GERMANY: BRITISH CONDUCTOR SIR SIMON RATTLE CONDUCTS NEW TUNE THE DANCING FEET OF 200 BERLIN TEENAGERS

Record ID: 860753

  • Title: GERMANY: BRITISH CONDUCTOR SIR SIMON RATTLE CONDUCTS NEW TUNE THE DANCING FEET OF 200 BERLIN TEENAGERS
  • Date: 18th February 2004
  • Summary: (L!3) BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 23, 2004) (REUTERS) BOYS DANCING VARIOUS SHOTS OF TURKISH GIRLS IN HEADSCARVES DANCING
  • Embargoed: 4th March 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVA55JPKR7NHX6T9OA08SJK3QK3P
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: British Conductor sir Simon Rattle is conducting a new tune - the dancing feet of 200 Berlin teenagers.
    The British conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Simon Rattle, has taken on another cross-border partnership.
    This time he has brought the Berlin Philharmonic together with a British choreographer, a French ballet and two hundred schoolchildren from all over Berlin's geographical and social stage.
    The rehearsals for Maurice Ravels Daphnis and Chloe have been running since the beginning of January, and lat week the amateur dancers finally got to show off their new moves to world class music played by a world class orchestra - in a packed out Berlin arena. All the tickets for the performance were sold out long in advance. The choreographer Suzanne Broughton says it is amazing how the children have made progress considering they didn't know each other and the majority of them had never listened to classical music before. Many of the children said classical music had grown on them. "I haven't listened to very much classical music, I listen to hip hop and R&B," 17-year old Emrah Fikvi Oglo from Lilienthal High school told Reuters TV. "For me it's something new, and I like it a lot, I think its great how you can just move to it," he said.
    "There's always this thing of seeing these tough kids, particularly these big boys dancing to this music so sensitively and atmospherically, but then the minute they are off stage they are back to the other mask," Simon Rattle told Reuters. "But then they are just expressing another part of themselves, and boy we could do with more sexy sensuality in this modern world.
    And that is what they are getting from Daphnis and Chloe."
    The children taking part are between the ages of 12 and 20, they come from all over Berlin, from different cultures, and attend different kinds of schools.
    "The best thing about the project is being able to dance with everyone, because they are from different groups, for example form different social levels, and its simply impressive to see how disciplined they can be, said Emrah Fikvi Oglo. He and a few other he had met on the project now regularly met on an evening to discuss the project and exchange ideas.
    "This is just a big joy," Simon Rattle told Reuters.
    "I've always wanted to be part of helping to bring this big crazy city together and all the different art forms and all the different ages and different communities, and so I feel like I am getting part of my dream coming true."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
Register