When chickens dance the mambo

Amongst donkeys prancing, turtles dancing in slow motion and clucking chickens, Oldenburg students are learning what makes artistic work in an inclusive group so special. They are currently rehearsing "Carnival of the Animals". The play premieres on 5 May.

"Hey Mambo" rings out from the loudspeakers. A group of women begin to sway their hips in time to the music. Carina Rector and Henriette Lohrberg watch with interest. The two students are waiting for their cue: they belong to the kangaroo group and are not due to join in the action until a little later. That's right, isn't it?

The fact that not everything is running smoothly in the university auditorium this afternoon is no big deal. This is only the second time that the individual groups of the inclusive music and dance project "Carnival of the Animals", based on the work by Camille Saint-Saëns, have rehearsed together. So far, each of the eleven participating teams has rehearsed its scene separately, with the support of artistic director Alexander Hauer from the cultural agency OpusEinhundert. The individual scenes must now be brought together to form a complete work of art before the premiere at the beginning of May. This is no easy task, as the groups involved are as diverse as the city in which they live: Active members of the Centre for Women's History are just as much a part of the 150-strong ensemble as citizens of the inclusive district project Neu-Donnerschwee, the choir Chorgonzola from Blauschimmel Atelier and Tanztheater Friesland. They are joined by deaf people, the dancers from Rolligold, residents of Gertrudenheim, pupils with and without special needs and 30 students.

Tools for everyday school life

The university was already involved in the previous "From the New World" project almost three years ago, when sports students took part. This time, they come from Educational Sciences, Special Needs Education, the Institute of Music and the Institute of Art and Visual Culture. The latter created the poster for the play and tried their hand at making masks. One of the music lecturers involved is Christiane Abt: "I was told about the previous project with such enthusiasm that I immediately thought about developing a seminar from it." She thinks a lot of such co-operation projects, because in her opinion they provide students with good tools for their everyday school life. They can learn from a practical example how to tailor their lessons to groups of pupils with special needs. "This is music education didactics in action," says Abt, adding that artistic aspirations must not be lost sight of - something that can happen at a university where science and didactics naturally take centre stage. To avoid this, the students are challenged on several levels during the "Carnival of Animals": They have to help lead a group of animals, appear on stage as actors themselves and also play in the orchestra. "I'm sure it will be a success. They'll still be talking about it when they've been in their academic appointments for 20 years," says Abt with conviction. Anyone who gets the chance to help organise a project like this during their studies will have the confidence to do something similar later in their careers.

Everyone as they can

Henriette Lohrberg does not yet know exactly what she wants to do later on. However, one thing is already clear to the student: "I want to do something creative, but outside of school," says the prospective special needs teacher. That's why this seminar particularly appealed to her: the combination of theatre, music and special needs education is a perfect fit. Lohrberg is also happy to pick up her flute again, which she had actually already mothballed: "Our orchestra rehearsal this morning was still a bit chaotic, but it's getting there," she says with a smile. Her fellow student Carina Rector thinks it's great to work with so many people who have nothing to do with the university. "The groups are so diverse, and yet everything somehow fits together". You often don't even notice that a fellow participant is impaired, adds Katrin Iber, who wants to become a maths and music teacher: "It's not about the individual, but about the group. Everyone takes part to the best of their ability." The project is much more extensive than a traditional university seminar. "But I don't really notice that. You're totally involved and the time flies by."