Music and Movement

Music is always directly linked with movement in my life, being a part of musical theatre and a belly dancer. In both of these activities, the music and the movement are directly linked and depend upon one another in order to truly stand out. The music emphasizes the motions and the same applies if the situation were reversed. Musical theatre and belly dancing cannot exist without music, and the
Musical theatre without the dance and the songs would hardly be anything other than a play that can’t decide whether or not it is a drama or a comedy. With the marriage of the songs and dances something more is created: an outlook on life that can touch the audience as well as entertain them. Something special happens with the actors on the stage as well: they find themselves transported into another world, escaping the reality outside the theatre. Such is the point of drama and theatre: to exist in a world other than the one which is lived in. A musical without music would make no sense, and if the actors randomly broke out into song without any dance, the effect of the song would be lost. The entire purpose of the music and the movement is to demonstrate what cannot be correctly conveyed in prose. Verse and choreography must be employed, otherwise the story is lost, the audience leaves without enrichment of some sort, and the actors find themselves a part of something absolutely meaningless and devoid of any value. Neither the music nor the movement are more important than the other in this because with this tactic of utilizing music and movement in order to tell a story, all characteristics and facets contribute to the experiences of all involved. The actors on the stage become a part of the story and the audience finds themselves witness to a reality which does not really exist. Theatre and drama are meant to transport all involved into another world, and music and movement are an integral part in life, and therefore theatre. Theatre imitates life, as do music and movement.
Belly dancing requires mass amounts of music and movements. One cannot be truly comprehended without the other, especially for the performer. A truly special thing happens when the dances are performed with the correct movements and music: one becomes the music and the movements. The performer finds themselves to be the instrument in the end: the instrument which communicates the history, meaning, and emotion behind the choreography and the composition. Just as the Native Americans feel that music and dance combine to be a spiritual moment, so too can this experience be. The performer fuses with their environment and find peace with themselves—even if mistakes are made. The experience means more than the mistakes ever will, and the connection made to the atmosphere, the music, the dance, the audience (if there is one), and one’s divine being can be an extraordinarily powerful thing that has the capability to change everything.
Music and movement in life are always directly linked, able to incorporate all facets of life into beautiful pieces and moments that stay with us for a lifetime. If they were to be separated, life would not run as it should, for all art forms were meant to inspire the life around us and the people around us. The two were made for each other and I fear the day that they find themselves separate and able to stand on their own.