At the Movies with Narushchen
 

by Jamie Narushchen
 

JAN Records, 2011

In a nutshell: CD for ballet class featuring classic film score melodies

If you’re looking to improve students’ musicality, this 28-track CD from San Francisco Ballet accompanist Jamie Narushchen is an ideal pick. With textured rhythms and rich dynamics, Narushchen’s accompaniment makes it easy for your students to listen to the music to stay on time. And listening is a pleasure—these variations on film score themes are colorful and full.
New layers and harmonies are audible each time the adagio for center work (“My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic) plays. Students will love waltzing to “Chim Chim Cheree,” from Mary Poppins and grand-jetéing to “My Favorite Things,” from The Sound of Music. And the CD has something for adult dancers too: “Stairway to Paradise,” from An American in Paris, for a jazzy grand battement exercise, and “Maple Leaf Rag,” from The Sting, for petit allegro.

This is Narushchen’s fourth ballet-class recording. In addition to playing with SFB since 1987, he is frequently requested by American Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet faculty to accompany their auditions. Along with suggested movement for each song, the CD insert includes the time signature, phrase counts and length for every track, so music will never end mid-combo.

Photo by Emily Giacalone