Modern and Ballet, especially in relation to Music and Jaques-Dalcroze’s work.
Freda Miller Modern Dance Musician, 1911-1960 Remember Modernism? Soon after women won their right to vote, they began the audacious exploration of dance as their own art form. Women were often their musical collaborators, as well. Here I'll introduce you to a significant one: Freda Miller. The staples of suburban dance studios seem to reference [...]
Inside out <-> Outside in We’ve all heard the phrase, “dance like nobody’s watching.” It’s a cliché now, but it caught on because it means something… Something about feeling free in one’s own space, and therefore happy. Not that freedom to feel always means feeling happy. Otherwise, people wouldn’t have come up with so many [...]
For more information, visit the Eastman website.
“If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.” ― Anatole France, poet and novelist Change means challenge; challenge means growth. This fall, I’ll be teaching a new course at Peabody Conservatory– Stage An OrchKids Student Movement for Opera - and classes for children through Baltimore Symphony’s [...]
June 1st is right around the corner. Register today! Choose the course that fits your goals. For Dalcroze studies Level 1 toward international Dalcroze certification, register for Eastman School of Music's 2-week Level 1 Dalcroze Institute July 2-13, $815 non-credit (or $4,830 for 3 credits) in Rochester, New York. Housing is available! Learn more about new [...]
(News Alert!! Punxsutawney Phil's prediction for Winter was misquoted by fake news. He did not say, "Eight more weeks." His actual words were, "At least eight more weeks. Maybe more. Maybe MUCH more. We'll see.") Despite the weather we've had (brrr!!), the calendar says summer is waiting in the wings... so don't miss the early [...]
MusiKinesis®: Teaching Music/Dance Connections University of Maryland – Baltimore County • July 23-27, 2018 An interdisciplinary summer MusiKinesis® course for teachers of music and dance Discover a vibrant way to enrich your skills, knowledge and teaching abilities. Using techniques of Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a system of study developed in Switzerland in the early 1900s, MusiKinesis® incorporates rhythmic movement exercises designed [...]
I've posted a new "Idea to Try" inspired by Leonard Bernstein's Turkey Trot from Divertimento for Orchestra. Along the way, I got sidetracked researching the history of the ragtime dance (circa 1912) from news sources of the time. Take a look and discover: Three incidents of women getting in trouble for indulging in the dance [...]
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze I was invited to write this article for Le Rythme, an annual international journal of FIER. This year's theme was L'interprétation corporelle - the idea of reflecting music in movement. Once a guiding force in modern dance, 'music visualization' might have lost its purpose 75 years ago or might remain vital today, depending on who [...]
UPDATE The MusiKinesis workshops slated for October 22nd and November 12th at UMBC will be rescheduled. (I am making another sojourn to Switzerland.) Stay tuned for new dates!