STAR EDUCATION Student Outreach for school or local organization

Transcription

1 STAR EDUCATION Student Outreach for school or local organization Two On Tap A. MATINEE: - A 45-Minute mini-concert targeted to a large group of students the day of or the day after the scheduled concert. Specific # of Artists & Instrumentation: (2-3): Performers (Optional Pianist) Description of the Star Education Program: Two on Tap utilizes performance numbers from their critically acclaimed song-and-dance show to educate students about seven elements of music: pitch, tempo, dynamics, timbre, rhythm, melody, and harmony. Interactive examples of each element of music are shared with students, after which they are encouraged to analyze live song-and-dance performance to determine how the elements are demonstrated. History of tap dancing and context information on the Great American Songbook are woven into a comprehensive program that emphasizes fun and keeps the attention of students ages K-12. Although the content is most strongly suited to students between 1 st grade and 8 th grade, the show can be adapted to keep the interest of both older and younger students. A complete study guide (attached) facilitates pre- and post-show discussion on the topics presented. Technical Requirements: Standard PA system with four or more channels Hard Surface for dancing Piano (optional - can be done with tracks if preferred) B. MASTER CLASS: - A 45 Minute one-on-one opportunity with a small group of students. Specific # of Artists & Instrumentation: (2-3): Two Performers (Optional Pianist) Designed for students with a basic background in dance or who are currently in some kind of dance training Description of the Star Education Program: Tea for Two Outreach (suitable for dancers of all levels) provides students the opportunity to rehearse a softshoe routine in advance of the artists arrival utilizing comprehensive teaching videos. On day-of-show, the students and artists come together for a 45-minute afternoon rehearsal to fully stage the routine, and it is incorporated into the evening show to the delight of the audience. 42 nd Street Outreach (suitable for advanced dance students) focuses on tap technique and performance utilizing original Broadway choreography from the musical 42 ND STREET. Students have the opportunity to ask questions about audition technique, performing on Broadway, and other advanced topics suitable to those considering a career in performance. Technical Requirements: Hard Surface for dancing PA System with two channels preferred but not mandatory Piano (not needed for Tea for Two Outreach) but optional for 42 nd Street Outreach Initials: Date:

2 TWO ON TAPSM Study Guide

3 INTRODUCTION Two on Tap SM is the song-and-dance duo created by Broadway performers Melissa Giattino and Ron DeStefano. Combining intricate tap choreography, soaring live vocals, and unique musical arrangements of songs both traditional and modern, Melissa and Ron s crowd-pleasing variety show has been seen at performing arts centers, concert halls, and theatres across the United States as well as luxury cruise ships around the world. Two on Tap SM gives audiences a fresh look at a century-old art form, breathing new life into the classic song-and-dance style made famous by iconic pairs like Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers and Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland. EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH: Learning Goals Both Ron and Melissa are deeply committed to education, with years of combined teaching experience in the classroom and dance studio. The educational mini-concert presented by Two on Tap SM uses live performance, interactive examples, and an engaging question-and-answer session to provide background and history on the art form of song-and-dance and to answer the question How can song-and-dance be used to understand seven fundamental components of music: tempo, dynamics, rhythm, pitch, timbre, melody and harmony? At the conclusion of the educational outreach, the students, at an age-appropriate level, will be able to: Identify seven fundamental components of music Classify and categorize examples of these fundamental components Differentiate variations within each fundamental component Analyze examples of different media (music, dance, etc.) to find examples of fundamental components As a resource for the educator, this study guide provides background to the development of song-and-dance within the larger context of American history and also introduces fundamental components of music and their distinguishing features. Feel free to explore these topics in conjunction with the educational outreach concert in order to allow the student audience to benefit more deeply from the program. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Melissa Giattino began her professional performing career at the age of 17 in the National Tour of A Chorus Line and hasn't looked back since. While appearing in the all-gershwin musical Crazy for You at the famous Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Ms. Giattino auditioned for the Hal Prince/Susan Stroman production of Show Boat and soon found herself singing and dancing alongside an all-star cast on London's West End. Her talents as a true "triple-threat" performer eventually led her back to her home state of New York, where she made her Broadway Debut as an original revival cast member of the tap-dancing spectacular, 42nd Street. Her incredible talents have been featured as a member of the most well-known kick-line in history, the Radio City Rockettes, and she has assisted and dance-captained for some of the most famous tap choreographers in the business, including Tony Award winner Danny Daniels and Tony Award nominee Randy Skinner. Gifted with a beautiful voice as well, Ms. Giattino has starred in musicals on stages around the world, including the title role in the International Tour of Peter Pan, Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Esther Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis, and Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun. Ron DeStefano has garnered rave reviews and awards for his performances around the world, from the hottest cabaret venues of New York City to the lavish opera houses of Europe. Originally from South Florida, Mr. DeStefano spent his college years balancing classical vocal performance studies at Florida State University with professional musical theatre roles at Seaside Music Theater in Daytona Beach. Following graduation, he made his way to Manhattan, began auditioning for the Broadway stage, and only months later found himself making his international debut with the Tony-Award winning musical Evita. Since then, he has crisscrossed North America, singing and dancing at some of the most historic and well-reputed venues in the United States, including New York City's Lincoln Center (Babes in Toyland), Connecticut's Goodspeed Opera House (No, No, Nanette) and New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella). Mr. DeStefano starred opposite Academy Award nominee Theodore Bikel in the National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, and he has lent his lyric tenor to song-and-dance roles in many shows including 42nd Street, Anything Goes, and Sugar Babies. No stranger to the New York City nightclub circuit, he received the coveted Back Stage Bistro Award for his cabaret work and has multiple studio recordings to his credit.

