Lemme Listen to This Real Quick : An Investigation of Choreographing from Musical Structure

My Independent Study investigates the relationship between dance and music by exploring the ways in which a choreographer can draw from musical structure to create choreography. Because of my musical background, I wanted to understand how a musician approaches the act of choreographing differently than a choreographer with little to no musical training. In addition to my written research, I choreographed two dance pieces that were heavily informed by my analysis and understanding of the musical score. In both pieces, I drew from concepts that have arisen from my research in choreomusical theory as well as the ideas and philosophies expressed by choreographers Doris Humphrey, George Balanchine, and Mark Morris. I hope to show that by creating dance that is so closely tied to musical structure, therefore creating a performance that is both visual and auditory, audiences will respond more strongly to the work as a whole