Two days to be added to the International Childrenʼs Day at Bažant Pohoda
Kids park has more and more visitors every year and this fact is also reflected in the ever more varied programme. The enclosed area with a large circus tent and other smaller tents provide comfort, entertainment, and safety for the youngest visitors of the festival.
01. June 2015
Parents can in turn peacefully enjoy the concerts of Die Antwoord, Manu Chao, and Einstürzende Neubauten. Their offspring will be taken care of by a professional service. The Kids park has its own tent camp, flush toilets, and two showers within its grounds. Pregnant women, too, can camp here. Families can park their cars in the VIP sector which is the closest to the entrance to the festival. The park also provides a changing tent, inflatables, and other interesting things. The high demands of uncompromising child viewers are a challenge for us and performers, too.
In May, we gradually announced the first musical attractions in Kids Park. SĽUK (Slovak Folk Art Ensemble) will play their “Zvuky nie sú muky” (Sounds are not torture), Daniel Hevier and his Hevi Dubi Komiks Band prepared a program titled “S deťmi sa dá dohodnúť” (You can agree with children), the young audience can learn about the universe with the childrenʼs opera “Stručné dejiny vesmíru” (A brief history of the universe), and talented peers from the Roma ensemble Čercheňora will perform for children, too. Let us introduce other theatrical and musical attractions:
CirKus-Kus is the first Slovak school of new circus. With CirKus-Kus at this yearʼs Pohoda, you will learn to juggle with saucers, scarves, and balls, walk a tightrope, and build a real family pyramid.
Luna storytelling - A boy without a name
The formation Luna storytelling is an interactive puppet show that continues the narrative culture of the Old World in their productions. “Chlapec bez mena” (A boy without a name) is a tale inspired by Indian stories. The hero travels experiencing different enlightening moments and meetings to deserve his Indian name the end of his journey. The main idea is the respect for nature, the earth and the world around us. Luna storytelling will also cover a workshop offering the manufacture of puppets.
Theatre PIKI - Pes (prí)tulák, Paskudárium
A famous theatre for children with a long tradition will present two productions at this yearʼs Pohoda. Pes (prí)tulák (Snuggling Wander Dog) is a story of an ugly dog that nobody wants and therefore he must wander. He is very brave, tenacious, and able to get out of any dangerous situation. Despite all, he believes that somewhere there is someone who will love him, so he starts a journey to find this “his” person. You will see whether he succeeds at the end of the fairy tale. Pes (prí)tulák is “about miserable life, about life being unfair, and especially about how we look for love.”
Paskudárium was inspired by the book by Dušan Taragel Rozprávky pre neposlušné deti a ich starostlivých rodičov (Fairy tales for disobedient children and their concerned parents). Here, viewers come to the museum of disobedient children started by a disobedience expert, Professor Samojed (Selfpoison). The theatre tour presents the life of the professor, his interesting devices for measuring disobedience, and especially introduces some cases of exceptionally disobedient children. The tour ends with an expression of positive feelings towards “small rascals”, i.e. playful children with a huge imagination.
Theatre Fortissimo – Kufrík (Briefcase)
The show Kufrík (Briefcase) will be a meeting with the world of pantomime. The attention of small viewers will be attracted with a series of entertaining scenes that are off due to the old suitcase and items in it. The pantomime will be accompanied by verbal comments and music, which facilitates the communication with the audience. Children will be engaged in clown shows and will inspire new situations and improvisation.
Bábkové divadlo na rázcestí (Puppet Theatre at the Crossroads) – Čiarkolárium
Čiarkolárium is the fourth project of the interactive Batolárium cycle, and the continuation of the global phenomenon of theatre for children. Their target group is children from 15 months to 3 years of age. The performance is not about telling a story, but it is rather a creative game and communication based on sensory input. The topic of Čiarkolárium are lines or commas that are all around us, and when put together, they can create different images. The 30-minute performance freely passes to playing with children.
Braňo Jobus - Plajko
Did you know that there is a Department of the Development and recording dreams? You just have to call and order what you would like to dream about. The Japanese machine Clearly CrazyMe will prepare your dream as desired. This is one of the topics of a new book by the popular childrenʼs book writer and musician Braňo Jobus. The hero of the book is a rag doll Plajko and the book will publicly released at Bažant Pohoda. The musical accompaniment will be provided by the band Záhradné domčeky, and they will play not very traditional instruments such as rake-guitar, bucket-drum, and pickaxe-bass guitar.
Big actors sing for small children
“Prišiel kohút z Ameriky, už hovorí kjúkjúriki” is just a small sample of lyrics sung by Milan Lasica in the project Veľkí herci spievajú malým deťom (Big actors sing for small children). They have released their third CD with actorsʼ drawing book, lyrics, and notes of songs. The author of the project is the songwriter, actress, and performer Sisa Michalidesová. Popular songs for children are also sang by Maroš Kramár, Zuzana Kronerová, and Nela Pocisková.
Music school orchestra in Trenčín and choir Piarissimo
The Chamber Orchestra of the Music School in Trenčín has over 50 years of tradition. Currently it is under the direction of the conductress Alena Piatková. The Choir of Jozef Braneckýʼs piarist grammar school in Trenčín, Piarissimo, was founded in 1990. In 1999, the church choir turned into a classical mixed choir that interprets polyphonic secular and spiritual songs of different periods and styles from Gregorian chant, through Renaissance, Baroque to contemporary modern sacred and secular music.
Lullabies not just for children (Eva Šušková and her husband Pavol)
© Martina Zuzana Šimkovičová
A lullaby is the most tender expression of folk musical creativity. Following last yearʼs project "Človekofón" (Humanphone), Eva Šušková comes with a selection of lullabies in the arrangement of Slovak composers Ján Cikker, Vladimír Godar, Dezider Kardoš, and Eugen Suchoň. Her husband Pavol Šuška will provide piano accompaignment.
Department of Music Education of the Faculty of Education at Comenius University
The students of the Department of Music Education of the Faculty of Education at Comenius University prepared a musical workshop for children in which they will produce different musical instruments, play games with sounds, and even create music. Besides the music workshop, the students also prepared an interactive concert named KARNEVAL ZVIERAT (Carnival of Animals), where they and children will have fun creating a variety of sounds and familiarise with total non-traditional musical instruments.
Kornička
The repertoire of the folklore group with 15 years of history presents a unique dance, song and musical richness of the Trenčín region. It consists of dances, dance games, traditional spoken word, solo and group songs, and orchestral songs of folk music. Since its foundation, the ensemble has given over 500 performances in many foreign countries: Spain, France, Switzerland, and many other European countries.
More about children at the festival:
Children up to 12 years of age (and including) have free admission to the festival. At the entrance to the festival grounds, every parent and their children will receive a special wristband; children’s wristbands will show the parent’s telephone number to be used by the children’s park staff in case of necessity. In case you lose your child, please contact the information centre or the organisers at the emergency hotline 0800 500 090. Children’s park is available at the festival where you can have your child babysat by a professional service provider. The park is open on Friday and Saturday 09:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. In the park there are several attractions available, programmes for children, and a changing table. Protect your children from excessive noise. In the area of the Children's Park, families with children can camp from the opening of the site; separate toilets as well as hot and cold water are available. Only parents and children with special wristbands can enter the tent camp for families with children. Information can be obtained at the provisional front desk at the entrance to the park, or from the park staff. Smoking is forbidden in the area of the Children’s Park, as well as the consumption of alcoholic beverages.