Life without accompanying
I have been feeling nostalgic about accompanying dance classes. It has been years since I have had a regular accompanying schedule, and I miss it so much.
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25 articles
Push a Key
I first played the piano in middle school.
Rhythm
Rhythm is a felt understanding of what’s happening within us and around us.
Musicians in Dance
"We are a niche, within a niche, within a niche."
Licensing
"Reaching out for licensing is a perfect way to initiate future collaborations."
Remote Collaborations
"I no longer need to travel to see a rehearsal of a piece, which allows me to work with anyone with access to the internet."
Working with an Accompanist
"Communication struggles that happen in a class can be averted by taking 15 minutes to connect beforehand."
Budgets
"A budget has nothing to do with respect, self worth or fairness."
Music and Process
"There is no right or wrong time for music to come into the choreographic process."
Starting a Collaboration
"Collaborations can be a place to learn something new about your own process."
Open Time
"Music with no counts, or open time, is most often called ambient."
Teach / Watch Phrases
"Practicing as a group makes musical concepts much more approachable."
Music and Movement in 4
"The most common meter is 4, but that does not make it any more or less complex."
Music and Movement in 5
"Accents play a huge role in how meters feel when counted."
Music and Movement in 7
"Every meter can be counted at any tempo."
Beat, Pulse, Tempo, and Meter
"A person is not a better or worse dancer if they choose to use, or not use, counting with movement."
Listening to music is a practice.
Beyond how we listen and where we listen, there are many ways we can listen to music while introducing physical practices.
Music and Movement in 3
"Meters are “containers” for counted movement."
Choosing Music
"Search for music with someone in mind."
The Tiny Dance
"Music can create an environment where even the smallest movement from a dancer can be framed and influenced."
Timbre
"Is this a trombone or a marimba?"
Choreographic Listening
"The more you practice speaking about your choreography, the easier it will be to collaborate with others."
Musical Imagination
"There is no "special or specific" way to speak about music in dance."
Playlists
"Give students as many different experiences moving to as many different types of music as possible."
Embodied Musical Knowledge
"Dancers are not beginners at music."