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The Value Of Improvised Music In The World Of Ballet

May 28, 2012 by 4dancers

Photo by Alan Crumlish

Today we have a guest post about music from Karen MacIver…

Many years ago my composition-for-film tutor Howard Goodall (the genius behind the themes for BBC British TV hits Blackadder, QI  and Mr. Bean) once asked me what exactly makes music so important to the moving image. He was interested that I had come from the world of dance as a musician working in Ballet Companies. This seemingly simple question had a profound effect on me and I spent the rest of my time at film school – and my professional career – defining the answer.

The wonderful psychological impact music makes on us reaches far deeper than mere entertainment. Having returned to the world of Ballet, I now realize the most valuable asset a dance organisation can hope for, is to work with great music and great musicians. For here begins the symbiotic journey for the most elemental part of any dancers’ life – Class.

There is a small but growing army of inspirational musicians who have made it their life’s work embracing the world of music and the moving image. Mastering the art of improvising or recalling music perfectly takes time, passion and most of all comprehension of dancers’ needs during Class. Class is the fundamental ritual that ignites each working day, from beginner to ballet master. And so music nourishes not only the muscular requirements for the sporting qualities of a dancer, but also the emotional depth needed for choreographic demands.

If a musician ‘gets it wrong’ (and I use this term with fear and frustration) they are in peril of causing disruption to Class and at best will be artistically ignored for the oncoming hour. The very conundrum of what is needed to define a “great class” is the starting point of the Masters in Accompaniment for Dance course I am proud to be part of here in the UK.

So where do we find the ley lines connecting music and dance?

Well. There are two definitive structures that lie at the core of all good art and they are both found in the world of architecture. Proportion and tension-release.

Our delight in perfect proportion is embodied visually through classical structures dating back to the time-honored buildings of ancient Greece, balancing the principles of space (silence and stillness) versus material (movement and sound). Coco Chanel herself described her particular art in this simple statement “Fashion is architecture : it is a matter of proportion” and musician Laurie Anderson rather clumsily declared,  “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture”. But we know what she was getting at!

And of course the ‘Mozart Effect’ reaches deeper than an educational context which states that our ability to learn and concentrate is refined in the proximity of hearing classical music. No, there are varying ballet structures given daily in class that not only seem to mirror the demands of musical phrasing but actually are the visual representation of great musical themes. The famous Elvira Madigan (Mozart’s piano concerto no.21*) theme embodies all that is perfect in proportionality and therefore complements so many of the dance exercises delivered in everyday Class. Understanding this gives the musician freedom to improvise around the perfect structures already created by the great masters of composition.

Understanding tension and release both physically and musically defines another equally important bridge connecting the two art forms. They are felt universally both in musical chord structures and in anatomical muscle memory. Architecturally it is felt as the invasion of space in the landscape, balanced with the satisfaction of creating man-made structures in apposition to nature.

If the musician thinks like a dancer, they will play music as a dancer – with breath and freedom balanced with strength. Thinking of music ‘anatomically’ – SKIN,MUSCLE,BONE – gives depth and understanding to the response of accompanying the dancer. Let me expand.

A child views her first years of taking Class in terms of skin only . She copies shape only in silhouette form with little comprehension of the underlying meaning of the movement. Similarly, a novice musician will copy the outward shape of movement when first confronted by the demands of ballet class, by making melodic contours that in some way mimic visual shape. Muscular flexibility in dance reflects musical harmony and skeletal shape and form corresponds vitally with musical form and shape.

The learning of an instrument is a slow process, just as the learning of ballet technique. Matching the two takes yet another stretch of time and imagination before they function together as one. And so, the musicians’ journey learning the textural changes and chordal tensions for class accompaniment is a long but ultimately fruitful one.

