This last week I've spent most of the week working with Nancy to improve my musicality - in the process, we've watched a number of conductors ... for who else would move in a more musical way?
- Dancers let the music inspire their movement
- Conductors let their movement inspire the music
For example, in the clip below, you can really see the music in the conductors movement.
And this guy is just a hoot! and a great one at that! I would love to see him dance ... can you imagine how he could embody the music?
The instruction that Zander gives is amazing for it's clarity ... somehow I think in learning to hear what's happening, and to hear what could be, we can also improve our ability to dance to what is (or perhaps what we want it to be).
What should dancers learn from conductors?
When conductors are moving the music, we can ask, "can we let the music move us?" What we're saying is that, where conductors use their movement to shape the music, I wonder if we, as dancers, can learn from them how to let the music shape our movements.
Often, there's discussion about landing on the beat, or dancing in different rhythms or being lyrical versus staccato. But these are discussions about a specific point in the music. This is about when the beat arrives but not about all that time in between beats. And so, when you watch, and when you dance, pay attention to the shape and dynamic of the movement in the middle (between beats) just as much as at the end (on the beat). Alternatively, we could say the same thing about phrases and pay attention to the larger structure as much as the smaller.
Make a choice that the music bypass the mind and influence the body. I have to remember to let the music move me not just at the end but inside the middle.
Tango is about the connection between human beings; the way one moves and lives inside one's body; the relationship with the music. There's a lot to be learned by studying people who specialize in each of these 3 things.
This last week, we've been working on this idea of letting the music dance me many times a day every day. And it's been incredibly exciting and joyful to be able to work and see the improvement in my dance. We are writing this now, so that we can share our wonderful discoveries with you.
Do you have questions or have things you'd like to say? Please post on our forum.