“Carmina Burana” in body tap, the formidable musical performance of the college students of Cambo-les-Bains

It is in a grandiose setting that the Chœur des Colibris recorded its body tap. On Mount Ursuya, a small mountain in the Basque Country, located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. From the top of these 700 meters of altitude, the virtuosos of the body tap gave not of the voice, but of their body. That morning, it’s 6 o’clock when they arrive for the shoot. Dressed all in white, they sit on bales of straw. Hands clap thighs or chest, fingers snap, feet tap the ground. The body becomes a musical instrument. The sounds produced are perfectly synchronized and perfectly reproduce O fortuna. “We invented movements according to the music” explains Maelwenn, an 11-year-old schoolgirl. “It takes a lot of practice to be able to do that” adds Leana.

The 3rd body tap, after Beethoven and Ravel

The Choeur des Colibris, which is not at its first body tap, has been training for several years. In 2020, for its first performance, the team made an impression by attacking the Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. The video was recorded around the Villa Arnaga fountain, built by Edmond Rostang in Cambo-les-Bains. On YouTube, it has more than a million views.

New success in 2022, this time with The Bolero by Ravel filmed in Saint-Jean-de-Luz on Place Louis XIV. At each body tap, the young participants are enthusiastic. “We are with all his friends, we laugh but also we learn. In the end, it gives an incredible result” says Quentin, 12 years old. “It is magic” adds Antton. Beyond the artistic performance, this musical exercise brings “fine motor skills, coordination, listening and sense of rhythm” points out Nelly Guilhemsans, professor of musical education at the origin of this project.

The video of Carmina Burana will soon be on social networks.