Danielle (Dany) Mitzman is a British freelance journalist who has been based in the north Italian town of Bologna since 1998. Before that, she worked in London as a producer for Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4. She makes features and documentaries for BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4, Deutsche Welle Radio and Radio Netherlands. Her reports are often rebroadcast on other networks, including NPR, CBC, ABC Australia and SABC. Her favourite areas are human interest, arts and culture and Italy's quirkiest news stories.
“Spring Forward, Fall Back” is an adage many of us will have used last weekend to remember which way to change the clocks. It’s also the inspiration for the name of a brand new contemporary dance festival which took place in Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana, from Friday to Sunday.
Aerowaves Spring Forward – Dance For Changing Times treated locals to a veritable extravaganza of contemporary dance. 23 companies from 13 countries performed works at the biggest ever festival for new European dance.
Inviting promoters and programmers from all over the world, the festival is a platform to showcase the works of young choreographers, as well as offering local audiences a unique overview of what’s new in contemporary dance.
(first broadcast on Arts on the Air, Deutsche Welle Radio, 30th March, 2011)
French oyster producers say the much-loved mollusc is at risk of becoming a thing of the past. Will we soon be saying adieu to oysters?
Cupped oysters all over Europe are suffering from a Herpes virus epidemic which began 3 years ago and is threatening to completely destroy the industry. The situation is especially bad in France, where oyster farmers are losing a staggering 80% of their income.
While the virus doesn’t pose a health threat to humans, it is devastating the livelihoods of those in the business. And many natural oyster farmers are angry that the spread of the virus may well have been exacerbated by the introduction of laboratory manipulated and reproduced oysters.
French oyster farmers were at the Salone del Gusto, Slow Food’s international fair for traditional food producers, to publicise their plight.
(first broadcast on European Business Week, Deutsche Welle Radio, 30th October, 2010)