One more thought. If I think back to all I learned writing for film, there is one odd and unique aspect to film music that differs slightly from dance music. On the surface, both share the need for music’s psychological undercurrent which says so much more than the spoken word. Imagine the famed Underground train scene in Fatal Attraction when Glenn Close tells a handsome Michael Douglas that she truly loves him. Do you recall the music screaming “she’s mad!!!!” Probably not. Why? A good filmscore acts as an unnoticed dramatic colourwash to the action. Rightly so. That’s where its power lies.

However in dance, the presence of music is never ‘inferior’ to the visual impact of dance. It is the support and context in which movement comes alive. In return the music seems to acquire a unique luminosity that, once heard in context of dance, seems to sparkle just that little bit more.

In conclusion. A toast. Long may the marriage of music and dance stay in love!

*have a listen whilst you read the article!

 

Karen MacIver

Copyright Karen MacIver May 2012
www.balletmusicforclass.com

Karen lectures at Scottish Ballet/Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on the Postgraduate Masters Piano in Dance Course.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial, Music & Dance Tagged With: Ballet, dance, dance class, dance piano, karen maciver, music and dance

Student Spotlight: Abby Roque

March 12, 2012 by 4dancers

For our Student Spotlight today we have Abby Roque–a 14 year old conservatory and pre-professional company student at NUEVO School of Contemporary Dance. 

Abby Roque

1.      Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?

I started dancing at the age of 3 in my parents’ hopes of helping me overcome my shyness.  I started with one creative movement class an hour a week.  I performed at my very first dance recital a few months later, and then joined the competition team the following season.  After eleven years of performances, competitions and training, I am still very much in love with dance.  I am currently training a maximum of five hours a day, five days a week after school, and also take dance p.e. at my high school.

2.      What do you find you like best about dance class?

I’ve always looked forward to improving my dance skills, and I know the only way to do it is to train long and hard in dance classes.  When I’m in class, I try to focus on the lesson, striving hard to perfect a skill or overcome a weakness.  I hang on to my teachers’ every word, advice, or critique.  The classes motivate me to keep working, to keep improving, and to look forward to witnessing the results of my hard work.

3.      What is the hardest part about dance for you?

Time management is probably the hardest part of dance for me.  Having to juggle my school work, family life, dance, and still have fun with friends outside of dance is something I constantly work on.  Something or someone always has to give.  I stay up late every school night to make sure my grades don’t suffer, and I know my friends are probably sick of hearing me say, “I can’t, I have dance.”  But that’s just the way it is and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Student Spotlight: Abby Roque

4.      What advice would you give to other dancers?

Never give up no matter how difficult it may seem. There is always a way for you to achieve your goals if you put your mind to it, but realize that it doesn’t come overnight. You have to train and put in the hours in dance classes day in and day out.   You are your strongest competitor so don’t bother comparing yourself to others.  Work hard with unwavering determination and passion, and the results can only be exceptional.

5.      How has dance changed your life?

Dance has been nothing but a positive influence in my life.  It has helped me express my emotions more openly through movement and has boosted my self confidence.  I have met a number of life long friends in dance whom I can rely on at all times.  Dance has kept me physically fit and helped me maintain balance in my life.  It has taught me commitment, team work, and passion for the art.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Student Spotlight Tagged With: dance class, nuevo school of contemporary dance

The Business Of Dance: Balance & Opposition In All Things

August 26, 2011 by 4dancers

by Lizzie Leopold

Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis, Choreography by Lizzie Leopold - une elephante, Tickets to premiere of this work at Brown Paper Tickets ( http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/181387)

Balance seems like a potent metaphor for running a dance company.  High on releve, eyes fixed on one still point, center held tight, arms strong, shoulders relaxed and just a little bit of luck…

Whether you are a one-man-show, wearing all the hats yourself, or an organization with a hundred employees, the balance of the artistic and administrative branches is a significant challenge.  The priority to make new, exciting dances and the priority to run a solvent, growing business continually compete for top billing.

