The second week on tour was filled with some exciting opportunities for the Folk Dancers at two different festivals.
Continuing the festival in Chateau-Gombert, the group began the week with a reception and gift exchange with the mayor of Marseille, France. Each country at the festival also performed a short dance for the mayor and the other groups from the festival. This is a standard occurrence at most folk festivals.
The BYU dancers enjoyed one evening where each group at the festival taught their national dances to the other countries at the festival. It was a fun way for the group to get to know the other countries. It also gave the BYU dancers an opportunity to show everyone their prowess at international folk dancing.
Seeing the BYU students dance Hungarian dances with skill and quality led the Hungarian group to invite the BYU students to a special dance party on the night before they left the festival. During this party, the musicians from both groups played Hungarian music together while the dancers partnered with each other for an hour of dancing. As the group danced the last dance, the director of the Hungarian group leaned over to the BYU tour manager, Jonathon Wood, and said that they are dancing the bon voyage dance because it was BYU's last night at the festival.
Other highlights included lunch and a performance at a rest home in Chateau-Gombert and the Kids Fest. The Kids Fest was a special afternoon when children could come and interact with the dancers from around the world. Each country brought songs and games to teach the children. The folk dancers had three-legged races, taught them hand slapping songs, and let them try the pioneer game called graces.
As the group ended the week, they arrived at the next festival in Schoten, Belgium. In their official welcome by the festival, the group was told that in the eyes of Schoten, BYU and USA mean the same thing. This is the ninth time the group has been at the Schoten festival-the first time being in 1964.
On the opening night of the festival, the crowd cheered as if BYU was an old and loved friend as the group was introduced. The cheering became louder as they performed.
In the first three days of the festival they have performed on the main stage multiple times, taught dances to the public on the square in front of the castle, played games and danced with children, and sang for a multi-denominational service in the Schoten cathedral. Their songs 'Go Ye Now In Peace' and 'God Be with You Till We Meet Again' rang in the cathedral with a special spirit of peace and love. Many commented on the goose bumps they felt when the group sang while others asked for a copy of the music and lyrics to teach to the church choir.
It was a fruitful week, with more to come.
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