Ankara State Opera works for children

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The Ankara State Opera and Ballet has produced a musical that debuted Feb. 3 at Leyla Gencer Theater to introduce opera and ballet to children.

In the musical, which highlights the importance of reading books, children will be able to learn the alphabet with the universal rhythms of dance music such as lullabies, folk songs, tango and valse.

For children between three and nine

The composer of the musical, Melih Seskır, said it had been created for an audience of children between the ages of 3 and 9. The story unfolds in a fantastic fictional town.

“Ahmet and Ayça, who happen to pass by a town where people do not read books, feel very sorry about it. The letters of the alphabet think that they are worthless and leave their place in books. The two children decide to help students in the town and they begin to read books again. In this way, letters return to their places in books,” Seskır said, adding that he incorporated elements of pop music in the production in order to appeal more to children.

“If you make a three-year-old child listen to opera, she or he does not want to come again. What we want is that they come to more theater plays and concerts. We want children to come together with art.”