One of my favorite explanations of this divide comes from twentieth century German-born philosopher Theodor Adorno.  He calls it culture vs. administration.  Culture, the artistic branch, is the reflection of pure humanity without any regard for its functional relationships within society.  It is defined by a spontaneity and is not concerned with expansion or preservation.  One the other end, Adorno’s administration is the task done “looking down from on high,” that assembles, distributes, evaluates and organizes.  Administration has the unavoidable tendency towards expansion, both quantitatively and qualitatively.  These categories slip seamlessly and eerily onto the mold of the not-for-profit dance company.

The two branches are both completely opposed and yet completely dependent on one another.  The challenge from the outset is a precarious balancing of artistic vision and commerce, a dance between art and money carefully choreographed by the artist and facilitated by the board of directors and administrative team. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial, The Business Of Dance Tagged With: administration, dance, dance class, lizzie leopold

World Dance Workout – An Inside Look

February 28, 2011 by 4dancers

Today we have Sandy & Ryan with us to talk about the CD “World Dance Workout”. They’ll give you a peek into the “behind the scenes” work that went into it, as well as let you know what you can use the CD for if you are a dance or fitness instructor…

1.      How did the idea for the World Dance Workout CD come about?

Sandy: World dance workout cd was created for a fitness class based on dance moves from around the world.  The needs of the original and innovative class inspired the customized music.

Ryan: Once Sandy started sharing with me her needs for her class, I jumped at the opportunity. The concept of real drummers who love dance and have real experience playing for dancers getting into a studio and recording an album is something I have always wanted to do. The tracks on the album are original in essence, but they are based on a number of African Diasporic dance music styles that I love (as do countless people the world over). I arranged these rhythms and grooves to Sandy’s tempo and song length requirements, and we went into the studio. It is worthy of note that this album was tracked and mixed at Solid Sound in Ann Arbor, MI – a true recording studio with an incredible live room. This is remarkable because studios of this quality are fewer and fewer – due to the popularity of heavily produced (and often synthesized and or electronic) music. A lot of contemporary music can be recorded in a simple home studio… but the kind of music we were after – real, raw, and made with acoustic instruments – needed a real live room built to handle that kind of acoustical presence. The popular “Behind Barres” albums are all tracked there as well.

2.      Who are the musicians involved and what do they play?

Ryan: There are four musicians on this album; Ryan Edwards, Chinelo Elegua Amen-Ra, Abass Camara and Matthew Bell. All of us share a love of dance and have more or less been raised (either literally, or since we started playing) in the dance tradition. Matthew and Chinelo live in the greater Detroit area of Michigan, Abass lives in Fort Wayne, IN and I now live in Boston, though I am from Michigan originally. The list of instruments we played on the record is a pretty long one, but I will try to summarize: we played congas, bells, shekeres, balafon, drumset, djembes, dununs, surdos, snare drum, ago-go bells, cylinder shakers, pandiero, triangle, goat toe-nails (actually on a few tracks!), cajon, calabash, bass djembe, and I am sure a few more…. you can see a pretty cool video on our website, www.worlddanceworkout.net of us making the record in the studio. It is just a few excerpts from the session, which we did in one day. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Dance Gifts, Editorial, FOR SALE, Studios Tagged With: CD, dance class, world dance workout

Review: World Dance Workout

February 8, 2011 by 4dancers

World Dance Workout

Product: World Dance Workout CD

Website: www.worlddanceworkout.net

Cost: $25 for CD, $22 for digital download

World Dance Workout is a CD designed specifically for dance. The music is percussion, and the musicians understand that a steady rhythm is needed to accompany movement. The centerpiece of this album is a nice, hypnotic beat that would be great for many different types of dance class. I can see belly dancers using it, modern dance classes or even dance classes at a health club. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Dance Gifts, FOR SALE, Reviews, Studios Tagged With: belly dance, dance class, modern dance, percussion, world dance workout, world music

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