Arts on the Air | 09.07.2008 | 23:30
Backstage at the State Ballet School of Berlin
For those who dreamed of becoming a ballerina in the GDR, the State Ballet School of Berlin, in East Berlin, was THE place to get the training.
For 40 years the State Ballet School supplied the East Germany with the bulk of their dancers, churning out enough artistic talent it its numerous classical companies. With reunification the school was thrown into limbo. After 1989 aspiring German dancers could choose to train anywhere in the country - or in the world for that matter. No longer living in a bubble, the school had to measure its artistic merits against all other ballet academies and do some re-tuning to stay credible. As with many GDR establishments, revamping itself was an arduous, drawn-out task, however, a successful one. Today the State Ballet School of Berlin gives 200 dance students a unique, academic and professional dance education and attracts students from 18 countries. Today, many of the schools graduates are soloists in prestigious German and various European companies.
Reporter: Leah McDonnell
