An Email to a Musician Improvising With Dancers for the First Time.

10th August 2014.

Hi There.

Hmmm ... a few not-particularly-well-though-out musings:

Remember your music is not the only thing that is shaping the energy in the room. The rhythm, energy, phrasing etc, of the movement is also part of the overall weave of the 'music'.

Bearing this in mind, it may be that you need to do less than you would normally do in a music-only context.

Without ruling out complexity and dense activity in the sound, it may be that often seemingly simple things may be the most effective when being aware of the whole weave of things that are happening in the space.

Sharpen both your direct and peripheral awareness of the movement. It may be that you choose to block this off at times to pursue something sonically, but this needs to be a choice rather than an inability to take the movement into account.

Some options ... go with the movement go against the movement juxtapose to the movement comment on the movement give space to silence / environmental sound mix these options to various degrees.

Sometimes I find it really useful to be aware of my own physical feelings in response to the movement and allow that to affect what I play.

I hope that is of help.

Feel free to contact me again if it isn't :-)

All the best for the performances.

Jamie