The Effect Of Music on The Actor’s Performance in Dance Drama Shows (CHOREOGRAPHY) , Talat AL-Samawi is a Model

Abstract

Abstract

This study examines the effect of music on the actor’s performance in dance drama (choreography), taking the works of Iraqi director Talat Al-Samawi as a case study, due to the prominent and effective role of music in his dance theatre productions.

The research is based on the problem that choreography performances do not rely on spoken dialogue, but rather on the actor’s body, movement, gestures, and physical expressions, which gives music a multiplied role in conveying meanings, emotions, and feelings to the audience. The study aims to reveal how music influences the organization of the dancer-actor’s performance, controls rhythm, and deepens expressive and aesthetic dimensions.

The researcher adopted the descriptive analytical method, relying on a theoretical framework that discusses the historical and aesthetic relationship between music and theatre, as well as the actor’s performance in dance theatre. These indicators were applied to the selected sample, the play “Nada Al-Matar” (Dew of Rain), presented in 2011 and directed by Talat Al-Samawi.

The study concludes that music, together with bodily performance, forms a unified expressive language capable of conveying the artistic and intellectual message of the performance. Music plays a fundamental role in organizing movement, intensifying emotional expression, creating the overall rhythm of the show, and compensating for spoken dialogue by expressing deep meanings. The research also confirms that the diversity of musical styles contributes to building varied psychological and intellectual atmospheres, granting each scene its own aesthetic and semantic identity.