Exchange Talk: Lucy Allan

Lucy Allan explores her process of composing a new work of original electronic music concurrently with the work of choreographer Daniel Davidson as he choreographs for the Modern Ballet students.

Every year, choreographers collaborate with RCS Modern Ballet students to create new works of dance for the Modern Ballet annual showcase. Typically, the choreographer selects an existing piece of music which is then used during the creation process and final performances. This year, pianist and composer Lucy Allan has collaborated with choreographer Daniel Davidson to subvert this format. Lucy is a Lecturer in Piano for Dance and an accompanist for Modern Ballet at RCS. Using her position as a familiar face in the studio and drawing upon her knowledge of and experience in dance, Lucy has composed a new work of original electronic music concurrently with Daniel’s choreographic creation with Year 3 Modern Ballet students. In this talk, Lucy will share some thoughts on the creative process of composing in the dance studio and of collaborating with artists across other disciplines “in real time”. She will also foreground her experience of taking on a new role in a setting and with colleagues with whom she is already familiar – an experience which has enriched her PhD research.

You can see Daniel Davidson’s Horse, performed by Year 3 Modern Ballet students and featuring original music by Lucy Allan, as part of the RCS Modern Ballet showcase.

Lucy Allan is a Lecturer in Piano for Dance at RCS and a pianist for ballet and contemporary dance in the Conservatoire’s Modern Ballet programme. She is also a composer-producer of electronic music and has collaborated on several Scottish Ballet projects, including their award-winning short film ‘DIVE’. She also releases music under the moniker imo-Lu. Lucy’s PhD research, jointly supervised at RCS and the University of Glasgow, explores how pianists working in ballet navigate what we might call “ballet culture.”