Music is central to our lives. Mothers soothe their babies with gentle rhythm and melody. Music is a vehicle for learning. It’s a robust human trait. Universal. Present in all cultures.
Let’s Get the Rhythm captures girls’ handclapping games from inner city playgrounds and across the world… from every continent… and islands in between. Girls from diverse cultures – from Brooklyn to Tanzania – charm us as they learn and share while expanding their experience. Drawing attention to the social importance of girls’ games, the film features footage from far-flung locations as well as ancient Egyptian reliefs. Let’s Get the Rhythm accentuates the beauty of the beat with compelling observations on the empowering force on the lives of girls, women and humanity.
The New York Times,’ Gia Kourlas writes: "The film, which features interviews with young girls, also accomplishes something else with its choreographic pulse: As it swings between games and interviews, Let’s Get the Rhythm has a beat; its incandescent musicality brings this hand-clapping universe to life.”
"Let’s Get the Rhythm is an incisive, fascinating documentary that demonstrates the significance of girls' hand-clapping games. Perfect for in-classroom use, the film contributes vitally to conversations about global girlhood, cultures of the African diaspora, and performance. I'm bowled over by this film."
--Robin Bernstein, Harvard University, author of Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood from Slavery to Civil Rights
"Let’s Get the Rhythm shows us movies are not passive activities - a good one brings us into the story and beyond! At Providence Children's Film Festival, these girls could not wait to "hand-clap" after watching Irene Chagall's documentary. Love this!"
--Anisa Raoff, Providence Children's Film Festival Executive Director
"Irene Chagall focuses her lens on the completely oral and thoroughly embodied musical expressions that children own and value music, text, and all of the necessary percussive effects they desire... Let’s Get the Rhythm is masterful, and a tribute to an important piece in understanding children’s expressive practices."
-- Patricia Shehan Campbell, Donald E. Petersen Professor of Music, University of Washington. Chair, Smithsonian Folkways Board
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