New Piano Music for Ballet Class is a series of four CDs of original music for ballet class created to provide proper tempos and accents for all barre and center work in the serious ballet class.

Ms. Clements sent two of her discs for review and I’m pleased to be able to share my thoughts on them with you. Either (and perhaps all four) would be great additions to your studio music library. Both are available on Amazon, iTunes, CDBaby, Asgard, and more. Our links to Amazon (click the pics) and iTunes can be found below.

New Piano Music for the Dedicated Dancer with Susan Jaffe

This, the fourth album in the series, is the result of a collaboration between Ms. Clements and former American Ballet Theatre dancer, highly regarded teacher, and choreographer, Susan Jaffe. Each piece was created for Ms. Jaffe’s class at her Princeton Dance and Theatre studio and later recorded in the studio.

Teachers will really appreciate the assortment of tracks for both barre and center, variety of tempos, and clear yet dynamic phrasing. Students will enjoy the diverse musical styles and almost singable melodies.

Most unique about the album is that a few of the compositions feature synthesized guitar or other string instrumentation. I personally like the change-up, knowing that students tend to respond favorably when given something a little out of the ordinary. But for those that prefer the more standard keyboard accompaniment, a duplicate solo piano version is usually provided side by side with the augmented track.

New Piano Music for the Dedicated Dancer has 35 tracks and is ideal for your intermediate or advanced classes.

New Piano Music for the Young Dancer

This album for beginning to intermediate dancers has 15 “Barre,” 10 “Center,” and 12 “Allegro” compositions. Though, as Ms. Clements urges in her album cover these may be interchangeable, everything is tidily arranged with plenty of lively tunes to keep younger or new students engaged and moving.

The tracks on this album are titled, conveniently giving clues about the musical style of each. There are Polonaise, Tango, Ragtime, Waltzes, and plenty of Polka. There’s even a hint of Broadway among the 37 compositions. New Piano Music for the Young Dancer features longer bands for beginners to fully explore each exercise and, once again, you’ll find tempos that are clear and appropriate for novice dancers.

This time, Ms. Clements’ Dance Advisor and collaborator is Kathleen Callaghan, artistic director of the Centennial Youth Ballet and a ballet instructor for the acclaimed dance program of Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation.

Looking for more class music? More reviews and recommendations:(...)

Continue reading "New Piano Music for Ballet Class: A Little Patience, Please."

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/09/10/patience-clements/feed/ 3 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/08/16/dance-tempo/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/08/16/dance-tempo/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:38:23 +0000 Guest Contributors http://danceadvantage.net/?p=12750

Photo courtesy Camera Eye Photography (CC by 2.0)

Today’s guest post comes from music editor Morriss Partee at Squirrel Trench Audio.

If you’ve ever spent any time around jazz musicians, you might have heard them talking about getting a song “in the pocket.” That’s musician-speak for creating a great groove, where all the musicians are “dialed-in” and on the same page, tempo-wise. The song just feels great at a certain speed; not too fast, not too slow, just right.

Well, dancers need to be “in the pocket” too when it comes to executing your choreography. A change in tempo of just 2 to 4 beats per minute (BPM) can mean the difference between a dance that struggles and a dance that feels great and natural for the performers.

You can use your iPod Touch or iPhone to get all of your dances “in the pocket” and  match your routines to your dancers’ ideal pacing.

• The first step is to download an app called Tempo Magic Pro (lolo) to your device, available from the iTunes App Store for $4.99. (There may be other apps that will accomplish the same thing.)
• Then, when you are in class with your dancer, select your song, and use the app’s slider to adjust the tempo of the song up or down a couple of BPM and watch to see if it improves the dance.

Tempo Magic Pro automagically figures out the native tempo of the song, so you’ll see both the original and changed BPM on your iPod Touch or iPhone’s display.

Bumping your Beats Per Minute

Usually, a very slight shift of between 2 to 6 BPM faster or slower is(...)

Continue reading "Put Your Routines “In the Pocket”"

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/08/16/dance-tempo/feed/ 9 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/07/25/happy-dancers/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/07/25/happy-dancers/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:45:40 +0000 Stacey Pepper Schwartz http://danceadvantage.net/?p=12252 I saw my first back to school commercial the other day. Last month I wrote about wrapping up the year and now here I am preparing for a new year of teaching!

I am reading a wonderful and informative book entitled Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents by Christine Carter.

It is not about giving children what they want or lavishing them with praise.  It is about teaching them how to deal with disappointment, resolve conflict, and focus on effort as well as achievement.  As a parent, I am finding the book useful to teach my child how to  adapt to new situations, be optimistic and resourceful.  If I find this helpful as a parent, I know the concepts can be a helpful tool for teachers as well.

 

Here are some of the valuable ideas I have taken from the book:

Focus on the effort involved in the achievement versus the achievement alone.

