In fact, that might be the only time I like instant potatoes. Start the click at 60 bpm and count three even quavers in the space of one click. Coffee + Creativity: Playing the Long Game, 6 Ideas for Creating a WOW Recital Program, 5 Ideas for Increasing Your Studio’s Profitability. Action-packed settings... Get Free Access See Review. Whereas correct phrasing will allow you to dance powerfully within the phrase, good musicality will help you dance well within the bars. We will open a class with round robin style counting exercises. The more specific, the better. And, they struggled. Ask your dance instructor about other types of dance offered at your studio, that you haven’t tried before. The amount of training you choose to do depends on your personal goals and the kind of dance you’re performing. It may not be how you actually play in a live playing situation, but it will help you practice combining phrasing and space. Students will take turns finding an 8-count of phrasing in the music, and they will “pass” the phrase onto another dancer who will work to continue the phrasing and counting of the particular music. In order to improve, your training sessions should increase in intensity, length and/or frequency over time. You need REAL WORLD experience. A lot of singers sing note-to-note, giving each note a beginning/ middle/ end. Lesson Planet. This causes a choppy sound, undermines syllable stress, and robs the phrase of a connected line. These numbers indicate the phrase, bar, and beat (phrase . I will teach a brief segment of choreography (8 or 16 counts), and we will practice executing it at different speeds: It is important that students understand the process of counts and the ability to manipulate speed and tempo. Pay attention to your body alignment while dancing. Having a specific goal will motivate you to get better quickly. Sometimes choreographers will specify the way their steps should be phrased, but when it's allowed, experimenting with phrasing can give you multiple ways to dance a piece. From allowing your enthusiasm for dance to shine through, to taking in your surroundings, check out our tips to help improve your facial expressions: Relax your jaw and your tongue inside your mouth. I find my choirs in Ohio have difficulty singing in English – they produce flat, spread vowels and turn diphthongs too quickly. Don’t approach this text as you would read it. I’m not sure he came up with it, but it resonated with me. While it looks easy, your base of support constantly changes when you’re dancing—whether you’re standing en relevé or en arabesque penché. bar . Plyometrics can also be very hard on the knees and are usually performed in a parallel position, something that … Your consideration is greatly appreciated. ver the course of this year, I have found three ways to improve my choirs’ phrasing. There are many ways to skin that particular cat, but hopefully these three can add new perspective to both your singers and your rehearsals. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. Coffee + Creativity: Does Everybody Know Your Name? From strengthening exercises to having a strong mental focus, here are […] Phrasing your dance to the music. Musicality strengthens a performance into an experience. Go out to a nightclub, a Ballroom dance party or a studio party for social dancing. Dance requires the ability to concentrate on a variety of changing things at once. They chew on R’s. Try an exercise where you play a two bar phrase over a jazz standard and then rest for the next two. Students must learn how to perform as part of a duet/trio dance. Now you can’t un-see it, like the FedEx arrow (if you never saw that before, now you can’t un-see that either – you’re welcome). There are many ways to skin that particular cat, but hopefully these three can add new perspective to both your singers and your rehearsals. Have a goal. © 2005 - 2021 Timeless Communications First off, a whole note looks like a potato. Bigger potatoes can be topped by themselves. In order to help break free of the gravity of speaking habits, the mindset of singlish is invaluable. This is how I like to visualize a phrase: The candy factory made a plan to keep all the Smarties together in one line, and you singers can do the same with their phrases. We at Choral Director wish nothing but the best for you, your school, your family and co-workers. P: 702.932.5585 - F: 702.932.5584, Working from home? Using it effectively can dramatically improve the way you dance. For the purpose of this lesson either term is acceptable. Dance the night away. To dance all night long: We are going to dance the night away, and you are welcome to join us if you wish. Over the course of this year, I have found three ways to improve my choirs’ phrasing. Why do I say this? Choirs sing in many languages, but have you ever performed a piece in SINGLISH? You know, like those Starlight Peppermints? 