The duo of Christiane Matallo and Jim Hamilton started as a simple percussion and tap duet. The focus quickly changed when they realized the potential this collaboration could bring. Chris's extensive study of American tap dance combined with Jim's love for Brasilian percussion traditions yields new and innovative performance pieces.
EDUCATION WORKSHOP / THE ANATOMY OF THE SOUND / MASTER CLASS
The B.r.U.s. workshops focus on a comprehensive, whole-body approach to creating sound with the body.
It's the body first and the sound second. Sound happens as a consequence of the movement.
Through the language of tap, Chris and Jim show how all rhythm comes first, through the body, then the instrument. This is true in Jim's percussion teaching and its true in our tap class as well.
In the workshops, the artists focus first on alignment and we work extensively on key ways to free the body to move.
The classes are directed by Chris Matallo and accompanied by Jim Hamilton. Besides being a performer, Hamilton has extensive experience with accompanying dance having worked at the "University Of The Arts School Of Dance "in Philadelphia for over 23 years. He also grew up in a dance studio and through his studies, has come to understand how bodies, can and do express rhythm.
The B.r.U.s. workshops focus on a comprehensive, whole-body approach to creating sound with the body.
It's the body first and the sound second. Sound happens as a consequence of the movement.
The Anatomy of Sound
The body makes and creates the sound. The body's use is its technique. Tap is taught with the same integrated methodology as in the others dance languages, but the underlying principles are to understand the anatomy of the body and how the movements form the sound.
The Class
The work
The process
The method
The body sound / The sound body
The Work
The body makes and creates the sound. The body's use is its technique. Tap is taught with the same integrated technique as in the other dance languages, but the principal fact is to understand the anatomy of the body and how the movements happen to make the sound
The Method
Students are introduced to the basic principles governing how sound is created through - and as a consequence of -the body’s movement through space.
Basic rhythmic studies are highlighted throughout the class’s structure. The use of naming games and the creation of rhythmic sequences using the language of tap dance.
Through the use of “creative composition,” students become familiar with the building blocks of composition.
The Process
At the core of the technique is true body alignment with an emphasis and understanding of the role the body plays in the creation of the music of Tap. Students engage in improvisation through step knowledge and the development of musical perception, where the relationship between tap dancer and musician gets established with clarity and precision.
The Body Sound/The Sound Body
Emphasis is placed on musical phrasing while paying close attention to different dynamics levels, exposing the underlying melodic content of the rhythm itself.