Praising a child’s commitment to achieving a goal (like a leap or turn) will pave they way for more achievement.

For example, if you say “Jamie, you have been working hard keeping your legs straight when you leap.  That was a beautiful leap!  Your hard work paid off,” you are complimenting your student not only on his success but the effort, time and energy  it took for him to obtain his goal. This will encourage your student to put effort into mastering other skills.

If you say “that was a beautiful leap,” then the end product (the leap) is praised but the feedback does not include other aspects of the child’s accomplishment and will not impact the learning process.

 Model optimistic behavior

I undoubtedly have technical difficulties with my music player, be it a CD, tape player or iPod.

I used to say things like “this CD player never likes me,” or “I can never get this to work right!”  I am usually frustrated and feeling rushed when the CD player is eating my discs.

What I learned from the book is that fostering optimism starts with the adult.  I am being pessimistic if I blame myself for the music stalling, even if I say it in a silly way.  Instead I can reframe it and say “This CD player is falling asleep, let me see if I can wake it up!”  The CD player is responsible for the action instead of me.

 Convey positive messages

There are other ways teachers can instill positive messages in class.(...)

Continue reading "Teaching Happiness With Every Leap"

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/07/25/happy-dancers/feed/ 1 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/03/26/squirreltrench/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/03/26/squirreltrench/#comments Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:40:47 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=10533

This giveaway is now closed to new entries.

Check the Spring Fever main page to enter those still open.

Welcome to DAY SIX of the Spring Fever Giveaway 2011!

We'll take care of the music. The dance is up to you.

Today’s giveaway is sponsored by Squirrel Trench Audio.

Squirrel Trench Audio offers music editing and original remixes for dance competition and recitals.

Musician and editor, Morriss Partee has played and studied music in one form or another since he was a wee tiny tot. A while back, his girlfriend, who is a dance teacher at a top 10 studio in Massachusetts, asked him to blend together several different songs and spoken voice pieces for a character dance for her 8-10 year-olds called “Pixie Hollow.” Morriss says he had a blast putting the music and sounds together for the piece and enjoyed seeing it performed on stage. Later, as he realized that nearly all songs destined to be played loud over competition or recital sound systems, could be improved with professional-level audio editing, Squirrel Trench Audio was born.

Morriss realizes that many dance teachers and studios don’t have the budget for professional song editing, especially in this difficult economy. So he’s written many tips and techniques for doing it well on his blog at squirreltrenchaudio.com. Right now, he’s working on a series of posts on how to avoid the five most common audio editing mistakes he’s hearing at dance competitions. Because dance teachers sometimes need inspiration for song ideas when their new season starts in August or September, he’s also compiled a list of song ideas in several dance categories (jazz, lyrical, tap, contemporary, musical theater).

FYI, if you’re wondering what’s in a name, a “squirrel trench” is what Morriss calls a bad music edit – an obvious hiccup, glitch or scar in the music for a dance routine. Hopefully the squirrel trenches you hear at dance competitions are in other studio’s music, and not your own!

The Giveaway

Morriss would like to give away one editing session of a song to dance competition/recital length to THREE different Dance Advantage readers.

The retail value of a single song edit is $50. Since the finished product will be made available for downloading, our winners can be located anywhere. However, if you’d like Morriss to provide your song on CD, the cost will be $10 plus shipping.

As a winner, you’ll get to hear an initial draft of your edited song, and if you’re not 100% happy with the way it has come out, you can provide feedback for what you’d like changed. After you’re satisfied with the final result, Squirrel Trench Audio will make the edited song available online for winners to download in both high quality mp3 format, as well as AIFF for highest quality when burning to CD.

When Morriss edits songs, he does it from a musician’s perspective, with an understanding of what dancers need in the music. “I always keep the ending if the song has one,” he says. “There are a lot of things that go into editing a song well for dance, including song structure, intro, ending, overall volume, equalization, and so forth. In order to edit the song optimally for dancer(s), it’s helpful to know if it’s a solo, duo/trio, or group, what the age group is, and whether we’re looking for a shorter piece (2:05-2:25) for younger dancers/soloists/tap or if we’re going for a longer piece (in the 2:30-2:55 range) for older dancers and/or larger groups.” Squirrel Trench Audio offers single song editing, as well as multiple song packages for teachers and studios.

How To Enter:

TEACHERS: Leave a comment at this post, responding to the following: Name a song you’ve used or seen performed at a dance show/competition that stands out as a favorite or uniquely special.

STUDIO OWNERS: How do you handle it when two or more of your teachers want to choreograph the exact same song?

Again, since the finished product will be made available for downloading, this giveaway is open worldwide and will close Wednesday, March 30 at Midnight EDT.

Winners will be drawn and contacted within one week from today. Best of luck!

Check back tomorrow for our LAST giveaway.

