A while back I had a comment on this blog by a musician who talked about what it was like to watch the dancers on the stage as they played in the orchestra. The comment stayed with me and I thought I would do a post today on what a big difference it makes to dance to live music.

There is something magical about hearing the instruments warm up as you walk through your steps backstage. It adds to the excitement. There’s a synergy that dancers and musicians have that is unlike anything else. One feeds off the other–creating what amounts to live art. It’s astounding.

This isn’t the only place that dancers and musicians cross paths however. Many times a ballet classroom will have a live pianist, which is a treat, as anyone who has experienced it knows. In my day I had several, and I remember them all quite well. First there was Edith. She drove a yellow Volkswagen and was quite a character. I also had a reserved, thin gentleman who was amazing at the keys, and a dark-haired woman from Russia who had the most fantastic, dramatic music I’ve ever heard. Hats off to them all–they made my classes wonderful.

Is there a particular musician or pianist who stands out in your mind? It would be fun to hear your thoughts on this too…I’m sure that I am not the only one who has been impacted by the gift of live music in class or on stage…