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Something Understood

Religion & Ethics

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life

Ethical and religious discussion that examines some of the larger questions of life, taking a spiritual theme and exploring it through music, prose and poetry

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Something Understood: Steps in Time

Steps in Time

23/10/2011

BBC Radio 4 - Something Understood, Steps in Time

Deborah Bull explores the our natural instinct to dance.

Deborah Bull reflects on how the urge to dance is one of the most natural of human instincts and how dance has been used to serve secular, sacred and social situations.

Deborah Bull, ex principal dancer for the Royal Ballet and now Creative Director for the Royal Opera House, explores how the the urge to dance is one of the most natural of human instincts. In 'Steps in Time' she reflects on how dance has been used to serve secular, sacred and social situations, and has evolved into a performance art. 

She draws on a range of music to illustrate her theme - Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring', a Klezmer wedding dance, a traditional Raqs Sharqi used for belly dancing, and the soaring romantic music of Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet'. There is poetry from Rumi, Billy Collins and Laurence Binyon and an extract from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey.

The readers are Liza Sadovy, Greg Hicks and Frank Stirling. 


Producer: Ronni Davis 
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

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