Tag Archives: Dance

“. . . And she done the fandango all over the place”

Posted on August 16, 2019 4:52 pm by Jonathan Still

I’ve just found another beautiful piece of dance research. Beauty might be an odd adjective to use, but there is something deeply attractive about the careful observation, and attention to social and musical details in this particular study. It resonates … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Anya Peterson Royce, Dance, Helen Thomas, Henri Clarke, Music, Zapotec, anthropology, dance research, fandango, tempo | Leave a comment

A year of ballet playing cards #35: A mazurka by Hubay

Posted on April 23, 2016 11:17 pm by Jonathan Still

Download piano score of Hubay’s mazurka (free pdf) Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards Slow, mazurka-like exercises from the corner for multiple pirouettes are a staple of all the company classes I play for, and if you haven’t got the … Continue reading →

Posted in A Year of Ballet Playing Cards, Free sheet music for ballet class, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Music, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, ballet class accompaniment, ballet music, mazurka, musicology, piano, pirouettes, sheet music, steyrische, triple metre | Leave a comment

A year of ballet playing cards #53 (Black Joker): Reel from La Sylphide

Posted on April 12, 2016 10:32 pm by Jonathan Still

There’s nothing like the reel from La Sylphide to perk up little jumps in a ballet class. Here’s the piano score, nicely typeset. Continue reading →

Posted in A Year of Ballet Playing Cards, Free sheet music for ballet class, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, La Sylphide, Music, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, ballet class accompaniment, ballet music, jumps | Leave a comment

A year of ballet playing cards #22: A schmaltzy waltz by Kéler (9h)

Posted on February 11, 2016 10:15 am by Jonathan Still

Download the waltz by Kéler in piano score (free pdf) Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards Elastic or expressive timing is a feature of music in ballet classes that I’m rather nostalgic for. When I meet teachers who … Continue reading →

Posted in A Year of Ballet Playing Cards, Music, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, Kéler, Music, ballet accompaniment, ballet class, ballet class accompaniment, ballet music, class, waltz | Leave a comment

Musicology, ballet teaching and time signature

Posted on September 28, 2015 10:58 am by Jonathan Still

A proud day for me, my first proper article published in Empirical Musicology Review. “How Down is a Downbeat? Feeling Meter and Gravity in Music and Dance?” came out of a single teaching session, when about 12 years of trying to teach about … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, Music, Musicology, Playing for ballet class | Tagged Dance, ballet, ballet accompaniment, ballet class accompaniment, meter, metre, musicology, research, rhythm | 1 Comment

A year of playing cards #19: A medley of (double) jigs (6h)

Posted on June 25, 2015 5:20 am by Jonathan Still

Download the score of the double jig medley (free pdf) (free pdf) Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards I’m a few weeks behind, not least because it’s that time of year when everyone has a show, or is preparing … Continue reading →