The schottische and the chotis, and other dances
It’s years ago since a Spanish friend and dancing colleague told me that there was a connection between Schottische and a Spanish dance called chotis, and I’ve been meaning to…
A year of ballet playing cards #29: A Chaconne and a grand dance (3c)
Download the score (free PDF) Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards Why is the chaconne so rare in ballet class culture? I’ve no idea. Given that ballet’s…
A year of ballet playing cards #45: A country wedding (polka) from Má Vlast (6d)
Download the piano score of this polka from Ma Vlast Read more about my Year of Ballet Playing Cards How this polka fell into my hands, and why I love…
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #24: Happy birthday
Special occasions make me nervous. Take birthdays, for example. It’s someone’s birthday, and so one of the dancers comes up before class and says “Can you play happy birthday for…
Confessions of an anxious ballet pianist day #8: The dreaded slow mazurka pirouette
The moment I see a teacher marking a pirouette that has a massive, sweeping balancé in it, I know there’s trouble ahead. Like the dreaded 2/4 sissonne of yesterday’s post,…
Dancing masters, music and memory
I’m thoroughly enjoying Eric McKee’s book Decorum of the minuet, delirium of the waltz: a study of dance-music relations in 3/4 time. There are books that you grow up with…