Lovely and fair
February 20, 2010 3:23 PM Subscribe
My friend can't sing, dance or play an instrument but needs a talent to try out for what can only be described as a 'lovely lady' competition. Help come up with a talent befitting her quirky personality sure to charm the Irish.
The Rose of Tralee is a really odd beauty pageant seemingly unique to us Irish.
"The festival bills itself as celebration of the 'aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage' of modern young women."
The contestants are generally well educated, pretty, "lovely and fair" etc, and for the talent section usually leap about the stage Irish-style or recite a fitting poem. My friend has had an ambition to be a Rose, but so far has come up with the suggestion of "make belly-faces with a permanent marker" as a talent.
Suggestions?
The Rose of Tralee is a really odd beauty pageant seemingly unique to us Irish.
"The festival bills itself as celebration of the 'aspirations, ambitions, intellect, social responsibility and Irish heritage' of modern young women."
The contestants are generally well educated, pretty, "lovely and fair" etc, and for the talent section usually leap about the stage Irish-style or recite a fitting poem. My friend has had an ambition to be a Rose, but so far has come up with the suggestion of "make belly-faces with a permanent marker" as a talent.
Suggestions?
Reciting a monologue (comic or dramatic), speech, or poem seems to be the best bet. Maybe go with an Irish author if that's not considered too pandering?
Some options: George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift (would "A Modest Proposal" push the envelope?), James Joyce, Yeats, Seamus Heany.
posted by sallybrown at 4:08 PM on February 20, 2010
Some options: George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift (would "A Modest Proposal" push the envelope?), James Joyce, Yeats, Seamus Heany.
posted by sallybrown at 4:08 PM on February 20, 2010
Response by poster: Nice suggestions, but any non-poetry ideas? I'm thinking along the lines of speed origami while telling a story related to the origami, or making a silly tune from glasses filled with different levels of water (although I think I got that from a contestant who did that one year).
posted by hannahlambda at 4:14 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by hannahlambda at 4:14 PM on February 20, 2010
Best answer: Could she train some pets, like a lion tamer except with cats or rats?
posted by sarahnade at 4:20 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by sarahnade at 4:20 PM on February 20, 2010
One of my choir members was my city's Rose this past year. She did a little video on her Irish-related activities, including the Celtic choir I conduct, Gaelic football, the local theatre troupe, etc. She played it for laughs, having her bodhran confiscated from her at the pub session, and having an uilleann piper follow her around (well, waddle around after her with his pipes strapped on) on the football pitch.
It got good laughs at the competition, although she didn't advance to the final round.
posted by LN at 4:22 PM on February 20, 2010
It got good laughs at the competition, although she didn't advance to the final round.
posted by LN at 4:22 PM on February 20, 2010
Best answer: My mom, who was about 80 at the time, was in a Ms Senior's pageant and one of her fellow contestants did a really funny Gypsy Rose Lee burlesque striptease. She boldly strutted the stage to some familiar strip music (don't know the actual name of the song but you'd know it if you heard it) and got down to some hideously frilly underwear. Perhaps it works better for a senior citizen but there might be something there to work from (maybe build something Irish into it). And she could bill herself as Gypsy Rose Lee of Trallee!
posted by gfrobe at 4:34 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by gfrobe at 4:34 PM on February 20, 2010
We had a fellow at church once, who stood up to play us a piece on the violin. His introduction to the piece ran to 10 minutes of story telling, false starts, jokes, false starts, and ribbing the audience. It was flat out hysterical. Quite a comedian, that guy, but he never played more than about 3 notes.
posted by SLC Mom at 5:17 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by SLC Mom at 5:17 PM on February 20, 2010
Do some tongue twisters!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:37 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:37 PM on February 20, 2010
Why not do a poem like you mentioned? That doesn't require any special talent beyond talking in front of people, and practicing sounding nice.
I was going to try out for Rose of Tralee for the free trip to Ireland if I won the Texas round, but I don't have documentation of my Irishness, just an Irish surname. I was going to tap dance or play the flute. As a former tap dancer, I think learning a simple tap dance is pretty easy if you're remotely coordinated.
Also, you're Irish, so you may well have already seen it, but you should watch the Father Ted episode where they parody Rose of Tralee.
posted by ishotjr at 7:04 PM on February 20, 2010
I was going to try out for Rose of Tralee for the free trip to Ireland if I won the Texas round, but I don't have documentation of my Irishness, just an Irish surname. I was going to tap dance or play the flute. As a former tap dancer, I think learning a simple tap dance is pretty easy if you're remotely coordinated.
Also, you're Irish, so you may well have already seen it, but you should watch the Father Ted episode where they parody Rose of Tralee.
posted by ishotjr at 7:04 PM on February 20, 2010
Best answer: How about a rendition of Ireland's own Samuel Beckett's Breath?
If you're friend is really wierd, and not just quirky, that is.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 7:59 PM on February 20, 2010
If you're friend is really wierd, and not just quirky, that is.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 7:59 PM on February 20, 2010
oh ffs. your. your friend. i'm mortified.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 8:00 PM on February 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Cold Lurkey at 8:00 PM on February 20, 2010 [1 favorite]
Storytelling seems appropriately Irish, even without origami.
posted by eleanna at 9:22 PM on February 20, 2010
posted by eleanna at 9:22 PM on February 20, 2010
I think speed origami sounds interesting - one of the contestants a couple of years ago did a speed Rubik's cube solving - if it suits your friend's personality and gives her a chance to show it. Not sure personality trumps the less interesting Lovely Girls thing in terms of winning, but at least your friend could have fun while being vaguely in the spirit of the competition.
posted by carbide at 1:20 AM on February 21, 2010
posted by carbide at 1:20 AM on February 21, 2010
Not quite speed origami but she could make napkin roses. It would tie in nicely with the name of the contest. It's easy to learn to do an okay one but with some practice you can make them look pretty nice. I'd be tempted to do 2 or 3 while reciting any Irish poem about roses and putting them in an empty beer bottle since it was my bar talent (take that, you label peelers) but your friend might want to be more classy.
http://bartendermagic.com/bartricks/tricknapkinrose.asp
This looks better if you tear the paper about half way down the stem to make a leaf.
posted by stray thoughts at 4:39 AM on February 21, 2010
http://bartendermagic.com/bartricks/tricknapkinrose.asp
This looks better if you tear the paper about half way down the stem to make a leaf.
posted by stray thoughts at 4:39 AM on February 21, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Or, rather, recite a poem written in an Irish dialect. Have her get really into it.
posted by fontophilic at 3:28 PM on February 20, 2010