Improv and comedy events this week

Melissa was joined by fellow improviser and comedian Den Belkin. Melissa and Dan are performing their improv show with The Garage Gang Improv once more in Luxembourg this week and Dan has two stand-up events happening where he will also be joined by local Luxembourg comedians

Talking Music: Jette from den Atelier

Jette joined Melissa and Meredith to reflect on how the year of live gigs has gone so far and what we can expect from a big den Atelier return in September with the Pond Eclectic festival kicking off

Not News Quiz: Melissa, Meredith, Lisa and Sasha

The Not News Quiz features on The Sam Steen Show every Friday so while Melissa was covering for Sam, Meredith put Sasha, Lisa and Melissa head to head in her infamous quiz! Find out who was the crowned champ

Elementa: Edinburgh Fringe

Melissa and Meredith had the pleasure of chatting to actor and theatre-maker Sian Eleanor Green all the way from London. Sian is very passionate about the environment and is taking her one-woman show 'Elementa' to the Edinburgh Fringe, it focuses on a planet-saving superhero who's lost her mojo. It is an endearing and exasperated comedy with a refreshingly imperfect eco-warrior protagonist and will be on at the Greenside at Infirmary Street for the duration of the EdFringe Festival

The Comparison: Children's book

'The Comparison/ La Comparaison' is an English/French bilingual children's book, written by Cíntia Ertel (Brazilian/Luxembourgish author) and Andries van Wyk (South African author) and illustrated by Andries van Wyk. They both live in Luxembourg. The book follows the story of Anton who is having difficulties in school when he begins to compare his achievements to the other children in his class. The book aims to reach out to all children, youths, and even adults who suffer from a low opinion of themselves and to help them learn to compare themselves to the right person and raise their self-esteem.

Bazar International Luxembourg

Charlotte de Vreeze-Nauta is one of the committee members of Bazar International Luxembourg and joined Melissa and Meredith to tell us about the work of the 1,500 volunteers behind Bazar and the huge range of charities they support. Bazar is the largest non-commercial and multicultural charitable organisation in Luxembourg and its purpose is to help people in need, all over the world through the charities they support. It is held once a year in Luxexpo with dozens of food, drink and fashion stands each represented by a different country.

Sonja Soyer: Artist and Art Teacher

Sonja Soyer, artist and art teacher joined Melissa and Meredith to tell us about her new early morning art sessions that enable you to start your morning with beauty and can have a positive impact on your entire day. Sonja’s approach is focused around playful creation, welcoming mistakes and not worrying about the end result and by doing this we can reconnect with the creative & curious child that’s within all of us. Sonja even taught our radio hosts some artistic techniques and we made art live in studio!

Esch2022: Earthbound Exhibition

Vincent Crapon, exhibition organiser and curator from Esch2022 joined Melissa to tell us about the current exhibition at the Möllerei. Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature presents 19 works by internationally renowned artists with the aim to spark reflection on urgent environmental issues, especially in regard to the complex relationship between human mankind and the ecosystem. It will run until the 14th of August 2022 and is organised in collaboration with HEK (House of Electronic Arts).<br />
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Vincent Crapon, exhibition organiser and curator from Esch2022 joined Melissa to tell us about the current exhibition at the Möllerei. Earthbound – In Dialogue with Nature presents 19 works by internationally renowned artists with the aim to spark reflection on urgent environmental issues, especially in regard to the complex relationship between human mankind and the ecosystem. It will run until the 14th of August 2022 and is organised in collaboration with HEK (House of Electronic Arts).

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Kids Life Skills

Kids Life Skills is a non-profit organization based in Luxembourg. Their teaching begins by imparting basic coding concepts & logic to children, ages 4–13 years, using hands-on puzzles & games. They also aim to give long-lasting life skills no matter what profession children choose. The program has steadily expanded and is offered in English, French & Luxembourgish.

Luxicals a.s.b.l

Luxicals is an international musical theatre group formed in 2021 and they speak and sing in Luxembourgish, German, French and English. Their goals are focused around creating their our own musical events, concerts, self-written musicals  and musical translations in Luxembourgish.

Luxicals is an international musical theatre group formed in 2021 and they speak and sing in Luxembourgish, German, French and English. Their goals are focused around creating their our own musical events, concerts, self-written musicals and musical translations in Luxembourgish.