4 PART ONE: What is SONG-AND-DANCE? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, song-and-dance is simply a theatrical performance combining singing and dancing. However, as utilized by Two on Tap SM, song-and-dance is something even more special: a hybrid artistic medium that blends singing with tap dancing to create a multi-faceted and engaging style of performance. To fully understand the development of song-and-dance, it s important to uncover the history of tap dancing, one of the few uniquely American artistic performing styles. How did tap evolve as a unique dance style in the United States? Tap dance is an indigenous American dance genre that evolved over a period of some three hundred years. It began to emerge in the southern United States in the 1700s, initially appearing as a unique dance style spawned by a fusion of European and West African musical and step-dance traditions,. The Irish jig (a musical and dance form) and West African gioube (sacred and secular stepping dances) evolved into the American jig and juba. These in turn became fused into a form of dancing called jigging which, in the 1800s, was taken up by white and black minstrel-show dancers who developed tap into a popular nineteenth-century stage entertainment. Early styles of tapping utilized hard-soled shoes, clogs, or hobnailed boots. It was not until the early decades of the twentieth century that metal plates (or taps) appeared on shoes of dancers on the Broadway musical stage. It was around that time that jazz tap dance developed in parallel to jazz music, sharing many elements native to that style. Its absorption of Latin American and AfroCaribbean rhythms in the 1940s furthered its rhythmic complexity. In the 1980s and 1990s, new hip-hop rhythms in tap dance attracted a fierce and multi-ethnic breed of male and female dancers who continue to challenge and evolve the dance form, making tap the most cutting-edge dance expression in America today (from Tap Dance in America: A Very Short History by Constance Valis Hill). Which cultures dance styles contributed to the evolution of tap dancing? African Gioube/Juba dancing, a very quick and competitive dance involving intricate foot work, stomping, hand clapping, and slapping parts of the body. This style of dance is performed without any percussive footwear. English Lancashire clogging, a dance using percussive shoes. Early English cloggers nailed or tacked copper pennies to the undersides of their shoes to create a light clicking sound, and the triangular configuration used by these early dancers was the original inspiration for "three-screw" tap shoes (now the most commonly available tap shoe in dance stores). Irish freeform solo Sean-nós dancing, Irish stepdancing and stomp dancing, where the percussive sounds of other objects are used to enhance the percussion of the shoes and feet. Irish masters would often challenge each other to determine which was the best dancer in order to win students. Spanish Flamenco dancing. What interesting features found in tap dance have their roots in other forms? No formal structure: Unlike ballet with its codification of formal technique, tap dance developed from people listening to and watching each other dance in the street, dance hall, or social club where steps were shared and reinvented. Tap technique is transmitted visually, aurally, and with the body in a rhythmic exchange between dancers and musicians as in many of the African dance forms. Mimicry, also known in tap as stealing steps, is necessary for true mastery to occur. Improvisation: Like jazz music, tap dance has a large structured free-form component in which dancers create and showcase their own favorite combinations of steps. This type of improvisation, often referred in performance as a tap challenge, often utilizes trading fours, where each dancer gets a turn to perform his or her best steps over four measures of music.