Once contacted via the email used to comment, winners have only 48 hours to respond and claim their prize. Each giveaway is treated as a separate contest. Subscriber PLUS members are given daily opportunities to earn additional entries on each giveaway. PLEASE READ our giveaway policy before entering.

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/03/26/squirreltrench/feed/ 10 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/03/14/character-dance/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/03/14/character-dance/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:40:45 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=10289

Character Dance, or Danse de caractère. Any national or folk dance, or a dance based on movements associated with a particular profession, trade, personality, or mode of living.

Leave it to ballet’s dictionary maven, Gail Grant to come up with a one-sentence definition for character dance. (It’s not as easy as it looks, people.) I recently encountered another approach to summing up this sometimes ambiguous component of dance when I viewed the Vagnova Ballet Academy’s Character Dance Class DVD (a title on loan to me via KineticFlix DVD mail-rental service).

“Many times in a classical ballet performance, some movements seem not to belong to classical ballet, those are Character movements.”

Character Dance Class with Yelena Sherstnieva (Vagnova Ballet Academy)

It’s one line in a short essay from Character Dance teacher and former Mariinsky soloist, Yelena Sherstnieva, who has instructed the 2006 graduating class featured in this DVD. Sherstnieva, explaining that “the Character dance will exist as long as the Classical Ballet will exist,” goes on to describe the greater freedom of Character dancing as compared to Classical Ballet, as well as its benefits to the student (works the joints, flexibility of the body and back, development of rhythm and syncopation), and its importance in Ballet (distinguishing ballets from one another).

If you are hoping to learn more about Character Dance or methods for teaching it, it may be important for you to know that the above is the extent of instructional guidance you’ll get from this 36-minute DVD.

What the disc DOES provide is a finely executed series of advanced Character barre and centre exercises. There’s a Mazurka-style plié, an Aragonese Jota-style (Spanish) rond de jambe à terre, a Russian Apple Dance for the guys, a Spanish adagio for women set to the Carmen Habanera, and more at the barre. Plus, there’s 14 centre variations that cover the Mazurka, Hungarian Czardas, Spanish and Middle Eastern dances by choreographers such as Petipa, Ivanov, Folkine, and Grigorovich.

While it is more diligently studied in other countries, particularly Russia, Character dance instruction is conspicuously absent or minimal even in top American ballet schools.  Even if you do not systematically teach Character dance at your school, the attention to detail demonstrated by the Vagnova Ballet Academy graduates in this DVD displays the richness of the vocabulary and usefulness of its inclusion in a ballet curriculum.

Bottom Line: Any teacher of ballet will be inspired by the exploration of rhythm, use of the torso and épaulement, and opportunity for creative expression in this presentational class, and it may be of particular use to those who are creating barre and centre exercises for their own Character dance classes. [Click here for a list of exercises used in this DVD (pdf)]

This video is available for purchase at Amazon.com (Click here: Vagnova Ballet Academy-Character Dance Class)

But you can try it (and many others) before you buy it with your subscription at KineticFlix.com:

This review of Vaganova Ballet Academy's Character Dance Class is made possible through donation of subscription services by KineticFlix.com.

More Ways To Get Into Character Dance(...)

Continue reading "Getting Into Character Dance"

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/03/14/character-dance/feed/ 1 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/21/music-editing-services/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/21/music-editing-services/#comments Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:30:13 +0000 Guest Contributors http://danceadvantage.net/?p=10004

Guest, Jason Marquette returns with more tips as you prepare music for recitals and competition.

Last time, I went over how to select the right song for your dancers and gave tips on how to edit it yourself. Choosing the right sections of a song so that it provides significant variety in musicality keeps your work fresh and your ideas flowing. It creates an arc to follow through the piece.  The problem is whether or not all of those sections fit seamlessly together.

Many teachers don’t consider is how important good music editing is to the choreographic, creative process.

Good editing ensures the content of the song makes sense and that the musical progression is seamless allowing you to keep your choreographic inspiration flowing.  It also increases the enjoyment for your audience. Nothing is more jarring then watching a beautiful lyrical or contemporary piece and having the music jump in the middle of a phrase. In competitive situations, it subconsciously lowers the quality of the piece in the eyes of the adjudicators.

Remember When…?

I don’t want to age myself…but I’m gonna. I was teaching back when music editing had to be done on cassette decks. We would record from CD to cassette and then sit on the pause button to get the perfect edit. I was probably one of the pickier people out there so I wound up spending hours editing just a few songs. Unless you wanted to open up the cassette and cut and splice for overlay and mixing, it was a cut and paste process.

Obviously technology has made this easier.  Now I can edit up to 10 reasonably challenging songs in just a couple of hours. In a day, I can do upwards of 40. Music editing isn’t super difficult, but it can be time consuming to get just the right edit.

Save Yourself Time, Money, & Frustration

There are services out there geared specifically toward editing music for dance studios, gyms, ice skaters etc, however, they can be expensive and, you are at the mercy of their schedule and talents.

