Round-a-bout in Essen

Moves in Mülheim

What's Shakin' in Duisburg

Debrief - Hallo Gladbeck!!

We visited ALL the schools last week for a hello/goodbye and CCA year-end debrief.
They each made a video--here they are!

Die Preisverleihung der Children's Choice Awards 2013

Nachträglich noch ein paar Bilder von der Preisverleihung. Die Fotos hat Stephan Glagla geschossen. Am 6. Oktober wurden 30 Awards von den 94 Jurymitgliedern verliehen und viele Künstler sowie Repräsentanten kamen um ihre Preise entgegen zu nehmen. Ministerin Löhrmann und die Sponsoren von der Sparkasse aus NRW und Stiftung Mercator schauten sich ebenfalls die Veranstaltung an. Die Jury hat die Bühne mit ihren selbsterdachten Preisen, den Begründungen und einigen Talentacts gerockt!!

Eine leere Tribüne, einige Fakten über CCA 2013 und viele Zuschauer, die gespannt auf die Jury warten

GOODBYE!!!

We don't have any photos from the ceremony or party yet, but we do have this video from one of the GREATEST DANCE PARTIES Deutschland has ever seen.

GOODBYE JURY, WE LOVE YOU AND SEE YOU SOON!!!

The Children's Choice Awards der Ruhtriennale 2013

Die Children's Choice Awards 2013 wurden verliehen. Gestern fand die feirliche Preisverleihung in der Gebläsehalle in Duisburg statt. Den Preis "Das Beste vom Besten" räumte Rimini Protokoll mit ihrem neuen Projekt Situation Rooms ab.

Situation Rooms - Das Beste vom Besten und

                               Die spannendste Aufführung, die so spannend war, dass ich keinen Moment                                            verpassen wollte

Test Pattern - Der meiste Stromverbrauch und

                        Einfach nur wow!

WWW 2013 - Schönstes Bühnenbild

Delusion of the Fury - Die schlimmsten Kostüme

CRACKz - Bester Körper

Ikon of Light - Die berührendste Show

Silence, Exile, Deceit - Die Show, die so spannend war, dass ich mitmachen wollte

Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern - Das gruseligste Make-Up und

                                                                     Die langsamste Show

Metropolis - Die Show mit den ältesten Künstlern

Levée des Conflits - Die Show, in der ich vor Schweiß wegschwimmen musste!!

Sinking of the Titanic - Die Show, in der ich am schnellsten eingeschlafen bin

Stifters Dinge (The Unguided Tour) - Die Show, in der ich dachte WTF???

Fault Lines - Die Show, in der Musik und Tanz nicht zusammen gepasst haben

Nowhere & Everywhere - Bester Regisseur

Audio Graffiti - Die coolsten Töne

Last Adventures - Die Show mit den verrücktesten Leuten, verrücktesten Klamotten und der                                              verrücktesten Musik

Partita 2 - Die Show, in der ich keine Gefühle hatte

In Absentia - Die Musik, die so langweilig war, dass ich mich gefragt habe, ob das überhaupt noch                              Musik ist

Laughing Hole - Achtung: PEINLICHKEIT!! und

                            Die Show, in der mein Trommerlfell geplatzt ist

Stifters Dinge - Ich will das Ding haben!

Glasgow - Die Show, die irgendwie cool war, aber auch so langweilig, dass ich fast während des                             gesamten Stückes gemalt habe

Vortex Temporum - Die verrückteste Gestik

Tower - So etwas wäre mir im Leben nicht eingefallen

Agora/Arena - Die Show, in der ich mich verliebt habe

Abdelnour/Battus - Ohen Worte

Freitagsküche - Die ranzigste Umgebung, aus der die Produktion aber viel gemacht hat

LAST SHOW: Vortex Temporum

On Thursday we went to our LAST SHOW for CCA 2013!! We headed to the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum for choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker's new piece, Vortex Temporum.

Here we are in the car for the last ride!

Improv Concert at Maschinenhaus

Monday night: a trip to the Maschinenhaus in Essen for a concert by improv duo Christine Abdelnour

and Pascal Battus. We couldn't wait to find out what the jury would think of their unique saxophone/"rotating surface" improv/sound art performance....

Here we are picking up the jury in Mülheim!