Skin of Skunk Anansie

Melissa was really lucky to sit down with British rock icon Skin from the band Skunk Anansie. Skin dove deeper into her experiences of being a new parent, living and working through a pandemic, and understanding how our world changed in the past few years.

Kirchbeier Festival

Melissa was joined by David Rocas from Rocas Bar and Joe Wolff from Wolff Brewing Company to tell us all about the upcoming 4th edition of The Kirchbeier Craft Beer Festival happening July 2nd and 3rd at the Amphitheatre in Kirchberg. It will feature 20 local and international breweries which attendees will have the opportunity to sample at the festival. Also at the festival will be an eclectic Food Court, artistic acts and exhibitions and DJs performances.

And Be You School

School "and Be You" is a place where teachers do their best to provide a safe platform and environment for children and young people to express their creativity and to be unique through performing and visual arts. The school is divided into four departments: dance, drama, visuals arts and rhythmic gymnastics. They offer many quality workshops within the city and also in some cities in the south and north of Luxembourg.

Luxembourg National Karate Team

Melissa was joined by the Luxembourg National Karate Team coach Raphael Veras and athletes Laura Hoffmann and Pola Giorgetti. Raphael began coaching the team over a year ago and was tasked with changing the mentality of karate in Luxembourg and to encourage athletes to realise that even though they come from a very small country, they can compete against the bigger countries. Recently, the team has seen great successes, especially with the female athletes and they recently won four medals at the World Karate Federation.

Garage Gang Improv

Melissa was joined by her fellow improviser Dan Belkin, they discussed their Improv troupe Garage Gang, their shows and the benefits of practicing improv.

Girls in Tech Luxembourg

Melissa was joined by Vasiliki Moschou and Patricia Souza from the Luxembourg chapter of Girls in Tech which is about to launch in the Grand Duchy. Girls in Tech was founded in 2007 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the gender gap in tech. There are now more than 60,000 members in 50+ chapters around the world. They are passionate about inclusivity and committed to supporting women in tech.

Ramblin' South

Melissa was joined by Lisa Korshin lead singer of Ramblin' South; a Luxembourg-based band that encompasses the rough and warm essence of the South, mostly inspired by Rock, Blues and Jazz. Ramblin' South formed in 2015 and have since gigged all around Luxembourg and other parts of Europe and were voted 'Best Blues Band' in Luxembourg.

Eurovision Jan Zooms with Sam Ryder for a post Eurovision catch up.

Sam Ryder chats with Eurovision Jan

Eurovision Jan Zooms with Sam Ryder for a post Eurovision catch up.<br />
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Fresh off the stage at the Queen's Jubilee Sam Ryder jumped on a Zoom call with our man Eurovision Jan.

Fresh off the stage at the Queen's Jubilee Sam Ryder jumped on a Zoom call with our man Eurovision Jan.

TEDX Luxembourg

Dirk Daenen is the curator and organiser of TEDX for Lux City and has been involved in hosting and organising TEDx events in Luxembourg since 2013. On 29th June Dirk is organising a TEDxEducation event at Forum Geesseeknappchen. As part of the event there will be a “Idea and Design Competition” for those ages 12-18 and the winner the winner will do their very own TEDTalk which will be published on TED.com.

LEAPA

LEAPA (Luxembourg European Association of Performing Arts) is a social cultural non-profit club under the umbrella of the Cercle Culturel of the EU Institutions. Their goals are to promote and enjoy cultural activities in Luxembourg with its members, predominantly in English. LEAPA has an upcoming Murder Mystery event organised and they also regularly organise quizzes, singing workshop, stage make-up workshops, folk and jazz concerts, play readings, writing competitions, karaoke evenings and theatre trips.

Luxembourg Bike Festival

Melissa and Meredith were joined by Louis Hass CEO of OPTIN; a family owned event agency specialising in sports events. This weekend they are running the 4th edition of the Luxembourg Bike Festival in Boy Conen, Cessange. It will feature a biathlon, second hand market for bikes, mountain bike races, a Bike Film Festival and BMX demos & workshop for kids.

Tom Weber: Learn Luxembourgish

Tom Weber is one of our RTL Today's translators and is the writer of our series of Learn Luxembourgish lessons on RTL Today. He joined Melissa in studio to tell us about the final lesson in series one and even taught her some phrases live on air!