If you use one of these services, (...)

Continue reading "Working With A Music Editor"

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/21/music-editing-services/feed/ 0 http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/05/choosing-and-editing-music/ http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/05/choosing-and-editing-music/#comments Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:40:17 +0000 Guest Contributors http://danceadvantage.net/?p=9933 Why the right music makes all the difference.

Music is at the core of what we do. It is where we get the rhythm, the emotional and contextual content as well as stylistic elements of our choreography. It provides us with the inspiration to move. Choosing the right song is what starts the process rolling. The wrong song can stifle you and creatively block you before you even start.

As a teacher, we know our students well enough that, when we hear a song, we immediately think of a certain dancer. Making sure it’s age appropriate is of course a concern, but making sure the dancer is capable of conveying the content should be paramount. It will be a source of frustration for you and insecurity for your dancer if they never live up to the vision in your head.

It’s also important that you both enjoy the song. It’s always great to introduce your students to some of your favorite classics, but if they don’t like the song, you’ll never get their best work. Likewise, if they suggest something completely out of your taste, you may find inspiration lacking. The last thing you want to do is choose a song that you’re sick of after the tenth time you’ve heard it. You’ll avoid spending the proper time with it and your student will never get your best work. I suggest making playlists and swapping with your student so you can find something you both love.

The next thing to consider is the length. Most songs are too long and in competitive situations there are time limits. Choosing the right sections of a song so that it provides significant variety in musicality keeps your work fresh and your ideas flowing. It creates an arc to follow through the piece. The problem is whether or not all of those sections fit seamlessly together. Many teachers don’t consider how important good music editing is to the choreographic, creative process.

Why good editing makes all the difference.

Good editing ensures the content of the song makes sense and that the musical progression is seamless allowing you to keep your choreographic inspiration flowing. It also increases the enjoyment for your audience. Nothing is more jarring then watching a beautiful lyrical or contemporary piece and having the music jump in the middle of a phrase. In competitive situations, it subconsciously lowers the quality of the piece in the eyes of the adjudicators.

Learning how to edit music yourself is a great money-saving tool in these tough economic times.

Editing Software

There are many software programs out there that can help you make a good clean edit as long as you know how to use them.

Apple uses Garage Band which all of my Mac using friends seem to love. I’ve only had limited experience with it and I found it difficult to navigate. It was primarily created as simple composition software and the editing features were created to aid in that endeavor. You can use it to edit other files as well and it can give great results if you take the time to learn all of its features.

Audacity is, essentially, the PC version of Garage Band. It has the same purpose of music creation with many editing capabilities. There are free software applications out there but most free software makes me nervous for obvious reasons.

The program I find the most usable and least overwhelming is Sony SoundForge. Its most recent versions are packed with useful features. One I especially like is the Vocal Eraser. This is extremely helpful when trying to keep lyrics appropriate for young audiences.

Cut and Paste Editing

There are different ways to edit your music. The cut and paste is of course the least time consuming. Below are a few points to keep in mind.

• COUNT! – Make sure you end and start on the same beat. I tend to make my edits happen on count 1.
• Pay attention to volume changes – If you’re cutting and pasting and the second section is significantly louder or softer than the one you’re pasting to, it can be very disconcerting.
• Listen for tempo changes – If the music speeds up all of a sudden, you’re not giving your students or audience any warning. In most programs you can change the tempo of the whole song or sections of the song. Take advantage.
• Know when to mix and when to cut and paste – The best time to do cut and paste is if the music fades to almost nothing and comes back in the second section in a similar fashion. Mixing is hard to hide where there is little instrumentation so this works pretty well on acoustic pieces.

Unfortunately, cut and paste creates a lot of problems. Unless the two parts you are editing together are in the same key, it’s not going to sound natural. Understanding key changes and progression in music is very helpful with this. You’ll learn to choose your edits so that you don’t throw off the ear. Like I said, be sure you line up the beats or you’ll have an awkward moment in your choreography. If a key change happens in the measure before, it usually happens on the 7 count so you may want to get that pick up in before making the cut.

