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LONDON CONTEMPORARY DANCE THEATRE
CLASS V (1980)
choreography ROBERT COHAN
music . JON KELIEHOR
TROY GAME (1980)
choreography ROBERT NORTH
music .JON KELIEHOR
photo: Anthony Crickmay
London Contemporary Dance Theatre was a remarkable organisation that provided
unique opportunities for a great many dancers, musicians, and those involved in
the theatrre. With wide open permission to experiment and develop creative
ideas, many individuals who trained or worked there, have now had an enormous
impact on the definition of dance and physical theatre arts in the UK.
Jon Keliehor’s time with LCDT was a life shaping experience that allowed him to connect with
music as a physical expression, and discover new ways to create percussion
based music. Between 1971 - 1984, a great deal of new music commissions
emerged, and during this time he composed works for nearly every modern dance
company in London. He made music for dance classes on a daily basis, developing the art of dance
accompaniment to a virtuostic level.
Two of his contemporary dance music scores attracted considerable attention,
helping set out a new style of world percussion music. CLASS V for the choreography of LCDT director Robert Cohan, and TROY GAME for Robert North, are pieces that offer a challenge not only for musicians but
for dancers alike. These pieces have been presented by dance companies throughout the world.
This time provided opportunities to write music for individuals who
would lead the way in contemporary dance in the UK, and abroad.
Beyond The Law for Darshan Singh Buhller
Invisible Opponents for Beyhan Fowkes
Ancestoral and NightFire for Stewart Arnold
Rigoletto Rocket for Keely Garfield
Voice Mask and Time Tower for Liana Nyquist and Ingegard Lonroth
Improbable Exotic Birds for Nin Dance Company
Songs And Silences Of Night for Rosina Bonsu and later works:
Momento Hostiles, Quarenta Grados En Sombre, El Jardin De Los Mysterios, Zona
Torrida, for Danza Hoy and Jacques Broquet, Adriana Urdaneta, Luz Urdaneta
There were many additional small pieces of music that would later pave the way
for the diverse approaches to composition that characterize his music, much of
which revolved around a relentless search to utilize and harmonise the many
different voices of percussion instruments.
LONDON CONTEMPORARY DANCE SCHOOL
Compositions were one aspect of Keliehor’s work at London Contemporary Dance Theatre, however, lectures and classes in
music at the affiliated London Contemporary Dance School gave students a deep
access to rhythmic understandings in dance and music, providing musical tools
far beyond the scope of general music-for-dance educational programmes.
Keliehor developed a range of classes that focused on enhanced rhythmic
awareness. Rhythm and Percussion Music Studies, provided an examination of how
rhythm can be used as an interlink between music and dance, as well as other
art forms. The effect of these classes was far-reaching, causing a high demand
by students for ongoing sessions.
Keliehor says of this period:
“I focused on the study of Rhythm, knowing that it was a concern for both
musicians and dancers. It seemed to me that the knowledge and practise of
rhythm greatly enhanced the expressive powers of an individual. The course was
a magnet for dancers. It commenced with an enthusiastic group of students heading for uncharted
territory. There were no rules, simply ideas, and many questions to be
answered. We beat out rhythms on logs, pounded out beats on the floor as if it
were a giant drum, played instruments, composed secret music, recited poetry,
drew mosaic rhythm patterns, shouted out rhythmic phrases, and engaged in
movement game structures.
Students brought music recordings to be analysed. We looked at all kinds of music from every part of the world, gaining special
insight from cultures that had rich traditions of dance and music. Core material grew from the needs and ideas generated within the classroom. The course became more intelligent with each passing year. A great many exotic and practical ideas coalesced into an intensive study of
Enhanced Rhythmic Awareness, although it wasn’t known by that name at the beginning.”
