Why Study voice as a dancer?

When you think about dance training, voice and singing does not immediately come to mind. Unless you are heavily considering a musical theatre track, it seems irrelevant, right? Wrong!

To be a performing artist requires the integration of the whole body and what it is capable of. Your dancer "voice" is stronger when you feel comfortable using your physiologic voice expressively. 

musicality

Musicality in dance is loosely known as how you understand, feel, interpret and express music. Most dancers have experience with the beats and rhythm but what about some of the other elements - texture, melody, harmony. What language do you have to describe what you are hearing?  These elements have quality, shape and movement all their own with measurable elements and predictable/unpredictable emotional implications. Understanding and being able to replicate these elements with your body and voice can only strengthen your dancing and increase your level of musicality. Music is, after all, vibrations. Being able to feel the vibrations of the music can only bring a deeper level of musicality.

communicate steps, thoughts, ideas...

Have you ever tried to describe how a song "goes?" Or trying to communicate a part in the music you are connecting too and reach for the words to describe it and come up short. What if you gave yourself permission to simply sing what you are describing. Wouldn't that be easier?

Whether you are a choreographer or a dancer, being able to replicate what you are hearing, choreographing, dancing to is a valuable skill that saves time and increases connection between dancers.

Increased artistic expression

Cross training in performing arts modalities is beneficial for all of us. Being put in a place where we are asked to use our whole selves and practice free expression with minimal barriers. Much of the time, these barriers are fear of judgement and just plain discomfort in being a beginner or "less good" at something. When are dancing at a really high level, it can be really challenging to shift to something like singing or vocalizing and feel like you cant fully express what you want the way you want to. It is important to challenge yourself to enter new spaces and find new expressive avenues. Doing so will have the effect of further increasing your freedom and expression as dancers. 

Additionally, you may be asked to incorporate aspects of voice into dance. Not specifically singing, but vocalizing. If you look at last years showcase, so many of the pieces included vocalizations and breathe - Teddy's piece and Tanner Lane's to name a few. You may find yourselves choreographing a piece that you feel moved to include vocal elements.

Keep your voice healthy

Vocal health is not just for singers but should be a consideration for anyone who uses their voice in a professional capacity - especially if you are communicating to large groups un-amplified for a long period of time. Some examples of high voice users include lawyers, teachers, coaches, fitness instructors - Can you see where we're going with this?

As dancers you are athletes and artists and it is important that you take care of your whole body. That includes your voice! Your voice can often be the first clue that your body needs some self-care. That little catch in your throat, the cough, the frog in your throat - your voice is telling you that you need more hydration, nutrition, and rest. So when those symptoms come on it is not the time to 100% push through hoping things will get better, but start to address whats going on now so you don't end up sick or injured which will take you out of the game for longer. 

Furthermore, understanding how to strengthen and work with your voice can help build you build healthy speaking and singing habits so that you experience less vocal fatigue.

It could book you a  job

Imagine you are in a room full of really talented dancers all going for the same job. The agent or director asks if anyone has anything they can sing and you are among a handful that say yes. You don't need to specify what level you sing at. Just sing your song and let the team decide if it's the right fit for a job. Many times, you won't know what level of singing the job requires. Do you need to be able to carry a tune and sing in a group or cover solo parts? There are a whole spectrum of singing requirements out there. They are not all needing or expecting you to be a singing superstar. 

This is true for musical theatre, commercial and contemporary dancers. Several CLI Alum have reported being asked to sing more than they expected. Whether it was on an audition or once they booked a job. 

Create  community

Connect with one another in a new way. The benefits of group singing are very well documented and include:

• Lower anxiety and stress hormones

• Community development and sense of belonging

• Breath control and lung capacity as well as rib cage flexibility

• Improved memory and concentration

• Confidence and self expression!

There may be several of you that might think - "well singing won't lower my stress or anxiety; it will do the opposite!" That may be true for a time. But the support and anonymity of singing in a group can be really powerful. In a large group, you don't hear yourself as an individual, but are lifted by the collective. Some of the best music cannot be fully experienced by a single individual. The effect of being in a mass of voices and producing, feeling and hearing harmonies is profound. 

What other benefits can you think of? 

This could only be the tip of the iceberg in the dialogue between singing and dancing in our pursuit of free and fully embodied self-expression. I would love to hear your thoughts and keep this conversation going. Feel free to comment or contact me directly. See you next week!

<3 Sara