Saturday night @ Ikon of Light

Saturday night was a pretty epic night at Ikon of Light, a concert featuring works by John Tavener and Arvo Pärt, performed by ChorWerk Ruhr and Ensemble Resonanz. It was our first CCA trip to Dortmund but I don't think the long trip is the reason there was 502 photos on the camera by the end of the night... (a new CCA record?) Here's about 60 of them... welcome to the CRAZY.

some pretty nice autobahn light... starting off the theme of the night

Q&A - Ikon of Light

Saturday Night

On our longest drive of the year, the CCA cars passed each other on the highway. Our black-van caravan was mistaken for an official government entourage. We sang to music on a CD made by one of the kids and blared it as we waved to passing cars. Without an announcement, the jury got spontaneous applause as they entered to take their seats. The kids talked to strangers and took their photos. The singers from the first half approached the kids to chat during the pause. I tried to convince the kids that Canadian kleenex is the same as German tissue but promised to post some anyway. The jury got free bread and pretzels just by asking! One kid yelled "Bravo" as the instrumentalists sat down to start to play. We heard the loudest stomach grumble in the history of the world. Three kids gave the show a standing ovation. Others were thrilled it was over. We sat on stage in the performers' chairs to meet the conductor and four musicians. The kids asked them what animal they would be if they had the choice. One kid got to hold a cello. Others asked for autographs. We danced and sang our hearts out to Dirty Dancing outside, possibly disrupting a wedding reception. We saw a rat. We almost got locked in our parking lot. We taught each other German and English the whole car ride back. There were 502 photos on the camera when I got home. 

It was CCA just the way it's meant to be. It was AWESOME.

It's Friday night and where else would we be? At the performance hall of course... this time to see music by Jonathan Harvey and Alban Berg at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum.

Here we are in the foyer with Dan Perjovschi's www 2013...

TROPHY MAKING!!!!!

This week, all FOUR schools in this year's CCA made their trophies for the big ceremony--coming up SOON!!! (October 6 at the Gelbäsehalle in Duisburg, in case you forgot) Here they are... and we have to say, they look PRETTY fantastic this year!

In Mülheim an der Ruhr...

Ein Brief von Robert Wilson!!!!

Robert Wilson hat geantwortet!!! Letzte Woche hatte die Klasse der Erich-Kästner-Schule einen Brief an Robert Wilson geschrieben, in dem sie sich für das Künstlergespräch bedankten. Gestern erhielt die Klasse eine Antwort, persönlich von ihm geschrieben in seiner wunderschönen Schrift, die dem einen oder anderen bekannt sein dürfte. Der Brief wird nun eingerahmt und in die Klasse gehängt. 

Danke Bob!!

Twin Singalong @ Stifters Dinge

Stifters Dinge, once more

On Tuesday, after two trophy-making workshops, we headed back to Duisburg for another visit to Heiner Goebbel's new performance, Stifters Dinge.

Robin enjoying the breeze of the autobahn...

Sunday double-header: Stifters Dinge & In Absentia

Sunday was ANOTHER double-header! First the jury headed back to Duisburg to see Heiner Goebbels' Stifters Dinge, the Unguided Tour. Here they are, with an extra large box of Juicy Fruit for the day...

Q&A Stifters Dinge mit Heiner Goebbels

Stifters Dinge

Saturday night: premiere night! We picked up the jury and headed to Duisburg for the opening of Heiner Goebbels' Stifters Dinge at the Kraftzentrale. But first...

here's Pascal riding an adorable pink bike

Das Mädchen, round two

It's the weekend! And on Friday we went back for a second round of Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern, starring Robert Wilson and Angela Winkler. Here we are, meeting at the Jahrhunderthalle, ready to make our VIP entrance (and before about 5 spins around the roundabout...)

Silence, Exile, Deceit: Verstecken spielen

A letter to Robert Wilson

Nachdem die Jury vergangenen Samstag Robert Wilson mit Fragen über Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern löchern durfte, schrieben sie ihm einen Brief, um sich dafür zu bedanken. 

Lara als Postbotin

CRAY at the fault lines

On Thursday night we went to Pact Zollverein to see the fault lines, with Meg Stuart, Philipp Gehmacher and Vladimir Miller. This jury is a bit CRAY and we had quite a bit of fun running around the Zollverein before the show even started....

I think picture sets the tone.

VIP

Englisch?