Mixing

In most cases, I suggest mixing your edits. It ensures that you get the end of one phrase, but introduce important transitional elements of the phrase you are cutting to. Some things to keep in mind:

• Choose the number of beats you’ll mix. Usually, you can get away with a one measure (4 beats) overlay. Don’t be afraid to do a longer or shorter mix if necessary.  Remember, you’re trying to trick the ear into believing it was meant to be this way.
• Make sure the beats line up. When the beats don’t line up, you’ll hear an odd echo in the drum beat that sounds kind of like a stutter. To best line up the beats, I always suggest zooming in on the section you’re editing and using the pause feature so that you can see exactly where you want the edit to happen. Insert a marker and label it so that you’ll know later what that marker is…i.e. “cut to” or “fade out”.
• Always double check your markers. Sometimes the cursor will jump when you hit pause. You want it to be accurate so you don’t have to go back later and do it all over again. Back the cursor up and find the point where you want to start the fade/mix. Place a marker there as well.
• Do a trial mix first. I suggest doing a plain mix without any fade first and previewing it. This way you can be sure you’ve aligned your beats properly and hear which elements of both sections you want to emphasize in the edit and which you want to lose. You can always click Undo and make adjustments if necessary.
• The FADE. It’s rare that you can just mix two sections and not have awkward bleed through of vocal improvisations or percussive variations. Ninety-five percent of the time, you’ll want to do a fade out of the first section and a fade in of the second. All of the software programs I mentioned have this feature and give you the option of doing a default fade across the length of the measure or a graphic fade. In this case, you can move the fade points up or down and side to side to ensure you’re capturing the elements in the music just right in order to get the best edit. The problem with the default fade is that the two fades will meet in the middle at only 50% which means you’ll have a volume dip in the middle. The graphic fade allows you to adjust your fades in just the right way to avoid this problem.
• Be aware of changes in Volume and Tempo. Once again, these can make a good edit go very bad. You need to adjust tempo before mixing but you can usually adjust the volume in the Mix Dialogue box. If you want to keep a faster tempo in the second edit, you’ll want to adjust your markers so they line up to the ‘one count’ of the tempo you’re moving into.

Ending on the ‘right note’

Endings can often be difficult. It’s not always appropriate to fade out and it doesn’t always musically make sense to just cut off. Sometimes you need to use features like reverb or delay to create an ending that doesn’t leave the ear wanting resolution. You can also use sound effects, when appropriate, to force an ending.

Music editing can be extremely fun and creatively fulfilling if you have the passion, energy and time to really perfect the process. It can also make your job as a choreographer much easier. But making sure you have the right song first is definitely the most important part of the process.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  I hope this article helps you more easily navigate the process and bring your work to the next level.

Jason Marquette graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His performance credits include the first national tour of the revival of 42nd Street, The Musical (original cast) and regional theaters all around the United States.  Jason taught at BDC for the past 6 years but has been teaching for over 17 years. He has since taught in cities all across the country as well as internationally in Helsinki, Finland and Guayaquil, Ecuador. He is currently scheduled to teach in Guatemala and Italy this year. In 2008 he mounted his self-produced NYC production called The Next Step. His choreography has also been seen in the SUNY New Paltz Production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company as well as music videos and various performance projects in New York and around the world. His work will appear in The Group Theatre Too’s Choreographer’s Canvas on May 11 of this year. He is the owner/operator of Marquette Productions – Music Editing and More www.marquetteproductions.com and The Marquette Theater Project – Making theater matter again. He plans to produce another production in the fall of 2012. For more about Jason and to see his up-to-date schedule of events, you can check out his website at www.jasonmarquette.com

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2011/02/05/choosing-and-editing-music/feed/ 1 http://danceadvantage.net/2010/11/27/nutcracker-twist/ http://danceadvantage.net/2010/11/27/nutcracker-twist/#comments Sat, 27 Nov 2010 14:00:28 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=9161 You may think you’ve heard every version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite available. The holiday classic has been covered many times. You won’t find any dog barking in this collection but I’m sure you’ll find something new to add a bit of sugarplum, spice, or humor to your classes this holiday season.

Royal Ballet dancers Miyako Yoshida and Steven McRae

Electronic and Remix

The Nutcracker Suite (Baz Kuts Breaks Mix): Christmas Remixed – Holiday Classics Re-Grooved

The Nutcracker Suite (Operatica’s Nutcrackeratica Mix): Holiday Chill – The Christmas Remixes

Sugarplum: Bond – Explosive – The Best of Bond

Sugar Plum (short and long version): The Nutcracker

A Little Jazzy

Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies: Harry Connick Jr. – What a Night! A Christamas Album

The Nutcracker Suite: Brian Setzer – Boogie Woogie Christmas

The Nutty Cracker Suite: Thoroughly Modern Millie

Three Suites – Duke Ellington

Vocal Virtuosity

The Sugarplum Dance (Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy): Take 6 – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

A pop à cappella take on the classic.

Crack the Nut: SoVoSo

Another à cappella but with less pop sensibility. The Arabian variation is especially unique.

A Little Different

Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy: Baby Einstein – Baby Santa

If you’re familiar with these CDs, you’ll know that this sounds a little like an electronic toy piano.

Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite & Other Works by Delibet, Fauré, Llobet & Vivaldi: Modern Mandolin Quartet

I particularly like the Russian, Arabian, and Chinese variations.

Waltz of the Flowers: Christmas Music / Metal Madness – The Best of Rock Guitar Collection

There are other Nutcracker selections on this album. The arrangements aren’t all that innovative but if you’re looking for screaming guitar riffs, give this a try.

