Young aspiring riders from Aachen practising for WEG Show in Berlin - WEG prelude in front of the Brandenburg Gate on Sunday


The ten ballet dancers float elegantly past the horses, who carry on unperturbed with their pas de quatre to classic music: At Renate Dahmen's dressage stables in Aachen-Vettschau they have been practising and practising and practising. To make sure that nothing goes wrong during the big preliminary canter in Berlin next Sunday, August 6th (7 p.m.). In a colourful show, the stars of the equestrian scene will be presenting the seven disciplines of the World Equestrian Games Aachen 2006 (August 20th - September 3rd) to a large audience in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
The show participants range from the German show-jumping squad, to dressage World Champion Nadine Capellmann and dressage Olympic gold medallist Isabell Werth through to the several-time World Champion in vaulting Nadia Zülow. Renate Dahmen's young aspiring riders and the Carla Brettschneider Dance Studio will be taking part too with a joint freestyle performance. "It is going to be an extraordinary experience for us showing classic ballet movements to the pas de quatre in the capital city. A symbiosis of riders, horses and dancers in front of thousands of spectators," says Renate Dahmen. "And we believe that a similar "we-feeling" and a comparable atmosphere will be experienced at this show as at the Football World Cup celebrations."
The dressage rider, Renate Dahmen, has been responsible for many choreographies at the World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen, for years. "Of course it was important for us that also riders and dancers from Aachen are given the chance to promote the World Equestrian Games in Berlin," states Frank Kempermann, General Director of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein (ALRV). A 23 x 40 metre sized equestrian arena is being erected in front of the Brandenburg Gate for the weekend. Three metres smaller than originally planned, which meant that Renate Dahmen had to quickly change parts of the routine. "After all each step, each beat is precisely timed, so that the entire surface of the arena is used." There are still a few days left before the preliminary canter in Berlin. Until then the dressage riders and dancers from the region want to practice twice a day, to ensure that they are well-prepared when they step onto the plane to Berlin on Saturday morning. "We are naturally a bit nervous. But our excitement about Berlin and the World Equestrian Games overshadows our nervousness," says Dahmen.

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