5 Notable Song-and-Dance Stars Bill Bojangles Robinson Bill Bojangles Robinson ( ) was an iconic African-American tap dancer and actor best known for his Broadway and film roles. Born Luther Robinson, he started his career in vaudeville, a type of American variety entertainment in which different unrelated acts would be presented as part of a full schedule, or bill, of performances. He later starred in the enormously successful Broadway musical revue Blackbirds of 1928 (featuring his famous Stair Dance ). Robinson pioneered a new form of tap which moved away from the flat-footed style of his predecessors and emphasized a light, swinging style with elegant footwork. He went on to star in 14 Hollywood motion pictures, many of them musicals, and played multiple roles opposite child star Shirley Temple. His birthday, May 25 th, is now celebrated as National Tap Dance Day in the US. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; ) and Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; ) partnered together as a song-and-dance team for RKO Radio Pictures from 1933 to 1939, during which time they made nine films. They revolutionized the Hollywood musical motion picture, introducing dance routines of unprecedented class and virtuosity set to songs created especially for them by the most popular composers of the day. Although Astaire had other notable dance partners during his long career (including his sister Adele and the extraordinary Eleanor Powell), Rogers is often credited as being his finest due to her unique combination of dancing skills, natural beauty, and exceptional ability as an actress and comedienne. Astaire and Rogers trademark style, incorporating elements of ballet, ballroom dance, and tap, elevated song-anddance to new heights during the period of their partnership. Ann Miller Ann Miller (born Johnnie Lucille Collier; ) was an American singer, dancer, and actress best known for her roles in Hollywood musical films in the 1940s and 1950s. Famed for her speed and agility, Miller was known as the fastest female tap dancer of her time a hoofer who could fit a dozen steps into a single second. In blockbusters like Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949), and Kiss Me, Kate (1953), her effervescent song-and-dance numbers wowed critics and audiences alike, and her specialty numbers in lesser-known movies often outlived the films in which they were featured. She often danced in the movies without a partner, and her flamboyantly glamorous appearance in her prime made her a standout onscreen and off. Gene Kelly Gene Kelly ( ) left stage and screen audiences breathless with his energetic, athletic dancing style, his good looks, and his charming personality. He was a staple of the Hollywood movie musicals of the 1940s and 1950s, singing and dancing (and creating choreography) in a number of different genres. He is credited with almost single-handedly making ballet commercially acceptable to film audiences, and a unique fusion of ballet and jazz technique with tap dance was his trademark style. No stranger to innovation, Kelly adopted the term cinedance (cinema + dance) to describe the concept of choreographing not only the dancers, but the camera movements in relation to the musical number; this technique is still used today in shows like Glee and Dancing with the Stars. His indelible artistry in the film Singin in the Rain is ranked as one of the best movie-musical performances in history.

6 PART TWO: Seven Elements of Song-and-Dance In the Two on Tap SM educational mini-concert, Ron and Melissa demonstrate how song-and-dance contains seven fundamental elements. These terms can be used to discuss not only the musical, or song, component of song-anddance, but the tapping as well! Below is a resource containing more information and background on these seven fundamental elements of music as well as some classical and popular listening examples so the student audience can deepen their understanding of this classification system. (NOTE: Many scholars differ on which elements are the most fundamental, so we ve chosen our favorite seven basic elements to include in our discussion here.) 1. RHYTHM RHYTHM is the element of time in song-and-dance. When you snap your fingers or tap your toes to a song, you are keeping time or keeping the beat, which is another way of saying you are following the structured rhythmic pulse of the music. There are few important aspects of RHYTHM: Duration: how long a sound (or silence) lasts Meter: beats arranged into recognizable accent patterns (groups of 2, 3 or 4 beats, for example) Two on Tap SM creates RHYTHM with their voices AND their feet. By singing and dancing in waltz-time, in march-time, in short bursts, or in sustained phrases, Ron and Melissa showcase many different types of rhythms in their performances. LISTEN: the unmistakable ONE-two-three waltz of Johann Strauss Jr. s Tales of the Vienna Woods LISTEN: the rousing one-two pulse of John Phillip Sousa s Stars and Stripes Forever march 2. TEMPO How fast or slow a piece of music is played is called its TEMPO. Sometimes measured via beats per minute (BPM) and sometimes just described via a feel (for instance, Steady Rock for a pop song or the Italian Andante, meaning at a walking pace ), TEMPO can affect how a piece of music makes a listener feel. In many Two on Tap SM musical numbers, the tempo changes from moment to moment within the same song, turning what was a sweet and tender love ballad into an exciting high-speed tap dance! LISTEN: the wild and crazy tempo changes contained within the Isley Brothers party favorite Shout LISTEN: the contrasts between slow and fast in Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms 3. DYNAMICS All aspects of music that relate to the level of loudness fall under the general element of DYNAMICS. The terms used to describe dynamic levels are often in Italian (arranged here from soft to loud): pianissimo, piano, and mezzo-piano (meaning very quiet, quiet, and moderately quiet ) mezzo-forte, forte, and fortissimo (meaning moderately loud, loud, and very loud ) In performance, Two on Tap SM uses DYNAMICS to make each piece varied and interesting. Similar to the way Ron and Melissa use their voices, tap dancing can be loud, soft, and everything in between! LISTEN: the dramatic louds and softs (and everything in between!) within Stravinsky s Rite of Spring LISTEN: the wonderful dynamic changes between different sections of Queen s Bohemian Rhapsody

