IELTS Speaking Part 2 – Topic: Describe a recent event that made you happy

Today, I am going to share with you a recent event that made me happy. A month ago, my friend and I attended a hip-hop and contemporary dance performance sponsored by the Japan Foundation Center, Goethe Institute, and L’Espace Center called “Europe Meets Asia”.

The tickets were free so we did not see any reason for not going; we both like dancing a lot. The performance was given by artists from Japan and Israel. It was a combination of hip-hop and contemporary dance.

With their talents, they created such an amazing performance. We were surprised to see how flexible they were while performing. The dance also delivered a message which could be interpreted differently by different people. To me, it was about young people in the modern world, bored with the daily routine of life and trying to escape from this boredom in order to do something spectacular or at least pursue their passions.

After a 40-hour workweek, this event was like a fresh breeze in my life. It was a new experience that I had rarely had before, because in Hanoi, we don’t get to see art performances by foreign artists that often.

– hip-hop: a style of music usually based on rap and often including elements of other styles such as funk or rhythm and blues.
Example: My best friend is an awesome hip-hop artist who performs all around the world.

– contemporary: current, modern, nowadays.
Example: As an art collector, he focuses on contemporary artists from Asia and Europe.

– sponsored by: an individual or organization that puts something on, that supports an event financially.
Example: This evening’s event was sponsored by Apple, Microsoft and Dell computers.

– given by: in this context the artists give a performance or perform and so we say it was given by them.
Example: The keynote presentation was given by Mark Zuckerberg, speaking Chinese.

– combination of: when two or more things are combined to create something new.
Example: The combination of science and art classes helps students learn in a creative way.

– talent: a special skill that one has.
Example: He has a talent for making movies and will likely become a director some day.

– flexible: to be able to bend your body in all sorts of ways.
Example: Ballet dancers and yoga instructors are very flexible.

– interpret: to understand something in a certain way.
Example: The two people interpreted the performance in two completely different ways.

– daily routine: that which you do every day, like get up, eat breakfast, go to work,
come home, clean up, watch TV, go to bed.
Example: His daily routine starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m.

– spectacular: amazing, fantastic, super special.
Example: His new book is spectacular. Have you read it yet?

– pursue their passions: to follow your interests and desires.
Example: He wants to pursue his passion for chemistry by getting a PhD.

– fresh breeze: used in this context to describe something that is new and refreshing.
Example: Spending a day out in the woods was like a fresh breeze, compared to my usual boring daily routine.

– rarely: not very often.
Example: I rarely go downtown due to the traffic.