The preparations are in the final phase. The visitors are told about the 27. June to 7. July seven evenings a musical journey full of surprises with dance, acrobatics, music and singing offered.
Although the director of dance street, petra mahr-richter, who is now organizing this event for the seventh time, has a certain, yet joyful, excitement about her. In the visitors' room of the kaspar-zeub-gymnasium it begins to pay off.
She has been teaching sports at the kaspar-zeub-gymnasium for 24 years. Dancing has been a topic since she was a child. If you listen to her, it's not surprising that she founded a dance group at her school and has successfully participated with her girls in championships in upper franconia and bavaria.
Later, she had the idea of integrating boys into her dance group. That was the starting signal for "dance street". In the meantime, these performances have become an integral part of the school's annual program.
Not every applicant is suitable
"The moment i'm on stage, all the effort and excitement are forgotten", said mahr-richter. In fact, there is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes. There is, for example, the coordination with the technology, where costs have to be cut or changed. Talks with authorities and sponsors need to be held. And the most important thing: it is necessary to rehearse regularly for "dance street" rehearsed are.
Over 40 schoolchildren will be on stage this year. For the past three years, petra mahr-richter has been conducting a kind of casting to recruit new members for her dance group. "In the meantime, I have an idea of which applicants are suitable for 'dance street'", she says. Once she has her troupe together, the work begins. The preparations take a year. Rehearsals start on friday, later immediately before the performances, on friday, saturday and sunday.
Diligence and perseverance
Sometimes it is not so easy to keep the students in line during all the months. "But they know", according to mahr-richter, "you have to invest a lot of hard work, stamina, perseverance and discipline in 'dance street'".
It is not always easy for the trainer herself to combine teaching and "dance street" to get it all under one roof, especially since some of the participants come from the upper frankenwald region. That's why it's important, says mahr-richter, that her participants enjoy dancing.
"But when you see that the audience is enthusiastic and rewards us with frenetic applause, it's an indescribable feeling – not only for me, but for the entire dance street team!"
Idea can come up at any time
The ideas for "dance street coming of age 55 in everyday life. "It can be that I listen to music when I'm driving and then I realize: that's it!" She confesses: "i then take the first steps and think ahead. In my mind I am cutting the music and putting together the appropriate costumes!"
Meanwhile, petra mahr-richter can no longer imagine a school year at kaspar-zeub-gymnasium without her dance group. "For me, the preparations for the 'dance street' are positive stress." And she is convinced: "for the participants, 'dance street' means a growth in their personality, team skills and self-confidence." These are characteristics that you also need for your later life. "And it's a great feeling to be part of it!"