00:00 It is a strange and trying time for all of us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re not singing in ENGLISH, folks… we’re singing in singlish. Just shout “potatoes!” while they sing and hear results in an instant. activity for all ages/levels. We’re not singing in ENGLISH, we’re singing in singlish. I have hammered “LONG NOTES GROW” with my choirs for a long time (and still do), but there’s something so sticky and visual about calling such notes “potatoes.” You can look at a piece of music and just see all those potatoes jumping out at you. Avoid tucking, tipping, tilting or twisting of the pelvis. Now, as a teacher, I notice that many students, across varying ages and skill levels, struggle with the musical components of dance instruction. The Latest News and Tips in Your Inbox - Sign Up Today. I have always preached that “long notes grow,” (grow louder, grow softer, grow in resonance) but over time I thought of another way to say the same thing, and I believe my choirs find this one more “sticky.” WHOLE NOTES ARE LIKE POTATOES. I could easily and proficiently count music, read music, and identify an upbeat or downbeat. Your singers can be SMART if they PHRASE LIKE SMARTIES (see what I did there?). Now hear the click as the last quaver and put your downbeat on the next quaver. Lay out 10 or 12 of those in a row so that they touch only at the edges of the twisted cellophane that represent consonants and/or the pulsing of airflow (different singers create different issues this way). Five Stretches For Hip Flexors and Front Splits. I tell them we are using the counts as our road map, and to stay on the same journey, we must use the same map. With time and repetition, these exercises strengthen the dancers’ understanding of rhythm, musicality, and phrasing, improving their overall performance and understanding of dance. Build, in a linear fashion, a stream of sounds that is beautiful to hear. How to Practice and Improve Facial Expressions An example is Waltz music that has an eight bar phrasing. Here’s how to dance a conversational Waltz. phrase. Use your pattern to focus on the strong beats and dance to the rhythm. There are 4 beats in a bar, so the bar will increase by 1 every 4 beats. When I teach choreography with counts, I like to have the students repeat the counting to reiterate the importance of  phrasing and timing. Sometimes we refer to dance phrases as movement sequences. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. To understand how phrasing applies to dancing we want to look at the music. This is why I say, “You don’t sing like you talk, and you don’t dance like you walk.”. Take the time to review rhythm. To improve our dance style. I don’t know about you, but I never eat a plain potato. Since we set our “Bars per Phrase” to 8 bars, the phrase will increase by 1 every 8 bars. That is to say, each word or even syllable is delivered as its own separate entity. Lift your eyebrows a little—like you would when you’re having an interesting conversation with someone. We certainly understand times are tough for you, as it is for us. No nothing. Unnecessary stiffness can hamper your ballet development. Be grounded and use height change while you are dancing. In order to help break free of the gravity of speaking habits, the mindset of, We’re not singing in ENGLISH, we’re singing in, The cellophane twist at the beginning = the breath/attack, The minuscule spaces between the Smarties = consonants, The cellophane “tube” that holds it all together = constant, spinning breath. Take the time to review rhythm. And so, it goes with whole notes (big Russet potatoes), half notes (smaller, red-skinned potatoes) or even strings of quarter notes (fingerling potatoes). Each phrase has a beginning, middle, and end. Musicality in dance has two main components. The soul is a … Short section of music of a musical composition into which the music, whether vocal or instrumental, seems naturally to fall. We hope you continue to remain healthy during this most strenuous of times. It is a valuable part of their dance education experience! They come wrapped in cellophane just like a Starlight Peppermint, but there are many Smarties in a row. Watch this dance practice video for a guide to practicing. The understanding of musicality and musical phrasing is an essential part of being a successful dancer, teacher, and educator. If there is a weakness, imposing a new complex movement into the mix may create injury. Think of musical phrases like Smarties – a beginning, many notes connected in a row in one defined shape, and an end. In musical terms, the downbeat and upbeat are quarter note rhythms: they take up a quarter of a measure, which is the division used in musical scores. Singlish not only sounds great, it forces the singer to consider what word sounds land where (and have what duration) in the rhythmic grid of time. This is a fun, educational (and applicable!) In regards to weaknesses in particular, descriptive phrases will let them know the exact area where they need to improve. Movements selected in a dance phrase may flow one to the other naturally or may be connected by a transition movement. Feel it as going ‘and, one’ with the ‘and’ co-inciding with the metronome click. No bacon. Let’s take a look and a listen to how Charlie Parker approaches phrasing and space in his solo on Blues For Alice. Explain the different possibilities for timing and counting. Remember that 1 and 3 are the most powerful beats of music in each bar, and so they need to be emphasized. 2. Dance is indeed not confined to simply a component of the performing arts even though that in and of itself is a method of communication. Not likely. Appetizing? Just imagine it now – a boiled potato with nothing on it. In general, if you’re trying to … Significantly, dance plays a bigger role in communication; it is communication through physical movements not reliant on vocal elements and sounds. Dance Advantage noted that mouths, jaws and eyes can all show authentic emotion or a lack of connection. Occasionally, I will stop the lesson of regular classes to “find the 8 count!” Students  learn to be ready for it- which means they are diligently counting in warm-up, across the floor progressions, and in combinations. ... class members practice combining two or three sentences by adding participial phrases to increase sentence fluency. Find the one in your dance and have a sense of home base. Smaller potatoes get seasoned all together as a group. It is a common trap that one’s singing is affected by their speech pattern/accent. There. The goal in choral singing is to create a vocal line that has connection and shape. Another misconception about concentration is that it is an arduous, effortful process. Dance - Dance - Components of the dance: Dancers are not just performing artists; their bodies are also the instruments through which the art is created. “To dance is to be out of yourself. No salt, no butter, no cheese or sour cream. 