Film and television are excellent resources for music choices. The first thing one should know about this type of music is the difference between a soundtrack and a score. Unfortunately, Hollywood today blurs this line because they fear that it might confuse people. Soundtracks focus on songs written as independent pieces of music, used in part or whole, throughout a film or television series. Scores, on the other hand, focus on the background music written specifically to coincide with the production. Most movie soundtracks today are a combination of the two.
The positive aspects of using soundtracks begin with the wide selection of music without lyrics. (See my earlier post.) Also, you can find excellent music to complement dance without being too busy that it overwhelms the audience. Particularly if you are looking at scores, they were written to support the action, provide environment, and fill the air. One obstacle that many choreographers place upon themselves is trying to find that amazing piece of music that exists somewhere on the planet to fit exactly what it is they are trying to say or do with their dance. The odds of stumbling across that one song in the infinite world of music are ridiculous. Chances are, the best piece of music will already exist in your personal library. How does this relate to soundtracks? Think of the number of songs you own. Think of the number of movies/tv shows you own and or watch with regularity. Add the two and you now have the potential size of your music library. Cool, huh?
Negative aspects. The most negative aspect is familiarity. But wait, I just said that your familiarity with the music was important. Now I'm talking about the audience's familiarity with it. This again comes in two flavors. The first is that catchy alternative song that became super popular due to the movie that it was in. No matter how badly you like the song, no matter how perfect it seems to fit your piece, DO NOT use it. Every person who has seen the movie will instantly connect the film with your dance. They will spend the entire duration of your work deciphering how it fits with the theme and storyline of the movie. This is a distraction you do not need and it obstructs the audience's ability to watch your piece and take something away from it. Secondly, remember that part about scores specifically being created to "support the action, provide environment, and fill the air"? These musical phrases become as much a part of the action as the intense drama the actors are carrying out. Our brains then take this aural information and link it to the visual information and we have a movie. When you take away one part (the visual) and are left with the other (the aural or music), our brain tries very hard to fill in the void. We've all had that moment where you hear a tiny bit of a song at a department store and are haunted for the rest of the day trying to figure out where you know the song from. Most likely, it was in a film, commercial, tv show, etc. Now condense all of that frustration to sitting in a dark theater, watching a dance piece and there is that same melody that is just on the tip of your tongue and you can't quite figure out where you know it...wait, you were watching dance? This again coupled with the subliminal connection to the source material will only turn your audience off from your piece and turn on their internal television.
There will always be someone in the audience who recognizes your music, or at least thinks they do. And that person, you may lose. But don't set up the entire audience for failure by choosing something easily recognizable or popular. Instead, start gathering scores and soundtracks. Listen to them between Lady Gaga and Led Zepplin. Find specific composers who tend toward a genre of film. All of this information will broaden your ability to appreciate music and open vast opportunities for music selection as you create dance. The subtlety with which most soundtracks are composed is an art all unto itself and leaves you as a choreographer with many choices. Remember that the music should never constrain you, only "support the action, provide environment, and fill the air".
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