Music Factsheet 1: Playing for dance: a beginner's guide

INTRODUCTION
There's a certain mystique about playing for ballet classes - many musicians seem to have started out in this field through a variety of unconventional routes, and most have learned 'on the job'.  In this factsheet, we try to give a picture of what it means to play for classes in the context of a local dance school. If you already play for dance, and want to know about other opportunities such as professional company work or community dance, see our Factsheet 15: Taking it further.

Types of class
Teachers normally teach two types of ballet  class, syllabus classes and non-syllabus or 'free' classes.

Syllabus classes are for students who are taking one of the Academy's Graded Examinations and Class Awards (Pre-Primary in Dance right through to Grade 8 )  or Vocational Graded Examinations (Intermediate Foundation to Solo Seal). In syllabus classes the students will rehearse a series of set exercises for which music has already been chosen for its suitability. These books are available from RAD Enterprises Ltd, and are generally provided by the teacher, though you are of course free to buy your own copies.  (Click here to view syllabus materials from RAD Entrerprises Ltd).

Non-syllabus classes are sometimes called ‘free classes’, because the exercises are created on the spot by the teacher, rather than being part of a set syllabus.  These are general ballet classes, where the teachers will set the exercises, and it is the job of the pianist, in this case, to provide suitable music, based on instructions about rhythm, tempo and the length of the exercise. Conventionally, exercises are generally set to music played in multiples of 8 bar phrases, usually preceded by an introduction to set the tempo and to give the dancers time to prepare for the main movements. 
 
Finding music for non-syllabus classes
There are two ways that you can approach this - your own repertoire, or improvisation.

Using your own repertoire. You'll need research and find music in a variety of styles both classical and more contemporary. This could be extracts from the piano repertoire, music from an opera, ballet or musical – almost anything with a stable rhythm and strong melodic content that fits the necessary 8-bar formula.

Improvisation. Although you don't have to be able to improvise, good keyboard musicianship and a basic ability to improvise is very useful, even if it's only to add a few bars as an introduction, or add another 8 bars in a similar style on to the end of a piece that  - you've only just realised - is too short. Some pianists iimprovise throughout the class, some not at all. If you improvise, you still need to keep  the music well-structured. The music you play should have a strong sense of melody and not be rambling, or sound as if you are making it up as you go along, even though in fact you are. Again it should be in multiples of 8-bar phrases.

Whether you decide to use existing music, create your own, or use a combination of both, you will need to be familiar with some of the dance rhythms such as Polka, Tango, Rag, Polonaise etc. which the teacher may specifically ask for. We have produced a list of some of the more common ones that are useful for ballet classes with a few bars of rhythm patterns in music notation that are typical for the style. 

• Click here to download the list of dance rhythms and their typical patterns.

• When it is time for you to play, the teacher may count you in by saying '5,6,7, 8', or will say something like “prepare…”, “thank you…” or maybe just “and…”
• Each exercise will normally require a short introduction of perhaps 2 or 4 bars, depending on the context. It should normally reflect the mood and tempo of the music to follow, but above all give the dancers a good indication of the tempo and rhythm of what you're going to play next. Examples of these will be seen in the syllabus music books.
• Sometimes teachers will ask to go 'straight in' - this means 'no introduction'. Sometimes they will say a big 'AND', or count 5,6,7,8 in the tempo that is to follow.  
• After the exercises at the barre have finished, some teachers ask for music to stretch to before the centre work begins. Unless there is an exercise with definite phrase lengths, this can be something fairly unstructured and relaxing to create a mood rather than something to 'dance to'
• After the last exercise of each class the students may thank first the pianist, then the teacher in the form of a curtsey or révérence. In a non-syllabus class at grade level this will normally require 4 bars of music at a moderate tempo with no introduction 

  List of Dance Rhythms (109 KB)