Musicality for Dancers and Dance Teachers
How a Knowledge of Music Helps to Get the Most Out of Dance Class
Jul 4, 2009
An understanding of musical terms and the musicality of a piece improves the dance class experience in four basic ways:
- Communicating with the Accompanist. If a dance teacher or student is able to communicate with a live piano accompanist in musical terms, rather than dance terms, the lines of communication will be better developed and there will be less chance of misunderstanding.
- Performing Pieces with Different Tempos. Musicality allows the dance teacher to better balance slower exercises as opposed to faster ones, while avoiding over-working the students' legs. The students are also better prepared to work the correct muscle groups according to the tempo of the exercise.
- Combining Movements at Different Tempos within the Same Piece. An understanding of the different tempos within an exercise allows students and teachers to develop rhythmical accuracy. For example, a ballet student is told to do two tendus in two counts each, followed by four in one count each; if the student understands the musicality of the exercise, he or she will be able to apply the correct amount of muscle movement to perform two slow and then four fast.
- Choosing the Most Effective Music and Tempo for Each Exercise. Dance teachers with an understanding of musicality will be better equipped to choose a song and speed that complements the movements being performed, or the story being told.
Musicality for Performances
The right music also encourages dance students to breathe correctly. Students who typically hold their breath throughout a phrase or piece can relate their breathing to the pattern of the music. Dance teachers with a grasp of musicality can instruct their students to exhale through transition steps, such as walking or plies in preparation for turns or jumps, and inhale through the "up" steps, such as jumps, turns, and extensions.
Musicality for Dance Class
It is important for teachers to vary the music they use from class to class. This forces the dance students to listen to the music and develop their musicality skills. Teachers should make their students aware of specific qualities of the music, such as the speed, emotion, or intensity of the piece, and they should train their students to reflect these qualities through their movements.
It is often the case that dance students who are focusing on the technical aspects of the movement will not be sensitive to the qualities of the music. When setting a combination, teachers should present a musically simple piece for beginner students who are still intent on the movements being used. More advanced students are better able to incorporate subtleties in the music into their movements.
Musicality is instinctive for some teachers and students, but it can also be learned. If a dance teacher takes the time in class to discuss the music with the dance students, there is a better chance that they will be able to perform a piece to the best of their abilities and draw an audience in to their performance.
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