming European Gymnastics Championships,
    to be held in Turkyie’s Antalya between April 11 and 16. Sabrina’s trainer is
    her mother Camelia Voinea, a former gymnast and a silver medalist in the Olympic
    Games in Seoul, in 1988, in the nations’ competition. (EN)

  • Music Time: Fierbințeanu

  • România la ea acasă: EcoCapra

    România la ea acasă: EcoCapra

    În România sărbătorile de iarnă sunt marcate de tradiţii populare precum colindatul cu Ursul sau Capra, aceasta din urmă fiind numită cerb în Hunedoara, ţurca în Moldova şi Ardeal, boriţă (de la bour) în Transilvania de sud sau, în Muntenia şi Oltenia, brezaia, din cauza înfăţişării pestriţe a măştii.



    Astăzi însă vorbim despre o altfel de capră ce a fost scoasă la colindat: eco-capra, un proiect-manifest de activare participativă prin artă, EcoCapra este o capră reciclată, adaptând uratul cu “capra tradiţional la realitatea prezentă, şi anume, nevoia de reciclare responsabilă a plasticului. Am vorbit despre acest proiect cu Alina Tofan, actriţă şi eco-performer: De anul trecut am încercat acest proiect numit eco-capra, este o reacţie şi un manifest împotriva consumerismului exacerbat şi a risipei produse în timpul sărbătorilor. Este făcută din material plastic şi nu numai, anul trecut a fost făcută din resturile pe care noi le aveam de ambalaje consumate…, iar anul acesta am ales să o facem din ambalaj pentru cadourile de sărbători. Cumva este un happening în sine, mergem la colindat la partenerii din proiect, am adaptat textul tradiţional al colindatului cu Capra şi l-am dus într-o zonă mult mai ecologică, ca un fel de manifest împotriva lucrurilor acestora.



    “Asta-i capră reciclată, cu pet-uri înveşmântată…a fost una dintre strpgăturile ce au însoţit colindatul. Alina Tofan ne-a spus mai multe: Anul trecut am făcut şi un video-performance, l-am filmat la Marea Neagră şi a fost foarte interesant că prima zi din an eram la mare, erau foarte mulţi oameni pe faleză în Mamaia şi Constanţa şi ne-au văzut, aşa Capra în sine a devenit un manifest. Mai ales copiii au rezonat foarte mult cu ideea aceasta şi au înţeles. Spuneau: a, uite, e făcută din plastic! Cu alte cuvinte, consumăm cam mult! Iar anul acesta am mers în piaţa Obor (o piaţă mare din capitală) şi ne-am fotografiat în locuri pe care le-am considerat emblematice pentru ce înseamnă risipa şi poluarea de sărbători, adică în locurile unde se vând brazii de Crăciun, care sunt ambalaţi în plastic, ne-am mai pozat în locuri unde se vând foarte multe obiecte din plastic, pe lângă cumpărătorii care mergeau spre Mall sau în piaţă, lângă cei care aveau sacoşele pline. Şi cumva vrem să surprindem exact esenţa aceasta că noi trecem pe lângă toată risipa pe care o lăsăm în urmă fiecare dintre noi, în goana noastră după cumpărături şi nici măcar nu ne dăm seama. Şi lucrul acesta va fi surprins prin fotografie.


    Ne-am întâlnit, desigur, şi cu colindătorii tradiţionali, adică cu ursul şi cu oameni îmbrăcaţi în port naţional, care urau sau colindau şi a fost foarte interesant că a fost un dialog cu mine şi colega mea care a fotografiat, Diana Păun, şi ei, care erau colindătorii folclorici. A fost un schimb aşa de uite asta e făcută din materiale de plastic, aşa e, că e cam multă risipă. Practic a fost un dialog între două tipuri de performance şi cred că a fost o întâlnire valoroasă.



    În colindatul clasic al caprei aceasta moare şi cere ceva ca să învie de la cei colindaţi. EcoCapra însă cere plasticul (peturile) goale ale oamenilor ca sa învie. Practic, in timpul colindului este şi colectat plasticul de la oamenii la care ajunge căpriţa, după cum ne-a povestit interlocutoarea noastră, care ne-a spus şi cum este primit proiectul: Este apreciat şi foarte încurajat. Adică li se pare o idee inedită. De obicei suntem oprite pe stradă şi suntem întrebate dacă nu avem capră din aceasta şi la vânzare, că e mai interesat de mers la colindat cu eco-capra. Mulţi, din păcate, o consideră doar un trend. Dar e bine că ajunge cumva în conştiinţa noastră colectivă lucrul acesta că poluăm, că consumăm foarte mult şi simplul fapt că vedem că e făcută din plastic, din materiale pe care le consumăm e un semnal de alarmă care ajunge să fie integrat în vieţile tuturor.



    Şi Alina Tofan a adăugat: E doar o parte dintr-un proiect mai mare pe care îl desfăşurăm eu şi Georgiana Vlahbei, colectivul nostru se numeşte Plastic art performance, funcţionăm sub Asociaţia Macaia şi, în general, ne ocupăm cu eco-performanceul, cu eco-artă, cu practici sustenabile în artă şi încercăm să ne aducem cumva contribuţia nu doar în a schimba mentalităţi, cât în a lucra puţin şi la nivelul spiritualităţii, operăm cu concepte precum eco-spiritualitatea, ecotrophy, concepte care ,din păcate, sunt mai mult în engleză, cumva acum încercăm să le traducem şi să le adaptăm spaţiului cultural românesc.



    Proiectul, cofinanţat de AFCN (Administraţia Fondului Cultural Naţional) propune un dialog public și chestionează practici, reprezentări și utilizări ale plasticului, atât individuale, cât și din sfera socială.


    Am selectat un fragment din urarea purtată pe străzile bucureştene de EcoCapră, pentru a nu vă lipsi de culoarea acestul manifest: “Asta-i capră-adevărată/Nu e biodegradată./Asta nu-i capră de munte,/Nu-i plac ierburile multe/Nu e capră de furaj/Mănâncă doar ambalaj./ (…)Hai căpriță să jucăm,/Alarmă lumii să dăm:/Cât plastic la tine-n casă,/Să ai bucate pe masă!


  • Marques autochtones préférées par les Roumains en 2021

    Marques autochtones préférées par les Roumains en 2021

    La performance des marques roumaines est mesurée d’après trois indicateurs : l’importance, le degré d’utilisation et la notoriété. Un classement issu de l’étude réalisée par la compagnie de recherche Unlock Market a été proposé par le magazine Biz.