Literature Review A

Ear Training for the Body (A Dancer’s Guide to Music)

(Katherine Teck 1993)

Katherine Teck is a highly experienced dance musician and founder of the International Guild of Musicians in Dance, New York. This book explores the relationship between music and dance, providing the dancer with knowledge of relevant theoretical and artistic musical components. Part one of the book ‘Musicality in The Dancer’s Art’ examines the technical side of music relevant for dance. There are many aspects covered; how to practice musicality in class, body percussion, percussion patterns, muscle memory and the collaboration of music and choreography. The second part, ‘Fundamentals of Music’ relates music theory to movement and examines how choreographers use this in their work. The author collaborates with highly acclaimed dance artists sharing their experiences of developing musical awareness allowing them to achieve greater artistry in performance.

‘The goals are to add expressivity and accuracy to dancers’ technical work in class, to enhance the artistry of performers onstage and to enlarge choreographer’s palettes of musical possibilities for their new works – whether these are full scale theatrical productions or more modest projects for a workshop or improvisational class.’ (Teck, 1993, pvii)

Theories

The author states that learning about music should be parallel to dance education and therefore be a fundamental aspect of the dancer’s training. Teck discusses the value of developing listening skills to identify different layers and textures of sound.  By understanding the structure, the performer can analyse and acknowledge the components they wish to use artistically. By learning music theory and terminology dance professionals can articulate the qualities required from the movement in order to reflect it in performance.

A common phenomenon known to dancers is how music informs muscle memory and can be used to recall choreography. Upon learning choreography, dancers listen to the music religiously to reinforce the connection between music and movement set. Having experienced this, I am aware upon hearing the music the body instinctively knows what to do, similar to how a particular song sparks a memory or a feeling.

Advice on selecting appropriate music for choreography was particularly useful for me as I seem to spend days, sometimes weeks trying to find the right music. As a creative starting point, the music sets the tone and provides the basis for developing choreography. When choosing suitable music for a particular age group or ability it is necessary to consider the complexity, tempo, time signature and relatable feel of the music.

 ‘Anybody who wants to be a dancer should study music. In dance there has to be a harmony. You may know nothing formally about music, but there is still a sense of harmony: You will see that something is happening, and be with it. You have a sense of being there. You are making poetry, almost painting in space.’ (Carlos Orta, p261)

The book gives an account of an experimental workshop, ‘The Carlisle Project’ held in Pennsylvania 1984, for dance artists and choreographers who lacked artistic freedom in their early training. In the workshop, participants were nurtured and encouraged to explore their creativity, the experiment provided evidence of how individuals interpret music differently. During the workshop participants picked out different aspects within the music to base their movement upon, some picked certain instruments and others identified with varying rhythm patterns. They also interpreted the phrasing differently and many began and completed a sequence of movement at varying times. The experiment showed that everyone hears music differently and will therefore interpret it in their own unique way.

‘Those dancers who are open to many styles of music may well be the most likely to appear onstage professionally.’ (p12) Suggests that the awareness and experience of working with a broad spectrum of genre can produce a more versatile and conscientious performer. An intriguing choreographer whose work is heavily influenced by a diverse range of music is Mark Morris. ‘Mr Morris’s musical sensitivity is a fundamental feature of his artistic personality. Not only is his taste eclectic, it is original. In every case the choreography realises the essential character of the music, both structurally and stylistically.’ (Dale Harris, Wall Street Journal p254)

‘Music is a partner; it’s not something that is just keeping a beat for you. The music is swelling: What do you do? Does that make your movements swell? It might. Or are you going to go in contrast to that? If it is an adagio, you might give something very fast against it. But how do you use the music so that it becomes an organic living thing, where the music and dance come together to make one statement? If you take everything away from your dances – costumes, stage, lights, everything (and this has happened to us on tour when the tape machine has broken, or the lights), then you should still be able to have sense of a musical dance. (Carla Maxwell p261) This quote reminds us that music and dance are an artistic collaboration, both of equal importance and even in the absence of music there is still a rhythm to movement.

Caroline Adams, an ex-principal dancer and teacher from the Julliard School in New York coaches students for auditions, through her experience as performer she reflects, ‘I think the music is what dancing is about for me. If I couldn’t make sense out of the movement in relationship to the music, then nothing worked.’ (p257) With regards to her current role as a teacher of up and coming professional dancers, she too highlights the importance of exposure to a wide range of musical genre to establish a connection and create unity with choreography. ‘The dancer who instinctively knows how to find all the room for interpretation within a phrase. Without in any way distorting what is being asked, there is all that space for physical nuance to take place. To find that: to be inside the time and inside the sound; to find that movement range within the sound is really what it’s about. When one sees it, it isn’t something you can verbalise. You are absolutely – ZAP! – drawn to it. It is inescapable. It has nothing to do with being on the beat.’ (Caroline Adams, p260)

Conclusion

Reading this book has broadened my perspective on the many ways we can relate music and movement, I have discovered how individuals pick out certain elements that ‘speak to them’. I have discovered that musical interpretation is individual in artists' use of varying dynamics, highlights, rhythms and layers. I have gained an insight into the work of notable choreographers who utilise widely differing approaches to music. I now plan to research further the work of:

George Balanchine, an iconic choreographer, ballet master and classically trained pianist used music as the influential forefront for his choreography. Balanchine urged his dancers to ‘internalise’ the tempo, his ballets technically challenged his dancers with intricate rhythmical patterns and changes of pace. ‘I think that, with intelligent appreciation, any student can develop certain sensitivities to music that will improve the quality of her dancing immeasurably’ (George Balanchine p1).

Twyla Tharp presented her early choreography in silence ‘music is not always the first ingredient for me’ (p48). Tharp sometimes preferred to use the music as a form of scenery, meaning that she didn’t want to be directed by it and formulate her own ideas. On occasion when she chose to use music, it was more a background as opposed to a motivating force. ‘We rehearsed and performed in silence because music communicates emotion and structure more easily to most people than movement, and it was movement we wanted to explore. Still, many of the questions in our investigation of movement came from lessons I learned in music.’ (p243) I feel this approach allowed the audience to personally interpret what they saw without the musical influence .

Merce Cunningham was famous for adding music on after creating choreography, he believed that the movement should be independent from the music as opposed to a reflection of it. His work was abstract in which he explored non-conventional, alternative approaches using his signature method of ‘chance’. He worked in partnership with composer, John Cage who devised minimal beats, sound effects and whistles to accompany his work.

I would now like to experiment with some of these differing approaches in my own work. Upon learning about ‘The Carlisle Project’ I would be interested to find similar workshops which might provide inspiration for my professional artefact. Through further research I hope to evaluate various choreographer’s opposing methods and sources of inspiration.

Further Questions

How can I educate my students on the theoretical and artistic aspects of musical interpretation?

How can dancers achieve a greater level of artistry through developing music knowledge?

What approaches in choreography and artistry researched can I use to influence my work?


Teck, K. (1995) Ear training for the body: A dancer’s guide to music. United States: Princeton Book Company.