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BEYOND THE WALLS

(2014) Dance thrives behind closed doors in Hackney. Hattie and her collaborators looked through the walls of the houes on her street to find it’s pulse. Beyond The Walls brings the tradition of Greek Rembetiko music and the accompanying Zeibekiko dance and transfers it onto a contemporary London street.

Composer: Nikos paravatos Director of Photography: Roger Eaton filming
Musicians: Nikos Prarvatos, Nico Antwerp, Yiani Meleisis, Hattie Worboys, Katherine Prado

We filmed neighbours one at a time, in their houses expressing themselves with their own dance – everyone danced to the same piece of rembetiko music written by Nikos Paravatos. Hattie then organised an impromptu street party and the greek band came to play and the dancers/neighbours danced in front of each other. Pizza restaurant Franca Manca supplied pizza and wine for the whole street! (there are little clips of the street party at the end in the title credits) It was an experiment but turned out to be very bonding for our street and a lovely communal experience. I think the experience the people of having to perform in front of a camera was daunting for the dancers (even though they volunteered to do it) yet afterwards they mentioned feeling elated and more liberated. It could be a good model for streets around the world.