DANCE

For many years I used to dance. Dance and its elements are something that I miss and would like to incorperate somehow in my performances. When looking for literature about dance tools and elements, I found that there really wasn't any. However, I did find some tables that I could work from, that outlined the elements of dance. These elements can are Body, Action/Motion, Energy, Space, and Time.

Body:

The body is used more noticeably, and more important artistically, in dance than in music. In dance, the body itself is the medium of expression where as in music, the body is used as a tool to play the instrument

Action/Movement:

Action or movement may be the most difficult to relate to as a musician. This is because action and movement is more obviously represented in dance than it is in music. It is physical. However, as musicians we also do physically move on stage. We walk on and off the stage, and we move to play our instruments. But in addition to that, movement can also refer to the music itself as a musician. The ebb and flow of the music, which is an intangible yet very real thing.

Space:

This is another word that both dance and music share, yet are also differently represented. In dance it refers to the physical space around you. And in music, it refers to the music itself, the phrasing and time in between phrases.

Time:

As with music, dance also deals with the element of time. Dancers can move to a given tempo and play around with rhythmic patters.  They can also move freely (in free rhythm) in a sensed time instead of a given pulse. They can improvise within a metered structure or an open, non metered structure. There is use of cues, and accents; things that musicians use and can relate to.

Energy:

Both musicians and dancers deal with energy. In music we have established words that we can find in a score that helps us determine the energy or mood of a piece of music. For example, the Italian tempo and mood markings such as “agitato”, meaning agitated tells the musician that he or she should play the music in an excited/ fast way.  “Larcimoso”, meaning tearfully lets the musician know that he or she should play the music so that the mood of it is tearful and sad. In dance, they don’t use these Italian terms but they do have terms that they use to describe what they call “energy qualities”. In Dance, energy is not only referring to the choreography as a whole, but also to the quality of the dancers movements. Is it a sharp or smooth movement? Heavy or light?

From the three disciplines, I had thought that Dance and Music seemed furthest away from each other. I had thought this because although coming from a culture where dance and music is mostly intertwined, I was finding it hard to see the connection in Western culture and specifically in Jazz music. As with Classical western music, it had started as dance music and over time as the genre developed, dance was separated from the music, and became something to be listened to only. However, the table of elements show that Dance and Music have a lot in common, and therefore can be closely related.

As with Theatre, I believe knowledge and some training in dance can also benefit the musician. Musicians use their body to play their instruments but if not careful, the wrong posture/ technique can lead to injury over time. As we all have different body shapes, I have found (depending on the instrument) that there is not always one correct way of playing an instrument that can be applied to everybody. Training in dance makes you become aware of you body as a whole. This total body awareness, I believe, can help musicians better to find a more organic way for themselves to play their instruments, which could prevent future injury.

Playing music can be physically tiring, especially if you have to play for long hours at a time. Training in dance makes you physically fit and because it is aerobic, it can help you build up endurance. Unlike running, you also gain an artistic outlet whilst you exercise which may appeal to artists in general. In addition, depending on the style, dance can help you to gain a better posture.

Training in dance can help develop the ability to isolate body parts. I can imagine that this can be useful for some musicians in developing their technique on their instruments. For example, drummers need to know how isolate and control each body part to play their instrument in a balanced way. Pianists need the ability to isolate not only what the left hand plays against the right hand, but also the strength of how each finger will hit the keys.

Dance can help release inhibitions, helping musicians to feel more comfortable on stage.

Dance can help to make you feel the meter or groove in the body and not only in the mind. I believe that this in turn can affect the way you play music, and if it “grooves” or “swings”.