Every Friday afternoon, maybe around 11:30 a.m., there is probably a moment for most children and young people at school when their thoughts drift off to the weekend – to the outdoor pool, to grandma’s, to some party. Listening is harder. What the teacher explains afterwards, she should tell again on Monday morning. Unless the teacher’s name is Karin Ganslmeier and the classroom is the gymnasium of the Christoph-Probst-Gymnasium (CPG) in Gilching. And what she explains isn’t the new math formula, but the announcement that “next Thursday evening after the premiere, the fifth-graders will probably also be going to bed quite late.” Here, the attention of the ten to 18-year-olds sitting across from her could not be greater. “Oh, really cool, hey…”, whispers through the sweaty, barefoot rows.
Training takes place on Friday afternoon: Up to a hundred young people practice in the sports hall for the big show, which can seat up to 350 spectators.
(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)
It’s not just the little ones’ bedtimes that have changed slightly this week at the CPG in Gilching. The whole school seemed to be looking forward to the upcoming premiere of around 100 children and young people in the “Art of Movement” elective the week before: A working group in which students from all grades meet in the gym on Friday afternoons to practice acrobatics, juggling and dance in order to after the “long week of school, to glide effortlessly into the weekend in a sporty manner,” says Ganslmaier.
For more than 30 years Karin Ganslmeier, the “Rabbit Mama”, has been leading the artist ensemble of the Christoph-Probst-Gymnasium Gilching. She will retire next year.
(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)
The stage and seats for the more than 350 expected guests will be set up in the sports hall, and a live stream on the Internet is also planned for the show. “Art of movement” has long since made a name for itself outside of school: in 2019, the Süddeutsche Zeitung awarded it the “Class!” special school sports prize at the Talentiade competition. out. The elective brought the physical education teacher Ganslmeier into being in 1990, back then “with two handfuls of students”. The repertoire of the movement artists has steadily increased since then: on the last day before the premiere, the kids do gymnastics and juggling through the sports hall at a remarkable level. The theme for the performance called “Favola” is fairy tales: a journey through Grimm’s fantasy worlds, through the stories of Aladdin, Peter Pan and Mary Poppins. A second “secret performance” is also planned, reveals Ronja, a high school graduate. Two years after leaving school, the elective allows her to return to the “creative team” at CPG every Friday: “The ‘Memoria’ show is a gift for our dear Karin. Next year will be her last as ‘Rabbit Mama’, as we call her.” The “Rabbit Mama” will retire in the summer of 2023, which she has been entitled to for two years. Tobias Gall, 34-year-old math and sports teacher at the CPG, will be her successor. Does he already know the names of all the children? “Nope… only Karin can do that until now!”
The 10- and 11-year-olds Kiara, Natalie and Pauline sort the colorful entrance tickets according to “Kariiiin’s” announcement – here in the gym everyone is on first name basis. The three have been movement artists since the beginning of fifth grade – and became close friends in the process. They find it all “super exciting”. After all, it was her first performance because of the two-year corona break. Isn’t it exhausting to reconcile the adjustment period at high school and the art of movement with Karin? “Of course it’s exhausting, but this is almost like free time: meeting friends and doing sports!”, says Pauline. Kiara emphasizes: “I also do Chinese as an elective – the It’s exhausting!” Then the three of them retreat, giggling.
The spectators can expect a colorful and fast-paced show by the movement artists from the Christoph-Probst-Gymnasium, which can also be followed via the Internet.
(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)
Chinese and juggling in the sixth grade: “Our children are special here, they are very committed. But we find a place for everyone – even for the shy ones with no experience,” says Ganslmeier. Getting together is still the most important thing: “In sports, even young people no longer draw any boundaries between cool and uncool. If you form a human pyramid with ten people, you really have to stick together” – physically and mentally. When the human pyramid works, the feeling of success is great, self-confidence is a bit better and the group community is strengthened.
When the human pyramid works, the feeling of success is great.
(Photo: Franz Xaver Fuchs)
Ganslmeier manages that even on Friday afternoon hardly any of the 100 kids are already thinking about the weekend. Everyone is there. How do you manage that? With visibly great affection for the students: “I like to give children a lot of credit. Then they take the optional subject, which I prefer to simply call “our family”, seriously, and create incredible things.”
The “Fabula” performances will take place daily at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday, July 14 to Sunday, July 16, and also at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Adults pay eight euros, viewers with reduced tickets and users of the live stream only four euros. The “Memoria” show will also run on Saturday, July 23 (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday, July 24 (1 p.m. and 5 p.m.). The ticket price for adults is eight euros (five euros reduced) and four euros for the live stream. Tickets for both shows can be purchased either online at https://www.bewegungskuenste-cpg.de/?screen=performances or can be obtained directly from the students at the CPG.