Selections from the “Nutcracker”: Overture Miniature/Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies/Valse Des Fleurs: The Carpenters – Christmas Portrait

Waltz of the Flowers in 6/8: N2k – Nutcracker 2000

Waltz of the Flowers under the Big Top? That’s what it sounds like. The other selections on this album aren’t that notable.

Do you have a favorite, fun, or twisted version of the famous Nutcracker Suite selections?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2010/11/27/nutcracker-twist/feed/ 4 http://danceadvantage.net/2010/10/19/halloween-songs/ http://danceadvantage.net/2010/10/19/halloween-songs/#comments Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:20:11 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=8428 You can definitely have a little musical fun with Halloween, and last year I added a list of over 30 songs, plus a few album ideas to Dance Advantage.

This year I’ve topped that with 40 MORE songs that you can use for parties or for dance class. Go way beyond the Monster Mash with tracks from True Blood, The Ramones, David Bowie, and Kanye West. And check the widget below, for your immediate gratification, they are all available for preview and download via the Amazon widget below.

Please allow me to introduce my… songs

1. Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
2. Abracadabra – Steve Miller Band (or try Sugar Ray’s version)
3. Pet Sematary – The Ramones
4. After Dark – From Dusk Till Dawn Soundtrack
5. Frankenstein – The Edgar Winter Group
6. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon (or try Adam Sandler’s rendition)
7. Werewolf – Cat Power
8. Disturbia – Rihanna
9. Devil Inside – INXS
10. Welcome to my Nightmare – Alice Cooper
11. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
12. Vampires Will Never Hurt You – My Chemical Romance (get the Vitamin String Quartet’s instrumental version, too)
13. Do the Vampire – Superdrag
14. Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo
15. Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – David Bowie
16. Boris the Spider – The Who
17. Dream Scream – Death Cab for Cutie
18. X-Files – Mark Snow
19. Full Moon – Black Ghosts
20. Full Moon – Brandy
21. Zombie Zoo – Tom Petty
22. A White Demon Love Song – The Killers (check out the piano instrumental)
23. Wizard Wheezes – Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince soundtrack
24. See You in my Nightmares – Kanye West
25. Theme from Amityville Horror (Remix) – Horror Movie Madness
26. Ghost I-IV – Nine Inch Nails (get the whole album of ambient instrumentals for only $5)
27. That Old Black Magic – Rod Stewart (or your crooner of choice)
28. Night on Bald Mountain (Remix) – Ultimate Halloween
29. O Fortuna from Carmina Burana (Remix) – Halloween Dance & Party
30. Trick or Treat – Otis Reading
31. Bleed 2 Feed – CC Adcock & The Lafayette Marquis
32. Bones – Little Big Town
33. Looking for Dracula* – Charlotte Diamond
34. When I’m Booin’* – The Backyardigans
35. Howling at the Moon – The Ramones
36. Prologue – Little Shop of Horrors
37. Blood on the Dance Floor – Michael Jackson
38. Haunted – POE
39. Haunted – Evanescence
40. Beauty of the Dark – Mads Langer

Especially kid-friendly tunes are marked with a star (*). But you can find more selections for children in the Trick or Treat Tracks article.

Preview the tracks here:

Oh, and check out these Hair-Raising Halloween-themed Dance Videos too!

Hard as it is to imagine, I know there’s more where that came from. Add to the list with your comments and suggestions below.

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Featured, Music | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2010/10/19/halloween-songs/feed/ 6 http://danceadvantage.net/2010/09/16/accompanying-dancers-2/ http://danceadvantage.net/2010/09/16/accompanying-dancers-2/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 13:10:45 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=7941

The following is the second half a two-part conversation with Richard Maddock, a Toronto-based musician who has been accompanying dance for twenty-five years. Go to Part One to hear his thoughts on the dialogue between accompanist and teacher and to learn more about Richard, including how he got his start playing for ballet at age fourteen! It’s a great story, you don’t want to miss it.

Below Richard talks about some of the necessities for any school hoping to or even considering collaborating with an accompanist for dance classes. His view from the piano bench is a great vantage point to appreciate the art form of dance and its dancers. I know you’ll find it inspiring.

Making Space For An Accompanist

Although I’m sure it is wonderful to have a grand piano available for dance classes, is it possible to get by with something that is more conservative in size?

Unless the ballet studio has a lot of space with a nice budget to work with, almost every studio I have ever worked with either has an upright acoustic piano or a small, apartment size piano.  Either of these will do just fine for classes.

What would you recommend as the basic necessities for a studio that wants to provide equipment for a pianist?

It is preferable that the piano have enough power – that it is strongly-built and in good working condition — so that I can play with strength and with as wide a dynamic range as possible.  Some pianos have more power than others.

