Over the last 17 years, I’ve played piano for dancers: from absolute beginners, to professionals; in studios hidden in industrial parks, to concert halls; on a freshly tuned 9-foot Steinway down to a rickety old upright with 3 missing keys (and probably a good deal of tetanus). Adaptability is key to being a dance pianist, so why wouldn’t I embrace the world of accompanying dance online?!
Education looks very different in the Fall of 2020, and dance is no exception. While some studios are navigating the challenges of socially distant in-studio teaching, I’m now in week 2 of digitally accompanying ballet and Cunningham classes at Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts.
I love saving time and money on transit and being able to work from the comfort of my living room, but it’s not quite that simple. Here are a few important things to do that will help ensure a smooth transition.
“Education looks very different in the Fall of 2020, and dance is no exception.”
Have a conversation with the teacher before class
So much of the way teacher and pianist communicate in a dance class simply doesn’t translate digitally. Pretending it’s class-as-usual, will only result in frustrations and a sub-par dance class. I cannot stress how important it is to have a conversation with your dance teacher. You will both need to adjust your expectations, so here are a few topics to include as you discuss how you’ll communicate, and how the class will flow.
The dancers won’t be moving in-time on either of your screens, but they will be dancing (to the best of their ability) in time with the music as they’re hearing it.
Teachers should NOT count along with the music! This is one of my pet peeves in general, but it’s especially atrocious online. The delay between what they hear, and what they say is enough to cause serious confusion for the dancers (and the pianist). The teacher should mark at least a few counts of the exercise to set the tempo, but the pianist will be solely responsible for the introduction.
Does the teacher plan to talk during the exercises? If so, you’ll have to test this out to make sure they are audible (see Online Meeting Concerns below for some tech advice).
Consider developing some hand signals or other non-verbal communication for stopping or adjusting the tempo during exercises.
Stop Between Sides. Every dancer’s home setup will be different, and they often have to move something to switch sides. Also, the longer the music plays, the higher chance of some audio compression error happening, so there are many benefits to taking a few seconds between sides.
“Since you’ve got the audio already setup, why not make some recordings of what you play for class. It’s great for self-promotion AND self-improvement!”
My home studio setup: Yamaha U3 Silent Piano and Audio Technica AT2050 condenser microphone connected to Avid MBox Mini (Digital Audio Interface), running Zoom on my 2015 MacBook Pro.
The iPad could be used for sheet music…. I promise I wasn’t reading an ebook while playing for class… ;)
It’s not quite sit down and play.
Once you have everything connected, and you’ve logged into the Zoom meeting, the workflow becomes eerily similar to accompanying a live ballet class, but it does take some work to get there. While setting your iPad or computer up close to the piano might suffice in a pinch, here are a few tools you’ll need to give your dancers the best sound possible
Capturing the Audio: There are many ways of miking a piano, depending on your instrument, budget, and physical space.
While I don’t love electric pianos in a live dance studio, a good quality digital piano can be very convenient when working online. Because I have a Yamaha U3 Silent Piano, I am able to use the digital audio output rather than recording the acoustic piano.
Use more than one audio source: If your mic is capturing the sound in the room, everything gets amplified: coughs, squeaky piano bench, neighbour’s barking dog, and other household noises you might not want to share. I have a separate mic for when I need to talk, which I otherwise keep muted using my…
Audio Interface: Programs like Zoom and Skype only recognize one audio source, so your computer needs a way to combine multiple audio sources (multiple mics) into a digital signal that can be sent to the dancers over the internet.
“Pretending it’s class-as-usual, will only result in frustrations and a sub-par dance class.”
Online Meeting Concerns
Regardless of what platform you might use, it’s important to understand that online meetings are designed to best capture speech, not music. They often use high-tech tools that detect and suppress background noise. They also have other features that you might be able to integrate to help the class flow better.
Because of how audio gets compressed over the internet, always try to leave a few seconds of silence before beginning to play.
Look for options like “disable background noise suppression” or “allow original sound”.
Have the teacher make you a co-host so you can admit latecomers into the class while they might be marking an exercise.
Keep an eye on the chat to help facilitate questions etc.
I’ve played on some real doozies in my day, so I’m very fortunate to be able to play on the piano that I know best.
Pandemic or not, the world is changing. The shift to online teaching may have started as a stop-gap measure, but it’s time we consider the exciting role it can play in the future.
A year ago, digital ballet music sounded like a death knell for dance pianists. With studios offering more and more dance styles, many found it difficult to invest in or maintain their pianos. Meanwhile, companies like Ballegro have been working to minimize the many shortcomings of using canned music.
Today, dance pianists are reaffirming our relevance. Nothing can replace a live musician collaborating with dancers, and we’re seeing that they don’t necessarily have to be in the same room to make that happen! Thinking into the future - digital class accompaniment might be a great option for studios who don’t have a piano, or simply don’t have trained dance pianists at the ready. All they need is internet access, and they can plug the Zoom audio into their sound system.
What do you think?
Don’t forget to comment below, and get in touch if you want to learn more about
how to play piano for dance, digitally or otherwise.