Musicality: Pt. 1 - What Is It To Me? - The Core

For me, musicality begins with the sound of an instrument. Not with the song structure, not with the rhythm, but solely with the fact that a sound emanates from an instrument. This one sound already tells a story of tonal qualities. How does it sound? How does it feel? The sound of congas is different from that of bongos. The sound of percussion instruments is different from that of string instruments. Shouldn't we incorporate this quality into our dance? It would be such a shame and a wasted expression to ignore these instruments in the music.

At the level of sound, it is even possible to teach musicality to inexperienced dancers or beginners in just a few sessions, if not even in one session. I was able to observe firsthand how quickly the understanding of musicality can happen. They could dance with their bodies to different instruments and express their qualities. They could mutually recognize the differences in each other. For more advanced dancers, the movements became more meaningful and musical, as the sounds provided a context for the movements.

Don’t believe me? Right, don’t take my word for it—find out for yourself! You can try it out and experiment on your own! Download a music app that allows you to turn individual instruments on and off and select their rhythms.

The simplest group that I like to put together is the Campana and the Congas. Set the Campana to a simple rhythm with a single beat each time, and the Conga to a simple Tumba rhythm. From my perspective, this group forms a meaningful bridge in learning from conditioned counting (1, 2, 3,...) to musical feeling. Close your eyes and listen. Now, try to personify, characterize, and humanize these sounds for yourself. Describe these qualities. I like to describe this percussion group as "macho," "direct and minimalistic," and "determined and strong." Try to honestly let this feeling arise within you. Focus on the chest area. Step by step, when you feel ready, start to dance. It is recommended to simply do your basic Timba steps and coordinate them with the feeling generated by the listening. When watching yourself in a mirror, your steps and your body as a whole should ideally describe "macho" or "determined and strong." Observe your torso as you extend the feeling in that area.

Now, do the same with the piano. Listen, personify, describe the feeling, and dance slowly to it. I like to describe the piano as "jazzy," "flowing," and "relaxed." Yes, the mind can already recognize when listening that the piano sounds different from the first percussion group. But it's only when you feel it in your body that you realize how truly different it is.

Of course, you can use this method for other instruments as well.

If you do this exercise with a friend, you can practice recognizing musicality together. Stand facing each other. One person dances, and the other watches. The dancing person chooses a group of instruments and dances to them. The observing person tries to recognize which instruments are being represented. If the observing person cannot identify the instruments in the dancer's movements, it means the dancer's movements are not clear enough. If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to let the feeling rise up more strongly. Think of it a bit like stepping into a role. Don’t be afraid to show yourself and let the other person try to recognize your movements. It’s a relaxed space, and you’re not yet at a social dance event.

Have fun practicing!

In the next post, you'll learn how I build musicality and why I don’t start with song structure and rhythm.