Following the Beat

Vaslav Nijinsky

The Joffrey's Ballet recreation of The Rite of Spring

"The dancer's body is simply the luminous manifestation of the soul."

-Isadora Duncan

Composers, such as the great Igor Stravinsky, created some of the most influential scores, which are studied at major universities in the music program, for dance. Igor Stravinsky composed “The Rite of Spring”, which was an enormous achievement for the growth of dance. What so many do not know is that the score was written primarily for a ballet choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky in Paris. Both of the artists created a new genre in dance and music called Modern, which is the most popular style in dance today. At the time of its development however, it wasn’t welcomed so easily.

Friends of mine, studying at my university in the music department, knew of the infamous “The Rite of Spring” score but had no idea about the ballet that it was created for. The appreciation of the original choreography as fallen through the cracks while its partner, the music, gets praised and remembered still today. My long-term boyfriend is a Recording Industry major who knew of this score, yet not the ballet. It saddened me that it was hard for him to believe that that was the music’s intended purpose, to partner with a dance.

Most dances, not all, can be accompanied by music, right? Most music, not all, makes you want to move to the beat, right? This tie between the two arts is a relationship that defines each other. Both are genetically built into our system, though some may express them much more forward than others and with a deeper understanding through study. Regardless, we all sway to the beat and sing along with the words.

The dancer uses the body to express emotion through sight for the viewer. A dancer’s body is their instrument, no strings attached. A musician has an instrument to create their art through sound. When combined these two make a splendid production that appeals to two of our most powerful senses. Yet, why is dance, as an art, often made fun of or considered boring?

Music is universal, as is dance, however, music is more popular. I hear the mass majority of my friends talk about music than dance: they listen to it in their cars, in their rooms, at a concert, while working out, while lying on the beach, and during thousands of other leisure activities.

If dance and music are so closely related, then why isn’t everyone constantly dancing or viewing it? I don’t mean dancing in the terms of swaying the hips and tapping the foot. I mean by the emotional connection that so many have with music, even if they aren’t musicians. There is still that deep understanding of music in people even if they haven’t studied it. Dance, however, doesn’t get that same attention.

You don’t have to be a trained dancer to witness those complex feelings that dance portrays. Again I come to the realization that not everyone has the same interests. Nor should they be forced to feel a connection that doesn't exist with a certain art form, but that’s not the point.

The question is, why do so many feel a complex relationship with music and not dance when they are the exact same when applied to our senses. Through dance you can actually see the music. I think that’s what Vaslav and Igor’s intent was.