The studio I work at has three studios – one large and two small — as well as a small theatre space that seats about 100 people.  The two smaller studios and the theatre space have an upright acoustic piano, and the larger studio has a baby grand piano.  I actually prefer to play on the upright acoustic pianos as I find their tone more appealing – not to mention the fact that I can get more emotion out of these pianos!

Every pianist has their own personal preference, but all of my colleagues agree that it is extremely important that the pianos be well-maintained and tuned on a consistent basis especially for improvisation, as a badly out-of-tune piano can adversely affect a musician’s inner hearing.

It is always preferable to play classes on an acoustic piano, even though electric pianos never go out of tune. I have the impression that electric pianos are quite often used by studios that don’t have an accompanist very often. If it is a full keyboard (88 keys) and touch sensitive with a sustain pedal, then these electric pianos are sufficient for classes as well.

If studio owners would like to buy a used piano that is in good condition and reasonably-priced, I would suggest that they contact a well-known and respected piano technician/tuner in their area.  Of course, the purchase would be a tax write-off for the studio as well! The only cost afterwards is having the piano tuned three or four times a year if they want to take care of it.

Keeping the instruments covered when not in use will help to protect them. Also, be sure to keep the humidity levels in the studios as consistent as possible, and, once it’s been tuned, position the piano somewhere in the room where it won’t have to be moved to often.  Following these practices will help the instruments maintain good tuning for longer periods of time.

What do you find most challenging about accompanying dance?

I find “free classes” for advanced dancers to be the most challenging, as quite often I am scheduled to play for three hours for the younger classes, and then immediately afterwards, I have to improvise at a much higher level of creativity for the advanced classes.

Last year, Kimberly Glasco (ex-ballerina from the National Ballet of Canada) came to our studio as a guest teacher and did a few master classes. I was very nervous at the start of the first class with Kimberly, but I soon relaxed!  I enjoyed playing for her classes, and it was wonderful to see how the dancers looked up to her and wanted to do their very best, as most of them had seen Kimberly perform in ballets with the National Ballet.

After doing this for over twenty-five years, perhaps the most challenging thing is to go in five days a week and continue to be original in my composing/improvising — to continuously give inspirational melodies that suit each and every exercise all the time.  I don’t like to be repetitive, as I believe that too much repetition is unhealthy for both the dancers and for myself. It can be challenging to constantly try to play the RAD set syllabus as if it was the first time I played it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1525o0GbTc

One With The Music

What do you love most about accompanying for dance?

I love to play and I love to see the dancer tell the story of the music with their bodies, and I feel I have been blessed with a gift, which is to be able to play the piano and to create melodies.

I enjoy seeing the really young children being truly “in the moment,” and dancing with so much joy and innocence.

Since I have been at the same studio for the past seventeen years or so, it has been wonderful to play for so many dancers and watch them go through all the grades and become better dancers. For many of the dancers, I have played all of their classes and exams from preprimary all the way up to the highest level they can attain within the school, so there is a connection there and (I like to think) a mutual respect and appreciation.

I am thankful that for the majority of my life, I have been surrounded by so many dancers both young and old, who are doing all they can to become the best that they can be. I couldn’t have asked for a better job, and I would like to think that I have helped to inspire and be a part of the educational and artistic path that we all walk along.

Every day is always completely new, there is always new inspiration, a new connection, a new idea, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else than where I am right now. I look forward to each new day, and I am forever thankful to my wife for encouraging me to go after my dreams. I have always played from my heart, and I think that when a dancer goes beyond what they even think is possible, there is magic, that when you can see the soul truly dance from within, there is no greater art form to watch. When the dancer becomes one with the music, I am left with a great sense of awe and of respect.

I would also like to say that since I began recording CDs for ballet classes and started receiving feedback from teachers around the world, hearing their stories and forming friendships with many of them, I have been so overwhelmed by the kindness, the support and the encouragement I have received from teachers who have never even met me.

I feel very humbled to know that dancers are dancing to my music in studios all around the world.  To know that my music is being appreciated and that it is helping to inspire so many people of all ages…there is no greater reward than this!

What are your concerns or reservations about using a dance accompanist?

Do you utilize Richard’s CDs for class? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dance Media, Dancethropology, Music | Who's talking about this article?

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]]> http://danceadvantage.net/2010/09/16/accompanying-dancers-2/feed/ 4 http://danceadvantage.net/2010/09/13/accompanying-dancers/ http://danceadvantage.net/2010/09/13/accompanying-dancers/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 13:10:39 +0000 Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/?p=7934 Have you ever wondered about the view from behind the piano keyboard?

How does someone become a dance accompanist? And how might a dance school welcome and make room for an accompanist in their studio?

Richard Maddock, an experienced dance accompanist will share his story in this two-part interview… Plus some helpful tips, what he feels is most important in the communication between teacher and pianist, and the tremendous respect for dancers which comes from 25 years of witnessing their training.

