Dancing is the expression of harmonious movement to music. Our
range of expression is limited by our physical ability to control our
body movement as well as our understanding of music and possibilities of
expressions.
When we learn a pattern in a dance, we learn a particular rhythm that allows us to express ourselves to the music in a basic manner.
As our dancing evolves we tend to add small variations to the musical interpretation of those patterns. Those changes in musical interpretation add color and flavor to your dancing - making your dancing more fun and rewarding as well as more exciting to watch. We call this art of music interpretation "Musicality".
Although musicality is in essence an internal and emotional quality, we can learn a few basic options that will allow us to increase the range of our musical interpretations.
We have to start with the understanding that music has a very definite structure; without that structure you will merely have noise. Musical structure is very similar to written structure:
Dance choreographers start by becoming familiar with the arrangement of a song, and then include patterns in a way that best match the changes and style of each musical segment.
If you have never done any choreography or counted the measures in a song to discover its musical structure, we recommend you try. The process is fun and enlightening.
Start by picking a song that you can hear the beats very clearly. Get a pencil and a piece of paper. Be ready to stop the song and repeat it as many times as you need.
If you need help on how to hear the beats in the music refer to our tip with that headline - you can find our previous tips on our Facebook page "BallroomDance101.com", or we can we can email you a copy if you let us know you want one.
Start the song and begin counting the Measures, e.g. 1,2,3,4 - 2,2,3,4, - 3,2,3,4 - etc..
Now, the matching process starts.
Like any art form, musicality in dancing, has both a scientific side as well as an artistic side. The above exercise is basically a mechanical process. In the next issue we'll be entering more into the artistic realm of musicality.
Happy dancing,
Blanche & Emilio
When we learn a pattern in a dance, we learn a particular rhythm that allows us to express ourselves to the music in a basic manner.
As our dancing evolves we tend to add small variations to the musical interpretation of those patterns. Those changes in musical interpretation add color and flavor to your dancing - making your dancing more fun and rewarding as well as more exciting to watch. We call this art of music interpretation "Musicality".
Although musicality is in essence an internal and emotional quality, we can learn a few basic options that will allow us to increase the range of our musical interpretations.
We have to start with the understanding that music has a very definite structure; without that structure you will merely have noise. Musical structure is very similar to written structure:
- Words = "Measures" or Bars of Music - usually four Beats in each Measure
- Sentences = "Phrases" - usually eight Measures in each Phrase
- Paragraph = "Chorus" - usually 4 Phrases in each Chorus
- Sub-titles = "Bridges" - usually four Measures in each Bridge
Dance choreographers start by becoming familiar with the arrangement of a song, and then include patterns in a way that best match the changes and style of each musical segment.
If you have never done any choreography or counted the measures in a song to discover its musical structure, we recommend you try. The process is fun and enlightening.
Start by picking a song that you can hear the beats very clearly. Get a pencil and a piece of paper. Be ready to stop the song and repeat it as many times as you need.
If you need help on how to hear the beats in the music refer to our tip with that headline - you can find our previous tips on our Facebook page "BallroomDance101.com", or we can we can email you a copy if you let us know you want one.
Start the song and begin counting the Measures, e.g. 1,2,3,4 - 2,2,3,4, - 3,2,3,4 - etc..
- You will find an "Introduction" - usually 4 to 12 Measures
- You will then hear a change - the starting of a "Chorus" (you will identify some type of melody and main instruments playing in the background)
- Start counting the Measures again 1,2,3,4 - 2,2,3,4 etc., usually you will have 8 Measures for the first "Phrase" or sentence. Then it will start a new Phrase within the same background and melody
- Keep counting the measures; you will notice that (usually) after the fourth Phrase there will be an ending to that Chorus
- You will then hear a Bridge of four Measures and a new Chorus will start Repeat the same process until the end of the song
- Remember, your song may have some variations to the above arrangement
Now, the matching process starts.
- Decide on the dance and patterns you would like to do to that song
- Count the measures for each of the patterns
- Start mixing the patterns so a new pattern starts with each new Phrase
- Try matching the style of patterns you put in a Chorus to the background melody (high energy or mellow) if there are no strong distinctions between patterns, try dancing them with different energy.
Like any art form, musicality in dancing, has both a scientific side as well as an artistic side. The above exercise is basically a mechanical process. In the next issue we'll be entering more into the artistic realm of musicality.
Happy dancing,
Blanche & Emilio
LIBRERO MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTIONS -
Emilio and Blanche Librero have been operating their own successful Dance Studio in Tampa and producing high quality instructional videos since 1979. Librero's "How to Become a Good Dancer" video series is sold nationwide, and has been featured on Television and Radio, as well as printed publications throughout the country.
Contact Emilio or Blanche Librero for more insights into this topic.
Emilio and Blanche Librero have been operating their own successful Dance Studio in Tampa and producing high quality instructional videos since 1979. Librero's "How to Become a Good Dancer" video series is sold nationwide, and has been featured on Television and Radio, as well as printed publications throughout the country.
Contact Emilio or Blanche Librero for more insights into this topic.
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