The Dancing to Connect workshops that started in five high schools here in Berlin on Sunday (yep, the students showed up on the weekend!!) are off to a fantastic start.
The schools are flung out across this very expansive city, in the neighborhoods of Wedding, Hellersdorf and others, giving us the opportunity to reach students who are not often in the spotlight.
From the evidence which was displayed in rehearsals today, the students are engaged in challenging work. According to the teaching artists, the first barrier to overcome was, "No, this is not a hip-hop workshop!" and second was "You are going to choreograph a dance, your OWN dance -- not something that we've imported to teach to you!" The teaching artists have persisted and the students have given in -- and seem to be realizing that the stakes are high (a performance in the illustiours Haus der Berliner Festspiele) and the rewards are similarly high.
Students asked whether there would be talent scouts in the audience! (The American Idol mania is everywhere, I guess.) I'm not sure if I convinced them when, asked whether there would be "important people" in the audience, I shared the lesson that all professional performers must master: every audience member is a VIP.
Photos and personal reflections will be added to the blog tomorrow, I PROMISE!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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