Music and Dance collaborative project

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 15:44:00 BST

Pictured (left to Right) are Dr Mary Bellamy, Ben Graves, Beth Sweeney, Samuel Howard, Calie Hough, Stephen Upshaw, Imogen Bland, Jessica Hatfield, and Dorothy Lee

The relationship between music and dance on a uniquely intimate scale...

Students at the University and members of the public saw a performance of a collaborative project between our undergraduate composers and London-based music and dance group Sounding Motion. Music students involved were Samuel Howard (Year 2), Dorothy Lee (Year 2) and Beth Sweeney (Year 3) and they have been working with Sounding Motion as part of their Composition modules.

Our students started work on this project back in February when Sounding Motion came to the University to work with them for a day. The company followed this up with contact via email, further developing their work. Further collaborative sessions took place last week in preparation for their performance. The one-hour performance took place on Friday 24 April in the Lawrence Batley Theatre and featured three new works for viola, percussion, and dance. Dorothy gave us a quick quote about the performance -

“Both dancers Imogen Bland and Jessica Hatfield were great. Jess just heard my piece on the day before the performance. She did very well and expressed the title – narcissus - by her fantastic improvisational work which went very well with the music. The piece by Beth created an unexpected and surprising moment for the audience and was like an improvisation music game by percussionist Calie Hough, who played some musical gesture with Imogen who reacted by body movement. Finally, Sam’s piece brought a humourous yet excellent ending to the concert.”

Sounding Music is a collaborative company consisting of musicians, dancers, a composer, and a choreographer. They demonstrate the relationship between music and dance on a uniquely intimate scale. With collaboration and experimentation at the heart of the collective, each project offers a new perspective on how music and dance can interact and challenge the creative process beyond convention.