The Importance of Sound

The other evening I was sitting at a restaurant watching the Tvs that were on.  They were displaying some sort of music awards (sadly, I do not know which one it was).  Since there was music playing, they did not put the sound on the televisions.  At one point, a friend of mine and I happened to look up to see a gentleman break dancing with only one leg dressed in an old school military uniform with C-Lo Green in the back.  We both looked at each other with the inquisitive expression of  “what is going on?”  Had the music been playing, or the sound in general had been on, we may have had a better idea as to what the point was of this particular act in the show.  It hit me then- music is SO important!

Dance is typically a visual art.  However, there are so many aural aspects to it that one may not typically think about.  The best example is lyrical dance.  Lyrical dance in itself is about the lyrics in the music.  Without the music, you may not be able to fully understand exactly what the dance is trying to convey.  A dancer could be clasping her hands together to show that she is holding flowers while the song portrays a wedding, and without the words, you would just think she was clasping her hands.  It would not be understood that she was a “bride” so to speak. 

As a choreographer, I find that it’s best to choreograph with music.  I took many classes where, and know many choreographers who can create a dance just based off of movement.  I personally love to listen to a piece of music over and over again and find the nuances of it.  When I can get my hands on the composed music itself, I like that even better.  I am fortunate to have taken music classes for a long time (flute player in band for years!) so I can read music on paper and understand it and follow along while the song plays.  This of course is more so with classical type pieces.  It helps me to find parts of a song that I wouldn’t necessarily have picked up on had I not had the physical written composition in front of me.

Even with pieces that do not have  music, I feel like hearing the breath of the dancer, or even the soft swooshing movements of a foot along the dance floor, or hands clapping, or the sound of a turn, are essential to any dance.  Without those, I would feel like any particular piece would be flat and emotionless, even if the performer put all the emotion they could into it.  Sound creates the full experience.  It’s similar to being able to have lighting for specific pieces.  It just makes all the difference! 

Had I heard the music on that night in the restaurant, I may not be wondering right now what it actually was that I was seeing.  Not to mention that I missed a performance by C-Lo Green whom I love!  Next time, maybe I should just ask the server to turn up the sound!