Dancing to Bach: A Choreomusical Analysis of Dance Works to the Goldberg Variations
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Roehampton
Department Name: School of Arts
Abstract
The Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker writes, "Like no other, Bach's music carries within
itself movement and dance, managing to combine the greatest abstraction with a concrete, physical and,
subsequently, even transcendental dimension." Her words depict the dance power of Bach's music and
perhaps explain why so many prominent choreographers have set his scores. Indeed, when watching a Bach
dance I am often struck by the way music and dance features interact. A dancer's reckless leap accentuates a high trill, or a sombre bass line deflects the eye towards a background movement. But music and dance also
relate broadly: structural and affective characteristics inform each other across the media, whether through
harmony or tension, and the work's artistic identity constantly shifts.
My project explores this relationship between music and movement in dance works set to Bach's keyboard composition The Goldberg Variations (GV). This score is ideally suited to investigate how music and dance
interact in Bach. Rich in structural complexity and emotional depth, it has inspired acclaimed works from a
diverse group of choreographers. The project focuses for the first time on GV settings by Jerome Robbins
(1971), Steve Paxton (1994), Pam Tanowitz (2017), and De Keersmaeker (2020). These celebrated
choreographers present markedly different approaches to GV and a variety of music-dance interactions to
investigate. The research involves close analysis of film recordings and Bach's score, interviews with artists,
and studio-based experimentation.
Drawing upon my unique background as a professional musician with extensive dance experience, my
research speaks to both dancers and musicians. I offer them an invaluable approach to understanding the music-dance relationship with the potential to develop scholarly understanding and practical skills, working through the lens of two artforms.
itself movement and dance, managing to combine the greatest abstraction with a concrete, physical and,
subsequently, even transcendental dimension." Her words depict the dance power of Bach's music and
perhaps explain why so many prominent choreographers have set his scores. Indeed, when watching a Bach
dance I am often struck by the way music and dance features interact. A dancer's reckless leap accentuates a high trill, or a sombre bass line deflects the eye towards a background movement. But music and dance also
relate broadly: structural and affective characteristics inform each other across the media, whether through
harmony or tension, and the work's artistic identity constantly shifts.
My project explores this relationship between music and movement in dance works set to Bach's keyboard composition The Goldberg Variations (GV). This score is ideally suited to investigate how music and dance
interact in Bach. Rich in structural complexity and emotional depth, it has inspired acclaimed works from a
diverse group of choreographers. The project focuses for the first time on GV settings by Jerome Robbins
(1971), Steve Paxton (1994), Pam Tanowitz (2017), and De Keersmaeker (2020). These celebrated
choreographers present markedly different approaches to GV and a variety of music-dance interactions to
investigate. The research involves close analysis of film recordings and Bach's score, interviews with artists,
and studio-based experimentation.
Drawing upon my unique background as a professional musician with extensive dance experience, my
research speaks to both dancers and musicians. I offer them an invaluable approach to understanding the music-dance relationship with the potential to develop scholarly understanding and practical skills, working through the lens of two artforms.