The Lyrical Debate
The quivering lip. The arm reach to the audience. The melodramatic drop to the floor. Lyrical, if not fully understood by its performers and viewers, can sometimes provide comic relief to critics of the dance. Yet, when executed with the technical prowess and emotional depth intended for the style, it can leave an audience breathless. So what should teachers know about lyrical? Is it best to save it for the most mature and skilled dancers, or should it be avoided altogether? Should it be taught as a separate technique or absorbed into other forms of dance? And why is it so popular among teenage dancers? [ital: Dancer] answers these and other burning questions about the lyrical debate.
Lyrical History
Most every dance style has a traceable history. Ballet dates back to France’s Louis XIV. Jazz got its start in swing dance and evolved through the likes of Jack Cole and Bob Rizzo. Breakdancing began on the streets of the Bronx. However, lyrical is a lot more difficult to pin down. “The first time I saw it was in the ’70s,” says Jimmy Peters, artistic director of the Temecula Dance Co. “It was Brian Foley from Canada [a dance and ice-skating choreographer]. I was under the impression that he originated it.” Other teachers have different theories. “I believe lyrical started around 20 years ago,” says Phyllis Balagna-Demoret, owner of Steppin’ Out the Studio in Lee’s Summit, MO. “My opinion is that ballet as a category did not go over well on the competition stage, so teachers started choreographing ballet to Top 40 style music as opposed to classical.” Still others assert that lyrical evolved more organically, through social dance styles. “During the ’60s, so many things became about feelings,” says Bobbie Tauber, owner of Bobbie’s School of Performing Arts. “Think back to the way hippies danced in their communes. I think that’s part of the evolution.” In fact, many teachers posture that lyrical has always been around in many different forms of dance—it’s just never been categorized as lyrical. “You can argue that if you go back to the dream ballet, that’s lyrical,” says Peters. “West Side Story’s prologue -- that tells a story. Lyrical has been around, it just had a different name.” Reaching even further back, some dance experts believe lyrical has been a cultural storytelling tool for thousands of years. “It is important to note, and good food for thought to mention, that early dances of India like Kuchipudi dating back to the 16th century and Bharata Natyam dating back some 3000 years, were said to be lyrical in style,” says competition judge and University of Oklahoma M.F.A candidate Cheyla Clawson. “Many cultural dances that pre-date both ballet and jazz are thought to have lyrical qualities.”
Defining Moment
So what exactly is lyrical? While contradicting theories abound regarding the style’s beginnings, many in the industry agree that lyrical is a hybrid of jazz and ballet, with a little bit of modern thrown in for good measure. “Acro, ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop—it’s like a color wheel,” says Peters. “All five of those subjects can combine or fuse to make any subject that’s being performed in America right now, whether it’s lyrical or contemporary ballet or lyrical jazz.” Lyrical dance movement is often categorized by fluidity and extension, as well as isolation. “It’s about complete control,” says Tauber. “It’s not the sharp contractions you use in jazz, but more smooth moving in the isolated parts of the body. It’s about balance and lengthening. In ballet you lengthen, but in very specific places. In lyrical, it’s an all-over thing.” In addition, and probably most noteworthy, lyrical is also a vehicle for dancers to emote, whether to the specific lyrics of the song (hence the name “lyrical”) or to the tone of the music itself. “Lyrical has become a way for a commercial dancer to express themselves,” says choreographer Mandy Moore. “It’s not full of the thrash, trash and hot hips that are happening in jazz right now. It’s the one place where people can be artists in the commercial world.”
Photo by Rene Michaels
www.photosbyrene.com
Studio Know-How
Although lyrical classes have been offered at professional studios for the last 20 years (Susie Taylor at Steps on Broadway and Michelle Assaf at Broadway Dance Center each blazed trails by offering lyrical jazz and contemporary classes), many in the dance industry question the validity of the style as a technique. Should it be taught at studios and schools? “I think any quality of movement is important study for future dance professionals,” says Clawson. “Qualities in movement aid in strengthening performance ability versus just training technicians. I am hesitant to say I think an entire class should be spent on one quality, but the diversity within the lyrical style training is vast.” Many teachers agree with Clawson about the need for versatility and take her advice one step further, offering lyrical as a separate area of study at their studio. “You have to be open-minded to the growth of your dancer,” says Balagna-Demoret. “We as teachers need to facilitate the more artistic side of dance. They need to be prepared as professionals. Kids these days, if they go to an audition, they are going to do contemporary or lyrical.”
Lyrical Study Guides
If directors are considering offering lyrical as a class at their studio, many teachers recommend they heed certain guidelines of study. First and foremost, in order to perform the complex movement qualities associated with lyrical, a dancer should have a solid technical foundation. “We start lyrical at age nine after they’ve had three to four years of pre-ballet and ballet level one,” says Balagna-Demoret. “When they get to be in their preteens, we change it up a little. We throw in more movement and emoting. We ask, ‘Why are you doing this movement?’ instead of just hitting it. Then when they get to high school, it’s all about the purpose, meaning, and message behind every move they make. It’s a process.”
Age is not only important for the training of a lyrical dancer, but also for the substance of the dance’s message. Many times, lyrical dances deal with darker issues, such as heartbreak or suicide, something most young children cannot relate to. However, lyrical often does resonate with teenage dancers, who are beginning to deal with more adult pressures. “So much is expected of these kids by such a young age,” says Tauber. “Once kids get their core technique, lyrical allows them to find what’s inside of them and express it. They can come in here and have the worst day, but if they go into lyrical class, they come out and it’s almost like a release.” Yet some teachers feel even teens should steer away from painful storytelling in lyrical. “There’s enough stuff out there that they have to deal with in their lives,” says Balagna-Demoret. “As role models to our students, it’s our duty to pick music that will enlighten them and lift them up. They can leave class on a positive note.”
Current Landscapes
Lyrical has become more popular, recognizable and accepted as a dance style thanks to shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance?” which has introduced audiences to a bevy of lyrical dances through individual solo dances and choreography by Moore and Mia Michaels. Yet lyrical has a long way to go before it will be respected and viewed with the same brevity as other dance styles. “In order for it to grow, it’s going to have to have its own literature and its own choreographic language. [ital: Then] it becomes a style,” says Peters. “Colleges today even look down upon jazz. If jazz is just starting to get a reputation, it’s going to take more time for lyrical.” Still, with earnest discussion and study by those in the dance industry, lyrical just may earn the credit necessary to vault it to a higher status. The way to gain ground is to understand the style and respect it as an art form. “For me, a dance is a dance is a dance,” says Moore. “I don’t understand why people would bad-mouth a certain style, because that’s shooting yourself in the foot. I think African dance is as beautiful as tap and lyrical. We as artists and dancers should support one another. It all takes technique.”