In the same review quoted above, Macaulay notes of Cojocaru’s dancing and phrasing:Ĭonnections and contrasts continually illumine her dancing. Some dancers might emphasise the initial steps, others the later ones, with pauses inserted to produce a “breathing effect”, with very different results, as we saw with the Giselles of Cojocaru vs.
#Definition of musicality how to
However, certain dancers will know how to find space in the music to give a personal interpretation on top of what may already be a “very musical work”. For instance, Balanchine focused on musicality and form over plot and character. Some choreographic works might be intrinsically musical, but this has little to do with the dancers being musical themselves.Here he performs Prince Desiré’s Act III variation from The Sleeping Beauty.įrom an audience perspective, one can also look for signs in the choreography: For example, while Baryshnikov might be considered the more technically flawless dancer, Rudolf Nureyev had the edge on musicality, which was very much part of his renowned artistry. Musicality is different from quality of movement. There are dancers who, despite not having the most beautiful port de bras or footwork, are wonderfully musical, so the overall effect is harmonious.Observe how she employs her arms during the developpés to make the choreography sing: Watch this clip of (again, we know!) Alina Cojocaru in The Sleeping Beauty‘s Rose Adagio. Some dancers are born with the talent of responding to the music, but this gift can be perfected with time in the studio finding a way to elongate a phrase here, or to cut it short there. See her solo:Ĭontrast with Diana Vishneva’s more mannered, yet not less musical rendition: Now compare these two Giselle clips. First, Alina Cojocaru has a very naturalistic, instinctive take on the role. Alina Cojocaru, he noted, adjusted her dancing to arrive “after the beat” – a signature of “Romantic responsiveness” – whereas Diana Vishneva “unlike many Russians, danced a few steps on the beat, pingingly”. Alastair Macaulay referred to certain aspects of this in his recent review of ABT’s Giselle. Some dancers are incredibly sharp when it comes to following counts and beats, but this doesn’t automatically translate to a musical quality. Two “musical dancers” might have very different ways of responding to the same music. The ability to perceive the various layers in the music, melody, harmony and rhythm which is instinctive and personal.While musicality in ballet has to do with the ability to become one with the music (seamlessly blending movements to it), it shouldn’t be merely understood as a dancer’s skill to observe a specific count or to execute steps flawlessly. Mastering a binding quality in the transitions between the steps is essential in order to see the struggle, and this becomes a musical challenge as well.
For example, in Act II of Giselle, Giselle is caught between Myrta, who is trying to pull her into the dark world of the wilis’ bitterness, and her own need to save Albrecht from destruction. If you are doing a character who is struggling between opposing forces, the movements need more resistance and weight. For example, innocence moves in a certain way, and that affects how you use the music. But the extent to which this is done is defined by the character you are portraying.
Then, where to rob and steal time: You might delay one part of the phrase, and catch up later. Then you can talk about what you are going to do with a phrase. In an interview with Dance Magazine in 2005, American legend Gelsey Kirkland shared her advice on musicality:Ī person’s body first has to learn to sing in silence. Unsurprisingly, the greatest dancers in the history of ballet have been renowned for their musicality and, in this post, we look at some of them. It’s a hard task to come up with a precise definition of what makes a dancer musical, even though we may recognise it when we see it. Like Grace, it is also a subjective concept, as some might find a dancer extremely musical, while others not so. When looking at elements of Grace, we mentioned musicality as a quality in dancers that “will trick you into forgetting about the orchestra pit and thinking that his or her movement is creating the music.” Musicality is a common discussion theme between balletomanes and critics, who often mention it in their reviews. A few months ago we wrote about what makes a dancer graceful.
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