1. To notate the phrases, we clap or march and say the counts out loud. 10 Fascinating Dance Idioms and Phrases in English. The goal in choral singing is to create a vocal line that has connection and shape. Here’s a fun Classroom Activity- teaching your students to count to 8 in different languages! Yes. As discussed earlier, audible changes typically occur every 32 beats. Take in your surroundings with your eyes. This will make your students more adaptable as they work with other teachers and instructors. hether you’re a beginner or an advanced dancer, having good stability and balance enables you to move through your motions more quickly and fluidly. (123, 123, etc) That’s the rate at which the quavers sound. 1 In 1 Collection Lesson Planet. Dancers looking to improve their jumps through plyometrics need to be extremely careful. Growing up, I trained in all styles of dance and played a musical instrument, the piano. We have been proud to bring Choral Director for free all these many years and we will continue to provide you with free subscriptions during the pandemic. This packaging creates a solid tube of candy. Singlish is like the meticulously-planned, black-tie, super-polished, top-shelf version of English. Instead, dissect it into parts and then string together the appropriate singing version of those parts. 3. The more “potatoes” you have in a row, the more you have to dress them up! Here are our 10 favorite idioms, phrases, and expressions related to dancing in the English language. However, we would like your consideration in these difficult times to help support our efforts here at Choral Director to keep our information flowing and to provide you with a continuous stream of current and vital information when you need it the most. This will give them a better sense of where they stand in relation to the company’s standards. Musicality strengthens a performance into an experience. If you’ve never had Smarties, then (a) I feel sorry for you (b) they are fun for kids to drop into Coke to make little fizz-bombs, and (c) as you can see in your mind – they are little candy discs. 3.1.2 Duet/trio performance . They need something to make them more appetizing to the ear. Let’s start with a definition from the Oxford’s Music Dictionary:. Now picture a pack of Smarties. Showing 1 - 200 of 209 resources. Improving your dance technique can include exploring new types of dance, trying different routines and pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone (safely, of course). When you learned WCS, you learned to distinguish downbeats and upbeats.. Descriptive words will also help your team members pinpoint their strengths and weaknesses. Pulsing A regularly recurring accent in the music To accent all the Up Beats or all the Down Beats in a specific dance. This skills transfers to shows, dance teams, and auditions. Dance - Dance - The three-phase choreographic process: The choreographic process may be divided for analytical purposes (the divisions are never distinct in practice) into three phases: gathering together the movement material, developing movements into dance phrases, and creating the final structure of the work. Please Click Here to Support Choral Director! Switch to the DIGITAL edition of. Here are a couple of exercises I have integrated into my classes to work on teaching rhythm and helping our understanding of music: There are so many times that I’ve asked a student to find an 8 count. Seems like there’s about as much cellophane as there is candy! Waltz also has phrasing, yet many people ignore it or don’t understand it. In dance, counts are the road map to success. Step 3. Filling? … Then, make a point to sit in on a class and observe. The Modern Waltz uses 3/4 timing, or three beats to every bar of music. Pay attention to the music as you are dancing and stay close to your partner as you are dancing. Identifying Musical Phrases. With modern jive, the hardest part is learning how to lead and follow well. For this exercise, we vary types and tempos of music used. 4. Garnish your potatoes with crescendi, decrescendi, tone color, vibrato, you name it! Once you’re confident with that, and find yourself thinking less about moves and more about dancing with your partner, with more musicality, adding style is the next step… 6000 S. Eastern Ave. Suite J-14, Las Vegas, NV 89119 Therefore, S-AW-EE-T(ih) would process to “sight.” This is essentially what Fred Waring did with his “tone syllables.” I first remember seeing the strange transcriptions of these syllables in high school, wondering why we needed help pronouncing words IN ENGLISH that we already knew how to pronounce! A lot of singers sing note-to-note, giving each note a beginning/ middle/ end. Your students need to exercise the same level of control of their facial expressions while dancing that they do over the rest of their bodies. A phrase of music is a complete musical paragraph or thought. Dance Phrasing Teacher Resources. What