TippTopp Artbus & Art Studio

TippTopp is a startup focused on delivering creative experiences for children and adults offering a range of artistic activities. TippTopp provides its services in two unique spaces: on the Art Bus, one-of-a-kind mobile art studio, and in the Pop-Up Art Studio located in Luxembourg City. TippTopp has a process-based philosophy, meaning that the focus is more on the process of creating art than on the end result; there is no right or wrong, it’s just about falling in love with the art journey.

Gintare Parulyte: Writer and Director of Ladybits

Gintare Parulyte is a Lithuanian-born actress, author, scriptwriter, theatre director, and filmmaker from Luxembourg. She is the writer and director of the Web Series “Ladybits” which is currently on RTL Play. The webseries is about Jean and Clémentine, two young women and best friends. They're also ambitious actresses with professional obstacles, facing various female and life challenges (like abstinence from alcohol and men) while having no one but each other to hold on to.

Fondation EME

Sarah Bergdoll, General Coordinator of Fondation EME joined Melissa live in studio. The Fondation EME was founded 13 years ago and is a non-profit that works to bring well-being, inclusion and dignity to people who are fragile or in distress, while respecting their diversity, all through music. Every year, nearly 700 events for disabled children, the elderly, refugees, prisoners, autistic teenagers and single parents are organized by the Fondation. They believe that music is a universal language and the goals of these events are to move the participants, encourage them to express themselves and take charge of their destiny.

Tommy Schlesser

Luxembourgish actor Tommy Schlesser came into studio to discuss his new film, a Spanish-Luxembourgish production; 'Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake'. The film is based on Cristina Campos bestselling Spanish novel 'Pan de limón con semilla de amapolas' released in 2016 and is directed by Benito Sobrano. Set in a small town located in the island of Mallorca, Anna (Eva Martín) and Marina (Elia Galera), two sisters who were separated when they were teenagers, meet again to sell a bakery they’ve inherited from a mysterious woman they know nothing about. Tommy plays Matthias, Marina's boyfriend who is a doctor based in Africa.

FEATS22

Melissa was joined by John Briggs, General Coordinator of FEATS for 2022. FEATS; Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies, is a pan-European celebration of amateur English-speaking theatre that takes place in a different centre each year and has been going since 1976. This years festival will run from May 26th to 29th in Kulturhaus Mersch and is hosted by The New World Theatre Club. It will feature 12 performances by groups from different European cities while a Fringe programme takes place in the afternoons

An American in Luxembourg & LCTO Bike Tours

Mike McQuaide is originally from America and is now a Luxembourgish citizen and is known on social networks as "An American in Luxembourg". He is an avid road cyclist and mountain biker and has teamed up with the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO) to offer a two hour casual bike ride tour through Luxembourg city. The tours will help you rediscover Luxembourg City from a locals perspective

InTune Guitar Lessons

Melissa was joined in studio by Charles Goodhew and Jason Kavanagh from InTune. InTune started in 2019 with the simple goal of providing good quality, professional guitar and music theory lessons to adults and children. Alongside private guitar lessons they also run workshops on topics such as improvisation, songwriting and musical interaction, as well as focusing on specific genres and styles. In the interview, Charles and Jason discuss their accessible approach to music with lessons that can be tailored to meet the needs of the student whether they’re an absolute beginner or an advanced musician.

Fundamental Monodrama Festival

Melissa was joined by Steve Karier who is an actor and the Festival Director, Founder and President of Fundamental. This year marks the 12th edition of the festival and it runs from May 20th to 29th. It will take place at Banannefabrik in Bonnevoie and is made up of 13 shows, 5 creations and 1 orchestra from 10 countries. The festival has an international focus and is committed to politically engaged theater production. The artists will present their creations or show you their work in progress, the beginnings of creations and projects in the making.

Luxembourg Guitar Festival

Melissa was joined by Josip Dragnić, Artistic Director of Luxembourg Guitar Festival happening May 14th-15th 2022. This is the first festival dedicated to classical guitar in Luxembourg and features concerts, masterclasses and lectures. There is also a competition for young guitar students from Luxembourg alongside an international guitar competition with no age limit. The goal of the festival is to promote excellence of guitar playing in Luxembourg.

