#Bettakultcha

I am a lover of Twitter, and have met some lovely people through using it.  I enjoy the “hash tag” thing, I love re-tweeting and being ‘in the know’ about exciting things that are happening in and around Leeds.

Every so often, for probably the length of time I’ve been Tweeting, there is a hash tag that gets thrown around by my friends and ‘Followings’: #bettakultcha.  They are often praising another tweeter (or 8), and they also seem a little random to one ‘out of the loop’..

I was intrigued..

I finally became aware of the date of a Bettakultcha event in time to register for a ticket.  Also, given that it was the January event and the lovely organisers are aware of the post-Christmas pinch, the £5 ticket price was waived.  So, I had my place, and for Freeee!  :)

I received an email about a clothes swap that would be taking place during the night, but apart from that, I had no more information about what would be happening.  I asked about on Twitter for a description and Miss Elly Snare replied: “@TessaSmith errr only culture booze magic and laughter in one cabaret package!”

As I learned more (some on the night itself, as I waited for the “show” to start) the rules were explained: 5 minutes of ‘presenting’ on whatever topic you’d like.  20 slides, 15 seconds each must accompany your talk. NO PITCHES.

It seems Bettakultcha takes place in different venues (sometimes tiny secret ones, other times large spaces like the Corn Exchange) but this time we were at the Brudenell Social Club.

The evening commenced with the MC welcoming everyone, explaining the event with a wonderful ‘Cup and Spoon’ visual aid – and then we were off.

2 ‘acts’ with a short interval (for clothes swapping) followed, with 6 speakers each side.  Funny, interesting, sweet, touching and moving, each presentation attacked the task at hand with a slightly different method and the variety was enormous.

There was a rant about Grammar (from Jules), a 5-minute explanation of neutrinos and whether they can indeed travel faster than the speed of light.  We heard stories of camp-stove gourmet cooking, the difference (or similarities) of Indian and British culture.  We were introduced to the art of photography in abandoned spaces, and were shown how to play the Musical Saw.     There was an incredible moving talk from Emma about her experiences of volunteering, that had the crowd hushed and shedding a collective tear.

It was an incredible night, and I came away feeling inspired and excited to (one day) have a go myself – and, as my friend Jacqui remarked, how often does that happen?  Fantastic stuff.

I think it’s difficult to express the event fully to someone who has not been, but I can fully recommend it.  Get yourself booked for the next one – there’s no regularity to the events (They’re not, as I previously thought, monthly..) so you’ve got to keep your ear to the ground (Twitter timeline).

 

Yet another wonderful thing that Leeds has to offer.  I love this city.

Tessa x

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