Rhythm Is It !

The filmmakers spent five months following the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and their new conductor, Sir Simon Rattle during the first season of their collaboration. At the heart of the film is a dance spectacle, based on Igor Stravinsky’s “Le sacre du printemps”, which brought together 250 Berlin children as well as other young people from 25 different nations and a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds. None of these young people had ever had anything to do with either classical music, or each other, before. During rehearsals, these teenagers found themselves involved in exercises aimed at developing artistic skills as well as social integration, all of which was to leave a lasting impression on the participants. “You can change your life in a dance class.” With these words British choreographer Royston
Maldoom started helping the kids discover their own creativity and unleash the potential which would also make them stronger and more self-confident in their normal lives.
Concentrating on three protagonists: Marie (14), Martin (19) and Olayinka (15), the film describes three very different processes of development. The rehearsals lasted six weeks and ended with a performance, accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, before an audience of 3,000 people. In addition to portraying the three protagonists, the film also provides a unique insight into rehearsals of this world-famous orchestra and its conductor, Sir Simon Rattle; indeed, this was the first time this tradition-
conscious orchestra had ever allowed a film crew to record its rehearsals with such intensity.