Accompaniment (Leonard Bernstein) America Accompaniment (Leonard Bernstein)

How does it contribute to the dance idea? The music in America helps to structure the dance as there are verses, choruses and instrumental sections. During the introduction and early verses the dancers perform gestures along with the lyrics of the music, for example when Maria sings ‘population growing’ she gestures that she is pregnant with her arms. The verse's melodic construction is based on call-and-response with the girls and boys taking it in turns to move and sing. During the instrumental sections the dance matches the rhythm of the music, for example on, ‘aiii, aiii, aiii’ the dancers perform 3 stamps and swish their skirts. The accompaniment aids the narrative by building up in intensity, volume and speed for the instrumental sections. This is mirrored in the dancing as the dancers travel more and perform explosive moves. Boys perform drag runs from front to back of the room, relevés with arms clasped above head, jumps with feet kicking heels, whilst girls perform layouts, hitch kicks and turns with use of the skirt.

The style of the accompaniment helps to determine the style of the Dance. It is clear that this number is all about the sharks and their origins from Puerto Rico as the music is in a latin style. We can also tell that the music has a latin feel as the dancers use stamps and claps to accent the rhythm- found sounds. The accompaniment helps us to understand the mood of the Dance- a playful argument. This is clear by the fast tempo of the music, the crescendo (volume) when the instrumental sections are reached and the playful sarcastic tones used in the melody. The dancers also use their voices to shout and jeer during the dance, making the argument between the girls and the boys clear- found sounds.