Workshop for Musicians and Dance Teachers

The aim of this workshop was to create an opportunity for musicians and dance teachers to talk together and to experiment with possible new ways of working. Communication has been a key concept in the planning of today’s event, and here relates not only to spoken dialogue but also to the ways in which material is presented in a class. To provide a point of departure for discussion, a number of questions and issues have been set out below; no doubt many other topics will be touched upon during the afternoon, and it is not necessary to address everything included on this list.

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What is the function of an accompanist in a dance class? What are the expectations and assumptions of teachers and musicians? Can the role of the studio musician be extended and deepened?

What is understood by the term musicality as used in the dance class?

How much is it necessary for a musician to know about dance, or for a dancer to know about music?

What new strategies may be devised for use in the musical interventions, which are intended to develop and improve the musicality and awareness of the students? To date there have been experiments with unconventional forms of accompaniment including self-accompaniment, students have been required to set exercises, and there have been choreographic tasks involving the rhythmic and metrical manipulation of movement material; there has also been some straightforward teaching about topics like counting and time signatures.

To what extent is it useful for a musician to 'play the movement'?

Does choice of musical style matter?

What is the function of music in exercises that are described as having 'no counts'?

How can musicians be trained to work as dance class accompanists? How can dancers be helped to communicate more effectively with musicians?

Lastly, are there any particular issues/concerns that musicians wish to voice in relation to teachers? Are there any particular issues/concerns that teachers wish to voice in relation to musicians?