Karen :In your valued opinion, why is live music important when working with dance? Assuming live music in Class is essential to crafting a dancer’s understanding of the art, are there perhaps any advantages to using prerecorded music in performance?

 

Kasper :I really believe the greatest thing about working with live music in the studio, is that we are reminded not to take music, or sound, for granted. Someone, somewhere, makes that sound happen. It doesn’t just appear on streaming services! Collaboration between music and dance, and that fusion of ideas, leads to the circle of creativity and often the odd happy accident.

 

With regard to performance; I find the perfect synchronicity of orchestra and ballet company impossible to beat. One possible advantage of using pre recorded music in performance is the reliability and certainty of tempo/accent for dance ensembles, as the occasional inexperienced conductor, or last minute dep, can disrupt that reliability. I experienced a “waltz of the flowers” which was considerably quicker in performance than it had been an hour before in rehearsal. Needless to say it fell apart, entrances missed, corps de ballet out of sync, a veritable disaster! However, it’s a glorious experience when a soloist or principal dancer gets the opportunity to work closely with a conductor and “play” in time together.