Passion, Pulse, and Artistry

And Mans Pulse stopt, All passions sleep in Peace.
—Robert Herrick

I grew up dancing to rock and roll, and I’ve taken classes in ballroom dances ranging from waltz and foxtrot to salsa and West-coast swing. I love to dance, and I love seeing people dance, particularly when they display talent and training.

I especially relish dance performances where passion, extraordinary technique, and artistry seem intertwined. Along similar lines, I generally prefer music that combines eloquent expression with a sense of physical motion, especially dance-like motion. Verdi’s music provides a great example. George Balanchine described Verdi’s music as danceable from beginning to end. Most music that moves me deeply is “danceable” in this sense, with audible pulse, meter, and kinetic energy.

I’ve incorporated a wide range of dance rhythms into my own compositions—from rumba to waltz. For me various dance rhythms evoke contrasting moods, changing energy levels, and various states of passion—the kind we have as desire-driven creatures existing in time-bound bodies. Later, as Herrick suggests, there will be time enough for passions to sleep.