The music echoes through the boxes just over the provincial border in Ter Apel and the dance marikes dance at their best. Six carnival associations Drenthe came to the party tent for the dance marie festival that is being organized this year by the partly Drentse carnival association De Bultruters from Roswinkel, Barnflair and Munnekemoer.
Today it’s all about the children on stage. The dance maries. They have hoisted themselves in dance outfits and have their hair in the fold. The entire afternoon they can show what they have worked on all year round. On songs from children for children, among others, the youngest dancers kick off the afternoon.
The dance maries of the bultuuters are trained by Danique Wagt and Julia Boudestein. They like that the girls are so enthusiastic, says Boudestein. “It is quite a lot of work, but those girls are so happy and they are behind with so much tension [in de coulisse] That is very nice to see. “
“Putting it together on stage. I like that very nicely,” says Dansmarieke Lynn from Barger-Compascuum. She is now doing this for the age of thirteen. Just like her younger teammate of the same name, she enjoys the cosiness. “The people around us. The cosiness. We all come from the same village, I think that’s very nice about carnival.”
Carnival is a big party, also in our province. Princess Vera Kuipers of De Bultuuters knows that all too well. “Carnival is a party that a village and and the surrounding area will unite. It is a party where everyone makes a party together. It doesn’t matter who is who and how old you are. I think that’s the great thing about carnival.”
“Carnival is a lot,” adds Prince Henrie Borchers from the same association to her. “Especially when you come from this environment, you grow with that. As a child you will be infected with it. If you don’t come from this environment, then you don’t get it. But if you come from Ter Apel here, then you know Really what it is. “
“People think it’s a lot of party, that is of course also part of it. But it is also something meaning for your village and also for other people,” says Prince Jim Lingenaar of carnival association ‘t Stiekelzwien from Barger-Compascuum. “During the carnival weekend we often visit older people in the village. Or sick people in the village. That too is part of Carnival.”
The organization expects more than 1,000 visitors this afternoon in Ter Apel. Many of them are members of the nine carnival associations from Drenthe, Groningen and Germany, but also family and friends of the Dansmariekes are present. The atmosphere is good, but one has to be patient for the real carnival. That is only the end of February.