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.

Musical Autobiography

My love of music stems from family reunions when my Grandpa, his brothers, and his sons would all gather in one room and play their instruments. Appalachian mountain music was the order of the day, and the guitar, the violin, and the banjo sounded throughout the entire house as the smells of home cooked food wafted through the halls and filled our nostrils. I was also introduced to the music of Elvis Presley and The Beatles at these reunions and this was the music that defined my childhood. I learned how to horribly play the guitar with tab music for their greatest hits, and I also learned how to tinkle around on a piano with sheet music for the same songs. I still, to this day, listen to the music and you can even sometimes hear me singing the tunes that everyone else seems to have forgotten or abandoned. My love of music, however, does not stem only from Appalachian mountain music, Elvis, and The Beatles. One of my relatives on my mother’s side was from India, and, being always interested in that chapter of our family history, I was taught to belly dance. Belly dancing is one massive workout for your entire body set to the music of India, so with all of the training that I had, I became very familiar with Indian music and eventually grew to love it intensely. I really can’t tell you any specifics about composers or instruments, but I can give a dancing lesson or even come up with an original dance upon one hearing. Having to do this during my training, I was able to truly comprehend how my body and its movements fit so well with the music opening up before me, and I was finally able to grasp exactly why both the dancing and its music were beautiful. Both are an art form and I still love to dance whenever I can—although that can be difficult in a dorm room. One final way I was influenced by music is perhaps the most significant details that define my life. Being interested in films and the making of films my entire life, it was only natural that I found my way into the soundtrack section one day after seeing a movie in theaters. Now, practically all I listen to are movie soundtracks, which only enhance the viewing experience. I am able to see and hear the art of the film now, as every trombone slide or oboe solo or cello drone contribute to the pictures in some way. The music itself performs as a different venue of expression and development of the characters on the screen, and you can get such a better picture of the story and its nuances if you know the music. The music imitates the life on the screen, just as music imitates life in the real world. The music I listen to imitates my life: I’m interested in practically everything, so it only makes sense that I listen to Appalachian, Indian, and modern instrumental music.