7 4. PITCH PITCH describes the perception of a frequency of a sound, or more simply, how high or low something sounds to our ears. In modern Western music, pitches are organized into a twelve-tone chromatic scale and given names (for example A flat or C sharp ) to relate them to one another. Any specific PITCH and its corresponding RHYTHM can be written using a musical note. Most instruments, including the human voice, are designed to produce various pitches, and tap shoes are no exception. Fun Two on Tap SM fact: the front part of the tap shoe (the ball ) usually produces higher pitches while the back (the heel ) creates pitches that are lower! LISTEN: the different vocal pitches demonstrated by Peruvian songbird Yma Sumac in Malambo No. 1 LISTEN: the amazing highs/lows on the trumpet demonstrated in Allen Vizzutti s Carnival of Venus 5. TIMBRE TIMBRE (pronounced TAM-ber ) refers to the characteristics of any particular sound. It s basically the fundamental element that allows us to distinguish the sounds made by one instrument from another even when the pitches and loudness are the same. Often, the words used to describe TIMBRE come from the world of visual arts ( bright vs. dark sounds, or brash vs. smooth ). There are many different components that make up a sound s individual timbre, including: tone: the balance of high and low frequencies in a sound attack: how suddenly or smoothly a sound begins decay: how suddenly or smoothly a sound ends sustain: the way the loudness of the sound varies over time How can you tell the difference between a flute and a piano playing, even when they re producing the same pitch? TIMBRE! LISTEN: the various timbres found in Benjamin Britten s The Young People's Guide to the Orchestra LISTEN: the differences in timbre between Luciano Pavarotti s and Plácido Domingo s Nessun dorma 6. MELODY When musical notes are placed in sequence to create something the listener perceives as a single satisfying musical idea, it s called a MELODY. Sometimes referred to as the tune of a piece of music, the MELODY serves as the main focus of any song and is the primary means of communication from a composer to his or her audience. The melodic contour, or shape of a melody, can rise and fall with small steps between pitches (conjunct motion) or with great leaps (disjunct motion). Most of the songs performed by Two on Tap SM are from a group of pieces known as the Great American Songbook. Written from the 1920s through the 1950s and principally created for Broadway and Hollywood musicals, these popular songs are full of extremely memorable melodies that have endured the changing tastes of many generations. In fact, the recent studio album Cheek to Cheek finds classic crooner Tony Bennett singing duets from the Great American Songbook with pop sensation Lady Gaga! LISTEN: the disjunct motion in the melody of America s National Anthem The Star Spangled Banner LISTEN: the beautiful conjunct melody featured in Ludwig van Beethoven s Ode to Joy

8 7. HARMONY Melodies are substantial enough to be music on their own, but they often sound too sparse and simple without accompaniment. Many composers solve this problem by adding HARMONY, or notes that can be played behind, beneath, above and around the melody notes in order to provide a framework and context. Whereas melody can be thought of as the horizontal element of music, HARMONY is the vertical element, utilizing stacks of simultaneous notes called chords. These chords rely on combinations of pitches that create alternating feelings of dissonance (tension) and consonance (resolution) to give a piece of music greater emotional power. In every Two on Tap SM performance, Ron and Melissa enjoy using HARMONY to blend their voices (and feet!) together, sometimes in unusual and unexpected ways. LISTEN: the haunting Flower Duet for two sopranos from Léo Delibes opera Lakmé LISTEN: the entwining harmonies in Extreme s pop hit More Than Words QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION & REVIEW 1. What is song-and-dance? How did tap dance develop in America? Which dance styles of other cultures contributed to the evolution of tap dance? What elements of tap dancing are rooted in other dance styles? Who were some notable song-and-dance stars of the mid-twentieth century and how did they differ in style and technique? FOR ADVANCED DISCUSSION: Which immigration patterns in American history may have directly affected the evolution of tap dance? How did the social structures present in the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s most likely contribute to the formation of this unique dance style? 2. What are seven fundamental elements of music? How are these elements represented in particular musical examples? In what different ways can various musical examples be grouped according to these elements? How can your favorite song be described using these fundamental elements? How can tap dance be described using fundamental elements of music? FOR ADVANCED DISCUSSION: Which other elements are used by some scholars to describe music? Why are there different academic opinions as to which elements are the most fundamental? Which other world dance forms could be described using fundamental elements of music?