The light shuffle of feet upon the cold wooden floor. Dancers in position, still, as if frozen in time.

Music sounds from beneath the stage, plunging the performers into action as if the music is

influencing and controlling their every move. Each sweep and spin adds a new layer to the story.

Music and dance both simultaneously exist within each other. Both art forms help express the human

condition in a way words can never describe. Music and dance draw bridges between spirit,

movement,music and meaning1.

In Music and Dance by Shulkin and Gjerdingen many points are made about the deep inner workings

of how music and dance influence and express the human condition. Throughout chapter seven

Shulkin and Gjerdingen frequently talk about cognitive and non-cognitive movement. Cognitive

describing movements we consciously think of and the metal process we go through to make these

movements. As one listens to a piece of music, there is a sense of direction like it is leading to some

point of resolve. This is how music helps to enhance a story. As the music presses on the listeners are

taken on the composer's own personal journey. Music is the very life of dance, it's the soul of the

performance. The dancers merely puppets being pulled by strings. Music drives the performance

turning cognitive movements into non-cognitive movements. For example when listening to a piece of

music that has a particularly strong pulse, one can’t help but tap their foot along with the music.

Dance is the union between man and their “animalistic” instincts. It takes raw emotion and impulse

and visualizes it for the audience to experience. 2“Dance is infused with music, and music always

conjures a sense of movement. They are joined at the hip, so to speak, and the diverse metaphors

serve cognitive links as we extend the landscapes of music and dance.”

My first piece I have chosen is “March” From Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. As this movement starts

the listeners can very clearly pick out the brass lines. The staccato style of the piece really helps to

drive the scene occurring in the ballet. There is plenty of polyphony throughout this piece. There is a

very distinct and solid bass line that helps to keep a steady tempo through the movements, as there are

1
Shulkin and Gjerdingen, Music and Dance, Preston University Press 2013, (6)
2
Shulkin and Gjerdingen, Music and Dance, Preston University Press 2013, (9)
many occurring melodies and countermelodies . Tchaikovsky uses ritornello form through this

movement returning to the very distinct melody carried by the trumpets. As the audience views the

dancers, soldiers can be seen dancing around the stage. These soldiers are toys that have come to life

and the choreographers use the staccatos within the music to their advantage; having the dancers

movements be very articulate to help portray the soldiers toy like manor . It’s almost as if the music is

controlling their every movement. The music helps to portray the intentions and feelings of the toy

soldiers. As well as the excitement and curiosity of Clara as she sees her once small toys dance and

march around her. The audience really gets a feel of this through the flutes, piccolos and high

woodwinds while they play a light and wave-like melody.

My second piece is “The Mirror” by Alexandre Desplat. The piece starts off with strings playing

pianissimo with light hums coming from the lower string instruments, helping to build intensity and

suspense. These lower trailing pitches also help to give the opening motion. A few moments later

piano is added in helping to add a bubbling texture to the piece. The piece suddenly has a change in

colour as the strings techniques become more heavy and their tones become darker. There’s also an

increase in tempo. The piece is filled with polyphony. The bassline is short and gives and push or even

stumble forward motion. While the piano moves up and down in a very small stepwise motion. The

strings have long phrases; helping to blend all the textures throughout the orchestra. There is then a

sudden pause where the orchestra silences leaving only a solo violin holding one extended note. The

piece moves to a soft melody played by a solo piano. The strings slowly filter back in followed by a

new melody played by a solo flutist. The tempo has changed drastically, becoming rubato as the piece

moves on. There are multiple interpretations and performances of this song. The one I have chosen is

a performance by J.T Church and Robert Roland who performed a contemporary dance

choreographed by Travis Wall. The scene starts with Robert Roland entering the stage, a large frame

on wheels in the centre. As he looks at himself J.T Church appears on the other side mimicking

Rolands movements. This performance portrays a man and his inner child. It demonstrates the inner

turmoil within the older man as his younger child fights to stay, but the older man is being pulled in

another direction. The music enhances these effects as it helps influence the movement of the
performers. Both elements help to demonstrate the inner struggle the man faces as he grows older and

struggles to find who he was in who he is in the present.

Both Pieces Demonstrate how intimate the relationship between music and dance truly is. In

Tchaikovsky’s “March” the relationship between the music and dance is very literal. As the music

changes in articulation and style so do the dancers. The dancers act and help to express what

emotional journey is happening between the characters throughout the story. While in “The Mirror”

by Alexandre Desplat the relationship between the music and dance is very blurry. Both the music and

dance help to build this image and story of a man fighting his inner child and finding who he is.

Music and dance are embroidered into each other each giving new life and perspective to one another.

Our bodies are at the will of our instincts. Instincts that are very easily influenced by things such as

music and dance. Music and dance together help to draw out, expose, and express the human

condition. All we have to do is simply listen, feel, and move. The music will tell you where you need

to go.