Music Banter - View Single Post - Classical Music used for Dancing
View Single Post
Old 04-26-2011, 09:39 PM   #1 (permalink)
VEGANGELICA
Facilitator
 
VEGANGELICA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Where people kill 30 million pigs per year
Posts: 2,014
Default Classical Music used for Dancing

What classical music pieces are made especially memorable for you because of the dances (ballet, ice skating routines, or others) choreographed with them in mind?

For clarity's sake, I'm using this definition of classical music:

Quote:
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times.

The major time divisions of classical music are the early music period, which includes Medieval (500–1400) and Renaissance (1400–1600), the Common practice period, which includes the Baroque (1600–1750), Classical (1750–1830) and Romantic (1815–1910) periods, and the modern and contemporary period, which includes 20th century (1900–2000) and contemporary (1975–current). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music
...but if you can think of dances set to Indian classical music or Japanese traditional music, etc., that's fine by me!

Three of my favorites:

Ravel - "Bolero" - ice skating routine by Torvill & Dean that won them the 1984 Olympics Ice Dance Gold Medal.

I remember watching this performance and feeling very excited by it. The routine was beloved by almost everyone I knew at the time! This music/dance combination helped inspire me to get involved in modern dance, which I enjoyed for 12 years.

Interestingly, the French composer, Maurice Ravel, felt "Bolero" (1928) was "trivial and once described [it] as 'a piece for orchestra without music.' " Maurice Ravel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Tchaikowsky - Nutcracker Ballet - "Dance of the Snowflakes" and "Sugar Plum Fairy." I never tire of watching this ballet with its beautiful music...and I must have seen it at least 8 times.



__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neapolitan:
If a chicken was smart enough to be able to speak English and run in a geometric pattern, then I think it should be smart enough to dial 911 (999) before getting the axe, and scream to the operator, "Something must be done! Something must be done!"

Last edited by VEGANGELICA; 05-03-2011 at 04:04 PM.
VEGANGELICA is offline   Reply With Quote