Serbian contestant Konstrakta chats with RTL Today Radio's Eurovision Jan

Eurovision 2022 Interview - Konstrakta

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Ochman

Sweden's Cornelia Jacobs charms Eurovision Jan

Eurovision 2022 Interviews Cornelia Jakobs

Lithuania's Monika Liu & Eurovision Jan in conversation

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Monika Liu

Eurovision Jan chats with Malta's Emma Muskat

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Emma Muscat

Eurovision Jan in conversation with Australia's Sheldon Riley

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Sheldon Riley

The Netherlands' S10 speaks to RTL Today Radio's Eurovision Jan

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - S10

Eurovision Jan caught up with Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra, the favourites for this year's title.

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Kalush Orchestra

Serve the City: Grouss Botz - The Big Clean Up

Melissa was joined by Nicolas Duprey and Jerome Bergeron from Serve the City. On May 14th, Serve the City are organising several clean-ups in Luxembourg as part of their Grouss Botz event. It will take place in different locations across Luxembourg gathering more than a hundred volunteers. 10 teams are already planned in numerous districts of the City and the South of the country. Grouss Botz is the occasion to restore social links within neighbourhoods and act together for cleaner cities and a greener tomorrow.

Denmark's Reddi catch up with our man on the ground, Eurovision Jan.

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Reddi

Eurovision Jan grabs Germany's Malik Harris for a chat!

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Malik Harris

Armenia's Rosa Linn chats with RTL Today Radio's Eurovision Jan

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Rosa Linn

Ireland's Brooke speaks to RTL Today's Eurovision Jan.

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - Brooke

Eurovision Jan, our man in Turin, speaks to Finland's The Rasmus!

Eurovision 2022 Interviews - The Rasmus

Françoise Poos: Director of Programmes at Esch2022

Françoise Poos joined Melissa live in studio to tell us how the first few months of Esch2022 have been and what to expect next. As part of the European Capital of Culture , more than 2000 events will be taking place in the South of Luxembourg and in neighbouring France in 2022. The programme comprises a vast array of events from all artistic disciplines with a specific thematic focus on the transition of the region from the industrial past to a contemporary society of knowledge.

Jess Bauldry on Festrogen: Women-centric comedy festival

Festrogen is a women-centric comedy festival happening May 6-8th 2022. What started as a workshop to encourage more women to do stand-up comedy in Luxembourg and the greater region, quickly morphed into a three-day festival with 3 shows: '50 Ways To Leave Your Employer', 'Bestrogen of Festrogen' and 'The Clitoris Act'. The festival is co-organised by Jess Bauldry, Sharon VS, Erin Crouch, Mari Volar and Anshita Koul

Wou d’Uelzecht: Immersive Soundwalk in 8 languages

Melissa was joined by Catherine Kontz, a Luxembourgish composer and S. L. Grange, a multi-disciplinary artist and writer to tell us about their recent creation 'Wou d’Uelzecht'. 'Wou d’Uelzecht' is a 5km soundwalk following the river Alzette from Audun-le-Tiche to Esch-Alzette, created as part of Esch2022 European Capital of Culture and free to download. It can be done any time, on your own or in a group and is suitable for all ages.

Olga Pascenco: Ukrainian Brunch Events

Melissa was joined in studio by Olga Pascenco who is organising a Ukrainian brunch in Luxembourg on May 1st at Florence Café. The event will feature traditional Ukrainian dishes and music and Olga hopes this brunch will be the first of many! The goal of the event is to raise cultural awareness, create economic and networking opportunities for the Ukrainian community and raise funds for the Ukrainian refugees in Luxembourg. The event is free of charge and everyone from the community is welcome!

Interview with UPlay Martial Arts School

Melissa was joined in studio by Leonardo Neves founder and head coach at Uplay Martial Arts. Uplay specialises in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for children and adults, and also offers Muay Thai, Freestyle Wrestling, Boxing and Self Defence. Leonardo and Melissa discussed breaking down certain taboos around martial arts and getting more females involved in it, and how martial arts can have positive impacts on your mental health and confidence.

Get home happy with Melissa Dalton’s mix of fun games, engaging stories and big tunes you’ll want to sing along to.

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