Playing Together
Brief
Director and Choreographer Andre Anderson commissioned me to write a variety of original compositions and songs for a 45 minute long dance performance, targeted towards and early years audience and focusing on the importance of play for young children. After our initial discussion, we agreed I would compose and mix 12 instrumental tracks and 3 songs (whose vocals would be performed live.
Response
As Andre approached me when the idea was in its planning stage, he wanted me to have as much creative input into the show as he did, and as such he did not provide specific material or narrative for each individual track, instead simply supplying the title of each dance - e.g. 'Boys Duo' and a general idea of the show's overall sound. This left my process very open, and allowed me to create themes through my choice of instrumentation and varying genre.
Performing live vocals throughout the 3 shows was truly impactful, especially as the dancers had not heard the lyrics prior to my joining the rehearsals. The soloist performing 'She Will Grow' said the lyrics and vocal melody for this song especially altered her view of the piece and gave her a new edge to the performance.