When Kids Are Loud/Wenn Kinder laut sind

- Die deutsche Fassung befindet sich weiter unten -


When Kids Are Loud

On the whole, the Children's Choice Awards' jury repeatedly impresses both us and the public who sit around us with their behaviour at the shows they see. We've shown this year and in past presentations of this project that not only can kids go see theatre and performance that we "expect" them not to get; that they can enjoy shows we don't think they will; and that they won't ruin the experience of them for the rest of us.

But sometimes... kids are loud. Or distracting. Or annoying. Last weekend, the jury went to a couple of shows where this was the case. Fidgeting, whispering, laughing... it happens, especially when kids are with other kids, in a group of 15, out of school and away from parents, with their friends. We know some of the people around us were annoyed. But this discomfort is part of what the project is about. And ultimately, we want to remind you: it's up to YOU to tell them how you feel.

In 2011, in response to some problems we encountered while doing CCA, Mammalian Diving Reflex's Artistic Director Darren O'Donnell wrote the Mammalian Protocol for Collaborating with Children (click for link), a document that, in effect, outlines the working method we use with the CCA jury. All of Mammalian's collaborations with children have, at one level or another, the theme of the full recognition of children as rights-holders who are “not only entitled to receive protection but also have the right to participate in all matters affecting them, a right which can be considered as the symbol for their recognition as rights holders. This implies, in the long term, changes in political, social, institutional and cultural structures,” that in effect, will create “a new social contract.” This is what all of Mammalian's work with children is about.

Q&A Partita 2

Silence, Exile, Deceit (errrrrr the haunted house?)

The jury went to the Mischanlage on Monday to check out Douglas Gordon's "industrial pantomime," Silence, Exile, Deceit. We hoped we'd figure out what that means....

Audio Graffiti (meeting of the CCAs!) and Partita No. 2 (talkativity?)

Sunday: another double header. We started first by bringing the jury to the final presentation for Hidden Mother's Audio Graffiti; after a food break, we headed to Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Boris Charmatz's performance of Partita No. 2. 

There was a lot of discussion about whether the CCA jury should attend Partita; last year, the jury was a bit... interruptive... at two of Anne Teresa's performances, and there was some debate about whether they should attend again--especially considering the long periods of silence in this particular performance. In the end, we decided to go; and in the end, the jury behaved WUNDERBAR, proving once again that their presence in the audience doesn't have to affect the show any more than if it's only adults. We are glad we went!

But first: we gotta put the magnets on the car. Rojhevi knows how to do it RIGHT.

Q&A Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern

Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern

On Saturday we headed to the premiere of Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern, with music by Helmut Lachenmann and direction, stage and light by Robert Wilson. We knew the musicians would be all around us and that the stage was a square... but other than that, we had no idea what to expect!

Here are the kids from Mülheim getting ready for the ride to the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum...

Situation Rooms and Freitagsküche

On Friday the 13th (!) we headed back to Rimini Protokoll's Situation Rooms and to the related Freitagsküche at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum. We split into two groups: 1 headed for Situation Rooms, 1 for the küche, and then we switched.

Here's the first group from Duisburg, at and around the Freitagsküche...

Test Pattern

100 KIDS AT TEST PATTERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today we did something HUGE: 

WE SAW TEST PATTERN WITH THE WHOOOOOLE JURY!!

100 kids, 3 buses and 2 cars from 4 different cities met at Duisburg's Landschaftspark. 

Here they are!

rAndom International: Tower

A few more pictures by Stephan Glagla of the Jury checking out the Tower

Situation Rooms & Agora / Arena

On Sunday we took the jury in two groups to Rimini Protokoll's much anticipated "Multiplayer Video-Play," Situation Rooms. Since we couldn't take any photos inside... this is all we got. Here's some of the first group with their (much coveted) tickets.

Laughing Hole

On Saturday night we had a double bill: La Ribot's performance, Laughing Hole, running for SIX hours at PACT Zollverein, and rAndom international's Instant Structure for Schacht XII, installed at one of the Zollverein's towers. It was a rainy miserable evening, but we didn't let that stop us from having fun... if it's gonna rain, let it pour!

Here we are doing the wet red-carpet walk...

Sinking of the Titantic

On Friday night, we went to Duisburg to watch Estonian conductor Anu Tali lead the Bochumer Symphoniker in performing Gavin Bryars' The Sinking of the Titanic. We hung out at the Gebläsehalle beforehand, waiting for the show to start, since some of us were meeting for the first time. Here they are...

