Musical Theatre

Musical theatre dancing is less of a particular style, and more of a description of dancing that is rooted in the diverse history of Broadway musicals. Relying heavily on a knowledge of ballet, tap, and jazz, musical theatre dancers are, first and foremost, actors and place a high focus on musical interpretation.

Dance is absolutely vital to excellent musical theatre. Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humour, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.

At The Dance Lab, Musical theatre fosters a social awareness through exposure to the social issues, events and cultures portrayed in the scripts. Participation in a drama program increases student engagement, encourages participation in the learning environment and more consistent attendance. Musical theatre is different to the dramatic theatre in that it combines songs, spoken dialogue, and dance to tell a story.

A musical is also different to a play with music, in that it gives as much importance to the songs and music as other elements of the production. A musical theatre is an art form and type of entertainment that combines acting, dancing, and singing and we at The Dance Lab work on performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance.

Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements.