Little ballerinas to dance on Children’s Day

ANKARA

Turkey’s State Opera and Ballet General Directorate will stage a show featuring young ballerinas’ performances for April 23 Children’s Day. 

Some 250 children are set to perform “The Nut Cracker,” “Swan Lake” and “The Sleeping Beauty.” 

Coordinated by Bahri Gürcan, the show will be staged April 22 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet (ADOB). 

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Gürcan said the project has been growing every year. 

“We plan to turn these April 23 events into a festival. It may be extended for the whole week. This year there has been a lot of interest for the events. Tickets were sold out as soon as they were put up on sale, so we organized a second show. Two performances will be staged on the same day for the first time by children,” he said. 

The show will have two acts, said Gürcan, adding: “Nearly 250 children will be on the stage during the show. They will dance to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, which is a very important symphony.” 

He said rehearsals for the show had been ongoing for a year and children between the ages of seven and 16 would take the stage. 

“The children are really excited for the show. This is a huge step in art. All types of organizations with children are very precious to us. Their talents get discovered at a very young age and they become great artists when they grow up,” he said.