

So in order to understand dance, you need to understand the basics of dance musicality. The art of dance is built or choreographed on or to music.
#MUSICALITY IN DANCE DEFINITION HOW TO#
Most of it I know is due to nerves, but I am sure many of you would like to know how to improve your own musicality in dance. Paying attention to those patterns will get you even more fluent with dance musicality.I have decided to do some research and write this article on how to improve musicality in dance, as a couple of my pupils had issues with their musicality in dance in their recent exams. Maybe there’s a kick on each odd count, and a snare on every even count – “boom tat, boom tat” maybe you hear an underlying bass guitar which comes in after every 4 eights, a keyboard melody? Get used to listening to a range of genres and dissecting music so that you can name which sounds are what! You’ll start to see patterns of sounds as you keep studying a song. You’ll discover different combinations of different sounds in layers and layers of any song.


Kicks can take place on any whole number (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).The kick is a low percussion sound created by the bass drum.So we know what the 8-count is and how to use it, but music doesn’t count, there are sounds in replacement of those numbers! Here are some of the sounds you might hear when listening to music: In addition to this, in between each number we have “and” counts, which can be split even further to go something like this “1 and 2 and 3-e-and-a 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and a 8” This helps everybody to know what count a certain movement is on.įor example the teacher might want you to do jump on “7” so you would count “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, JUMP, 8” Often when you learn a piece of choreography, the teacher/choreographer will count in 8s. In street dance (and other dance styles) we use the 8-count to break down the timing and structure of the music. To help you understand rhythm, phrasing and how to listen to music, we have explained some key basic musicality points below. Often you will watch a dancer and it looks like they are creating the music with their body/movement. It is a key ingredient in a dancer’s display of artistry. Musicality in dance then might be considered a measure or degree to which a dancer is receptive and creative in their translation or rendering of music through movement. Musical creativity (or musical artistry) is the ability to connect with accompanying music, interpret it, or phrase and add movement dynamics that relate to music even in the absence of accompaniment, in a way that is unique or interesting. Musical receptivity is the ability to receive, comprehend, be sensitive to, and have a working knowledge of musical concepts like rhythm, tempo, phrasing, and even mood. Musicality in dance has two main components. It helps an otherwise good dancer (who has good technique, stage presence and style) elevate to an extraordinary dancer. Musicality is one of the most important aspects of dancing.