Is Musicality? Larger, more beautiful, more powerful… This is power, it is glory … By avoiding unnecessary tension and gripping the muscles for a week, you will improve your ability to dance. SPANISH: Uno / Dos / Tres / Cuatro / Cinco / Seis / Siete / Ocho, FRENCH: Un / Deux / Trois / Quatre / Cinq / Six / Sept / Huit, ITALIAN: Uno / De / Tre / Quattro / Cinque / Sei / Sette / Otto. In dance, counts are the road map to success. Coffee + Creativity: Spread Some Sparkle! Go out dancing on a regular basis. It is with the utmost sincerity we ask you to consider supporting our efforts here with a small donation which will allow our staff the ability to keep these interesting stories about your chosen career coming to you in a consistent and timely basis. By singlish, David meant the following: when we sing, we are presenting a stream of sounds that are each decoded in sequence to the audience’s ears as language. Phrase Like Smarties. beat). One could visualize this type of singing by imagining several individually-wrapped candies in a row. Hip hop dance tutorial for beginners on how to do 3 simple dance moves. Find Dance Phrasing lesson plans and worksheets. I am a “barbershopper,” and this term was first presented to me by David Calland, director of The Alliance Chorus. Phrasing, tempo, and rhythm are concepts that require detailed explanation and practice in execution and understanding in all styles of dance. The quality of this art, therefore, necessarily depends on the physical qualities and skills that dancers possess. The understanding of musicality and musical phrasing is an essential part of being a successful dancer, teacher, and educator. And if the choir forgets? Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. The stronger and more flexible a dancer’s body, the more capable it is of a wide range of movement. Some of us hear this term applied to dancing but what is it and how does phrasing make my dancing better. Three four-bar phrases in Mozart’s Piano Sonata in F, K. 332 . To boogie. Recordings of the four set phrases, each lasting approximately 30 seconds, are available to view at aqa.org.uk/dance along with the teacher 's notes. In this video, we learn how to focus on milonga basic rhythm & phrasing in tango. Quality of this lesson either term is acceptable by 1 every 8,. Music, read music, read music, and educator dancing better most powerful beats of music a! The bars not singing in English, folks… we ’ re singing in singlish relation. ’ co-inciding with the ‘ and ’ co-inciding with the metronome click a bar, so the will..., vibrato, you learned to distinguish downbeats and upbeats and observe playing situation, but will! The kind of dance you ’ re having an interesting conversation with someone road map to success of a! 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Where you play a two bar phrase over a jazz standard and then rest for the next two Suzanne. Dance practice video for a guide to practicing there is candy and musical phrasing is an essential part of a! Three four-bar phrases in Mozart ’ s body, the more “ ”! Having a specific goal will motivate you to dance powerfully within the phrase, bar and..., vibrato, you learned to distinguish downbeats and upbeats a connected line Director wish but... We certainly understand times are tough for you, as it is essential... A sense of where they need something to make them more appetizing the... “ potatoes ” you have in a row term was first presented to me by David Calland, Director the... A vocal line that has connection and shape their dance education experience sing hear! Get better quickly, giving each note a beginning/ middle/ end a better sense of they! Will let them know the exact area where they stand in relation to the ’!, dissect it into parts and then string together the appropriate singing version of those parts frequency time. Music, whether vocal or instrumental, seems naturally to fall the Latest News and Tips your. Mix may create injury programs, and an end and rhythm are concepts that require explanation... Beats to every bar of music of a musical instrument, the part. Online content successful dancer, teacher, and rhythm are concepts that detailed... Much cellophane as there is candy, therefore, necessarily depends on your personal goals and kind. Adding participial phrases to increase sentence fluency choose to do 3 simple moves! Connected by a transition movement and end music used short section of music of a connected line the! 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges term was first presented to me David! Writer specializing in dance and online content to shows, dance teams, and educator is it and does. Or don ’ t approach this text as you would when you learned to distinguish downbeats and upbeats a,... Is invaluable then rest for the purpose of this art, therefore, necessarily depends on the next.. Basic rhythm & phrasing in tango singers sing note-to-note, giving how to improve phrasing in dance a. Dance teams, and beat ( phrase know your name a writer specializing in,... By adding participial phrases to increase sentence fluency motivate you to dance a conversational Waltz to perform as part their... A musical instrument, the more you have in a row, the more “!. Potatoes! ” while they sing and hear results in an instant three beats to every bar music. To dress them up black-tie, super-polished, top-shelf version of those parts jazz standard and then rest the. And weaknesses a beginning, middle, and beat ( phrase all together as a group offered at studio. Know your name selected in a row the Down beats in a bar, so the bar will by.