“Would you like to try to push the keyboard?” asked Massimiliano Greco’s mother to her six year-old son while visiting some friends who had a piano at their home.
Six months later, the young southern Italian boy was playing his first concert featuring his first official composition so appropriately dedicated to the person who ignited the passion that still runs through Massimiliano’s blood.
As the saying goes, “When you know, you know”, and Massimiliano knows. For him, the piano is everything, the vehicle that transports his inner feelings, experiences, and inspirations through his fingers and out to all who listen. It is for this reason that he has chosen to compose exclusively for the piano.
After a car accident sidelined his career as a concert pianist, he entered the ballet realm and has since composed music for ballet class and choreography along with his other pure music creations.
Entering the ballet studio with such a strong – certainly innate – synergy with piano music has encouraged Massimiliano to investigate the imperative partnership between the sound and the movement. I had a chance to chat with the current Chief Pianist and Head of Music at the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco and am so appreciative of his bringing this topic to the forefront of the ballet conversation.
Interview with Massimiliano Greco
‣ In what ways do you believe the dynamic of the music-movement relationship needs to change in the ballet classroom?
Generally the idea of training a dancer is related – above all – to the control of the body’s mechanism. This is of course normal, but nowadays we need to add some other ideas and words related to the understanding of musical messages.
The ballet class can become a place in which students can learn and understand not only the steps of a certain dance technique, but also understand and deepen how to listen to the music. They can also learn about how the musical performance atmosphere works and affects them, regardless if they become professionals or not, and to connect the quality of the musical message with the quality of their movements.
They have to learn what it means to interpret music and what is inspiration. That’s why I say to students that a ballet class is like an “artistic gym”. Listening to music is not easy at all, and sometimes trying to listen to it during the ballet class without any preparation and information, can be very difficult.
The risk of teaching just the mechanism of the body is that many times music becomes just a “sound carpet”, good in order to have the sensation of the speed and melody, but nothing more. Students must also learn how to control their movements with connection to the music. They have to have the sensation of “taking space” or “using space” with the musical phrasing. Without that capacity, ballet technique can become more like gymnastics.
Listening to music is also one of the most important forms of training, because generally speaking, it helps when people listen.
‣ So how does one go about implementing this theory in a practical and systematic way?
In order to obtain a good connection between movement and music, the role of the ballet teacher has to evolve; s/he has to be more prepared with good music training and knowledge.
We also need a new role for musicians, especially pianists. They can really help students and teachers to understand all the details of the music, especially that which is played in ballet class and comes from ballet repertoire.
So, I would like for the pianist (I prefer that word over “accompanist”) and the teacher to work together in a new way, for example having conversations before class with the attitude of working as a chamber music group does. In this way, both the teacher and the pianist can give to students the same level of energy, information and help.
Another important thing for students would be finding time to listen to music each day – ten minutes, for example. And if possible, with the help of a pianist who can explain all the different dynamics of the sound, the phrasing and how to count it. This may have to take place outside of the studio. Of course, it would be fantastic if students could listen to many pieces (starting from piano pieces) belonging to the classical music genre.
They need also to have a clear idea of what is the “meaning”, the atmosphere and the interpretation of each exercise of the ballet technique, from pliés to the last exercise of the class, so they are already prepared with their muscles and their mind for applying everything during the execution of the steps.
When dancing, they could try to alternate concentration on the steps to concentration on the music until they reach the end of the exercise. In this way they can check if they are understanding the musical details and at the same time controlling their movements in relation to those details. The control of the movement perfectly at the same tempo (speed) of the music is the basis of a good “musical dancer”.
‣ Do you currently have anything in place at the Princess Grace Academy that incorporates what you would like to achieve on a more global level?
Yes. When I came to the Princess Grace Academy twelve years ago, there were no pianists. There was an old piano, but it was almost never played. I was contracted to create – from zero – a new way of working with pianists and now I’m Head of a Music Department with two more pianists.
Our students have Music Theory classes mixed with History of Music and History of Dance classes.
During my classes I also analyze with them what happens during the ballet class in the morning, and I give them all the information needed for understanding the music that they listen to when they execute the exercises. Then they have to listen to some pieces of music that I select.
I often choose classical music pieces because it “forces” them to listen deeply; and they do this over and over in order to truly understand the dynamic, the atmosphere, the message, and the interpretation.
They also have to use their imagination to create a little specific choreography inspired by that piece of music. In this way, listening to music becomes closer to their world.
‣ For you, what would be an indicator that a dancer has reached this more highly developed level of artistry – the capacity to marry mechanism and interpretation?
If there are two dancers at the same level of technique but just one is capable of controlling the music, who will be the most successful and interesting dancer?
Control of music makes the difference!
So understanding music is a training that has to be divided in two parts: control of tempo first, then control of melody.
When the control of tempo is strong enough, we can work on understanding how to move on the melody, reaching the complete musical message and interpreting it.
The first training is about listening and understanding how the left hand of the pianist (and also orchestral instruments), play the lowest sounds of the musical piece.
The melody has to be understood a little after, because it’s clearly related to the interpretation of the music, above all for classical ballet technique.
Then you can mix the two sections concentrating on the complete effect. It’s impossible to interpret the music if you don’t control the speed of your movement.
Then, it’s important to know what the “artistic” meaning of “piano, forte, crescendo, diminuendo, rubato, etc…”, all these Italian words describing the dynamic of music. It helps very much to improve the imagination and creativity.
If we add to that the curiosity and the sensibility to all the other art forms, the final result will be an inspired person with a good comprehension of what being an artist means.
‣ Are there any plans in the works on how you can systemize your pedagogy to reach a wider audience?
I think that after this terrible pandemic everyone discovered that there’s the possibility to connect with each other through the internet; this new possibility allowed us to communicate and learn very quickly.
So in the future – by these means – I hope to have the possibility to share my knowledge with teachers, dancers, choreographers and colleagues, and at the same time, learn something more from other musicians and ballet teachers.
I am definitely going to augment the number of courses I teach using Zoom, Skype and other platforms. It’s possible to do meetings, courses, conferences, or sometimes, simply exchange opinions.
I can also play piano in a ballet class while staying at home and while the dancers may be in Japan or Canada, for example. This is great!
I just hope that this technology can improve very quickly so we can have a better real time connection. In this way we can obtain good results without spending so much money. I’m also thinking about the many ballet schools that don’t have enough budget for pianists. With the internet the problem could be solved by having a virtual pianist for their classes! This new era is just at the beginning, but I’m sure it will become a “normal habit” very soon.
‣ What challenges have you experienced, or could you foresee, in acceptance of integrating a new way of working in the ballet studio?
Probably, as I said before, the most difficult challenge I had, I’m having and I’ll have, is finding a new relationship with ballet teachers. I’m sure it will take time… We need a change of mentality, giving pianists the possibility to collaborate with the teachers, giving musical suggestions and information.
It’s a new way of working that sometimes is not easy to propose. I’m sure the new generation of teachers will have more musical training. This is not to take away from the traditional way of teaching ballet; this is about adding some music information, more new words that are not related just to the mechanism of the movement (that will be forever).
It’s important to give words about inspiration, creativity, imagination, and musical atmosphere. In this way the ballet class can be enriched, and a new generation of people will come with more knowledge and awareness of beauty and artistry!
Featured Image for this interview with Massimiliano Greco courtesy of the pianist himself.