Richard is currently Head Accompanist at The Pia Bouman School of Creative Movement and Ballet, in Toronto, Canada. Richard’s full-length CDs for dance and creative movement have garnered enthusiastic praise from dancers worldwide, including me! I reviewed several of Richard’s CDs right here on Dance Advantage and have been pleased to set my ballet classes to his works since.

I have included videos featuring Richard’s accompaniment and compositions. Feel free to press play so that Richard can accompany your reading as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j4NK_xusSU

How did you get started as a dance accompanist?

My older brother had been playing for a ballet school for a few years, and he asked me one day if I would like to try and fill in for him as he was going away to university. Even though I was only fourteen years old at the time, I was able to sight read very well and thought that it was a wonderful opportunity to make money doing something I loved to do – play the piano!  I have been playing for ballet schools ever since.

Thinking back, did you discover anything about working with dancers/dance instructors that was at first a surprise or unexpected?

The very first ballet class I played for was a big surprise, because I had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me by either the teacher or the dancers.  I walked into the studio and the first person I saw was the teacher (who seemed to me to be very old), holding a lit cigarette in one hand and a cane in the other!  She smoked her cigarette while she taught, and made sure to let the dancers know that she was quite able to use the cane if necessary!

Dancers were expected to have the perfect bun, professional outfits, to be at the studio half an hour early to do warm-ups on their own, and to be at the barre at the minute that their class was to start.  No one was allowed to talk unless they raised their hand and any questions had to be relevant to what they were doing.  If any of these rules were not followed, they were kicked out of the studio and were not allowed to come back in for that class.

The teacher was very kind to me and I remember feeling that it sort of came naturally to me to play for dancers.  I know that I was nervous, especially playing for the adult dancers.  I was very small and really looked young at the age of 14 and I think that the dancers thought that I was going to play horribly. Thankfully, all went well!

Do you work improvisationally in the classroom, from sheet music, from memory, all of the above?

The majority of studios where I have played follow the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) syllabus.  For these classes, from pre-primary all the way up to Solo Seal, I play the repertoire that is specified in the RAD syllabus.  During these classes (depending on the teacher and how close or far away they are from the exam date), “free work” is also a part of the class, so I watch and listen to the teacher setting the exercises and improvise accordingly.

I don’t have a repertoire of compositions that I have memorized to play when “free work” is called for.  I prefer to create in the moment, guided by what I see, by the energy of the dancers and the feeling in the room.  Quite often, I also play for “free classes” as well (for which there is no set syllabus), and these are the classes I prefer to accompany.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxJz-XgWMfA

The Dance Between Accompanist, Teacher, and Students

When working with a teacher for the first time, what do you like to try to communicate, establish, or glean before you begin class with him/her?

This is a hard question to answer, because for the last ten years or more, I have played mostly for the same teachers.  There is an understanding on both the part of the teacher and myself that they can focus on their class and trust that I will be giving what they need from me, musically speaking.

If a student teacher filling in for someone, I can usually see if they are nervous about working with an accompanist.  If this is the case, I take time before class to reassure the teacher that they have no need to worry and that they just need to focus on the dancers. Usually after the first few minutes of class, they realize that I am with them and doing all I can to help make the class go well. I see the teacher and I as two artists working together to create a successful class for the dancers.

As a teacher gives instructions before each exercise, what is it most important that he/she be clear about?

What is most important is that I see them marking the exercise for the dancers in the tempo that they want.  For free classes, it is also important to get a sense of the dynamics of the particular exercise.  Usually all that I need to see is the first 8 or 16 bars of an exercise and then (while the teacher continues to set the exercise) I wait for the melody to “appear.”  I think that every accompanist would most likely answer this question differently, though.

You’ve played in classes with young children. Are they ever distracted by your presence and do you or the teacher do anything to prepare the children?

Generally, I don’t think that young children are distracted by my presence, because I am there from the first day they start dancing.  If it is the very first class that the young dancers have ever taken, the teacher will gather all the children around the piano and we will be introduced to one another — and this is usually all that is necessary for them. I am careful to maintain a low profile in class, to be quiet and to avoid talking to the teacher or the students while the class is being conducted, unless absolutely necessary.  I want the focus to stay on the music and on the teacher!

If the children are used to another accompanist playing for their classes, and all of a sudden one day I am there playing for the class, then they are usually quite curious about me and ask what happened to the other pianist.  But again, an introduction is all that is usually required, and they quickly re-focus on the teacher and carry on dancing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHIoAogjLuE

In Part Two Richard gives his thoughts on the basic necessities for a studio that wishes to have a dance accompanist. Plus an inspiring description of his view from the piano bench.

Do you or have you considered using a live musician at your school to accompany dance?

Why or why not?

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Dance Media, Dancethropology, For Classroom, Interviews, Music, Teaching | Who's talking about this article?

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