“That which cannot be sung”, that which cannot be sung can dance. The words of this old French saying ring so true when referring to dance lyrics.
Recently I have been asked many times “What is a dance lyric?” I also asked myself, “What makes a lyric and makes it different from a Jadria or a ballet?”
Lyrical dance for two years and recently thinking and observing his features in lyric classes I feel. Finally, he can explain.
Although the lyrical composition uses the art of ballet and jazz, the emphasis is more strongly on emotions and storytelling. The word lyric refers to the words that were played on the lyre. This can be traced back to medieval poems written in Middle English. A lyrical dance is therefore an interpretation of words or music. He often tells a story based on emotion, but rather than abstract real ideas, like a modern dance, he reads the lyrics like a paragraph. If the song has no words, which is not often the case with the lyrics, the emotions of the music are shown in a very fluid way. Because the meaning of the song must go beyond the lyrical dance, facial expressions and other acting techniques are used. Tanya Attard, a lyrical dancer, “a dancer must respond to the music and become an actor who can tell the song’s story through art and passion.” It is this emotional aspect that separates the lyric from other styles. For example, a pantomime or jazz dancer can take all the steps but not have the emotion and still look good. The chorus cannot be lyrical. A lyrical dancer must know how to “let yourself go” and “feel the music”. The more a dancer can do this and flow back, the more emotion will come across and in itself can move the listener.
The clothing a lyrical dancer wears can also affect the emotions portrayed. Long skirts or flowing trousers are often used. One of the most popular dances was called “Nativity in Sarajevo”, where the dancers wore flowing clothes, but their clothes were torn and they looked poor. The spirit that came in that dance was powerful because it showed two children surviving the war. Clothes are really added to the dance. The emotions and the story would not have been so clear if it had been strictly ballet or playful dancing.
How lyrical is the combination of ballet and jazz?
It still has a strong technical base that comes from the heel, but it is not as rigid due to the influence of the shot. Lyrical class involves warm-up, center work, compositions across the floor, such as ballet or jazz. The feet can be bent to enhance the story and the legs are allowed to bend for further details in the choreography. The movement is more fluid than typical classical art. The arms can be thrown up and down, the hands can be relaxed, or stretched, or even fisted. The fluidity of the instruments is precisely what distinguishes it from regular jazz. or they were even contemporary. the music used in the dance lyrics are often contemporary ballad-like songs which are not quite upbeat for a shot and not quite classical enough for ballet
So basically the lyrics dance is a type of dance made to contemporary music with words. Ballet and jazz combine technique to get across a message, often using many emotions. If you have ever heard or seen someone performing a lyric or talking about it you now know what it is. Maybe you’ve been looking for a new way to use some of your creative abilities. Now that you understand what a lyric is, you might want to give it a try.