Q&A with Jodie Lawson, Joost van der Elst and Anu Tali

Tarek Atoui zeigt der Jury sein Instrument

The Last Adventures

Yesterday the jury checked out the premiere of The Last Adventures, a new performance by Forced Entertainment in collaboration with Tarek Atoui. But first, we walked the red carpet to hoards of people at the fabulous Maschinenhalle Zweckel in Gladbeck.

Nowhere and Everywhere

Nowhere and Everywhere at the Folkwang Museum, Essen

After a brief hiatus, we're BACK! Today we checked out Nowhere and Everywhere at the Folkwang Museum in Essen, featuring the work of American choreographer William Forsythe. But first, the jury walked the red carpet to enter the show..

Q&A Levee des conflits

Der rote Teppich / The red carpet

- For English version see below-

Ein Beitrag von Darren O'Donnell, Ruhrtriennale 2012

Die Kinder der Children's Choice Jury betreten die Spielstätte über einen roten Teppich. Andere Kinder, die als Darsteller oder Besucher bei der Ruhrtriennale zu Gast sind, nicht. Warum also diese Kinder?

Diese Betrachtungsweise missversteht die Rolle des roten Teppichs. Der rote Teppich ist nicht irgendein Moment vor oder außerhalb von dem Projekt, er IST das Projekt. Er ist ein Teil der Performance, um es klarzustellen: The Children’s Choice Awards sind eine Performance. Bei der Jury handelt es sich nicht um eine echte Jury, die Preise verleiht und damit das Leben oder die Karrieren der Künstler verändert.

Hamsa Semo - Der Experte

Hamsa Semo

Als erfahrenes Jurymitglied der Children's Choice Awards von 2012 unterstützt

Hamsa Semo am Eröffnungswochenende die Organisation der diesjährigen Festivaljury.

Levée des conflits by Boris Charmatz

On Sunday we were sadly rained out of the Halde Haniel in Bottrop, but we still managed to see Boris Chamatz's Levée des conflits, a choreography for 24 dancers, indoors. Here is the jury before the show...

Metropolis: Actuel Remix

On Saturday night we went to Duisburg to see the Metropolis Ciné-Concert outdoors (but covered!) at the Gießhalle. In the dark, we had a jury meet and greet, and then hid from the rain on the bus as we waited to make our entrance.

Crackz

On Saturday we had another double-header, starting with Bruno Beltrão's dance performance, Crackz. Here is the jury walking the red carpet into PACT Zollverein... they're pros already.

Delusion of the Fury

The jury stuck around the Jahrhunderthalle after www 2013 to catch the second of their Friday double-header: Delusion of the Fury. We enjoyed the hammocks, ate some dinner and wreaked some havoc on the grounds while we waited...

Dan Perjovschi's www 2013

On Friday, the jury had a DOUBLE HEADER: Dan Perjovschi's www 2013 started us off in the afternoon. Here is the jury walking their first red carpet of the year: 

OPENING NIGHT at TEST PATTERN!!!!

THE CHILDREN'S CHOICE AWARDS AT THE RUHRTRIENNALE 2013 IS UNDERWAY!!!!

On Thursday, the festival, and the jury, got started. We put on our VIP badges and got back in the VIP cars to check out Ryoji Ikeda's Test Pattern at the Kraftzentrale in Duisburg. 

Here is Jana with jury 1 from the Erich-Kästner-Realschule in Mülheim an der Ruhr!

It's almost time!!!

Preiskategorien wählen und VIP-schilder basteln - Gesamtschule Globus am Dellplatz (Duisburg) und Parkschule (Essen)

Heute haben wir in Duisburg und Essen wahnsinnig viele Preiskategorien gesammelt und danach Magnetschilder für die VIP-Autos gebastelt. Die Jury ist also mit allem ausgerüstet, geht jetzt noch flott in die Ferien, um dann

Workshop#2 - Erich-Kästner-Realsschule in Gladbeck

Gruppenfoto (es fehlen weitere 90 Jurymitglieder!)

Workshop #1 at the Willy-Brandt-Schule in Mühlheim a.d. Ruhr

WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

It's official: THE CHILDREN'S CHOICE AWARDS ARE BACK AT THE RUHRTRIENNALE!

After a wunderbar run at the 2012 Ruhrtriennale, we're back to do CCA once more in Deutschland. Today we got started, and met our first 60 students (of 100 total!!!) at their schools in Mülheim and Duisburg. 

Meet the class in Mülheim!