Body percussion and dance
LIVE MUSIC 3: Body percussion
| Musicomovigram |
| . Body Percussion with a musicomovigram (CC BY-NC-SA) |
| Musicogram |
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| . Musicogram Turkish March (CC BY-NC-SA) |
Body percussion is the use of different parts of the body to make music. Body percussion helps develop body awareness, timing, rhythm and coordination. It is also positive as there is no need to spend a lot of money on instruments, saves time as students don't waste time handing out or turning in any instruments and it is hygienic, as there isn't any instrument sharing. Body percussion is usual when Orff instruments are employed because the parts of the body can emulate the instruments: stomping your feet would sound like bass drums, clapping like rhythm sticks, snapping fingers like a triangle and patting your chest like bongos, for example.
There are a lot of movements you can do to perform body percussion: clap your hands, snap your fingers, slap your knees and forearms, stomp your feet, tap two fingers on your palms, tap your hand or fist on a table, rub your hands, pat your chest, etc.
The Belgian pedagogue Jos Wuytack (1935) focused on an active music listening method and created musicograms, a kind of music map to help non-musically trained students to understand the structure and instruments in classical music compositions. These musicograms have evolved with the development of computer technologies and now they mix the idea of musicograms with ICT elements and they are called musicomovigrams. They can also be used to practise body percussion in an attractive and funny way.
LIVE MUSIC 3: Dance
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Dancing and music usually go together as dance performances may be accompanied by music or music is enhanced by means of dancing. Dance may even make the movement and rhythm of music clearer to the audience. Dancing offers benefits, it strengthens muscles, makes your heart work healthily and increases flexibility. It also helps dancers be aware of body and mind connection, boosts creativity, communication and collaboration. There are different types of dance: a) Classical dance: In western culture, classical dance mainly refers to classical ballet. It started during the Italian Renaissance period, in the 16th century. It has precise movements, a demanding technique and a fluid, ethereal appearance. Ballet can tell a story or be plotless. |
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| Nikidinov. Ballet. Pixabay. (Pixabay Licence) |
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| Beatriz Sirvent. Sara Baras. Flickr. (CC BY-NC-SA) |
b) Folk dance: All cultures have this type of dance which is common to a group of people of a country or area and is guided by tradition instead of traced by a choreographer. They are usually accompanied by folk music.
c) Modern dance: It developed in the beginning of the 20th century as a dancing movement of protest against rigid classical dance. It tries to freely express the dancer's emotion through body movements. Its performances evolved from myths and legends to economical and sociopolitical issues and finally included dances from Africa, South America and the Caribbean Islands.
d) Contemporary dance: It developed during the mid-twentieth century from Modern dance. It included flat feet and martial arts and yoga movements, which were not common in ballet. It focused on intense legwork and changes in speed and rhythm.
e) Ballroom dance: In the 16th century some dances were considered as ballroom dances. Now we can find waltz, tango, pasodoble, samba, rumba, etc. People dance in pairs to entertain themselves although there are competitions too.
Sara Baras (1971) is a successful Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer. She worked in different flamenco groups and toured important places, such as Tokyo, Paris and New York. In 1999 she created her Company Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras.
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