"...its incandescent musicality brings this hand-clapping
universe to life." The New York Times
LET'S GET THE RHYTHM invites the viewer to explore the history of hand-clapping games around the world. Through wars and migrations, across language barriers and oceans, young girls connect with each other through thousands of variants-ancient as they are global-the film chronicles these rhythmic and recreational practices. Guided by three eight-year-olds from diverse cultural backgrounds on inner-city playgrounds in New York City, the film is a charming and beautiful survey with universal insight into the budding social mind and of the empowering impact of the practice on the lives of women. The charm of their personal insight is complemented by archival footage collected by Alan Lomax and observations by folklorists, academics, musicians, ethnomusicologists and cognitive neuroscientists. LET'S GET THE RHYTHM is a delightful homage to the beauty of the beat and to storytelling among young girls and is a necessary film for Anthropology and Sociology courses.
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