Local Pianist Releases New Disney Themed Dance Class Music
Front Range pianist and Colorado Ballet Society accompanist, Nina Miller, has created and released new dance class tracks with Disney inspired music titled, ‘Fairy Tale Music for Classical Ballet’. Downloads can be purchased online at Amazon: here and iTunes: here.
“Disney is very particular about the way that their intellectual property is presented, so everything had to be approved,” says Miller. “We spent much time on the cover art and song names. It was important for us to include the dance exercises and they insisted that the Disney song names came first. In the end, we both made compromises.”
When asked what she learned from the experience, Nina replied, “That no matter how long it takes, it's important to go through the process the right way and acquire the proper licensing from Disney. Imagine getting a ‘cease and desist’ letter in the mail from Disney! I know that would ruin the fantasy for me.”
Miller credits Ballet Society’s Production Manager, Hillary Moseley for inspiring the project.
“Hillary mentioned that it would be fun to have a Disney class album for her ballet classes,” explains Miller. “And she has really helped with the project every step of the way.”
Thanks to the newly released tracks, instructors everywhere can incorporate the magic of Disney music into their dance instruction.
“I had been searching for a Disney album to use in my ballet classes, and I couldn't find any that I really liked,” explains Moseley. “The options were either too childish or not well suited to class work. When Nina took on this project, she created beautiful Disney music that would carry through the entirety of any class. This is the album of my dreams!”
“Dance class music is very precise and specific counts and rhythms are required for the various aspects needed to encompass warm up, barre and center work,” shares Ballet Society founder and director, Patricia Hoffman. “It takes a particular skill and understanding of dance to be able to create music seamless to the process and Nina is the best. Very few dance studios have a pianist on staff, and of those that do, someone of Nina’s quality and experience is a rare find. We consider her to be one of the ‘crown jewels’ of our program.”
Miller is a graduate of the Modest Mussorgsky Music College and the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia, and she has performed internationally in Russia, Finland, Portugal, Italy, Japan, and USA. She has worked as a ballet accompanist since 1996 in ballet companies around the world including the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia; R-Studio and the New Tokyo National Theater in Tokyo, Japan; and the Colorado Ballet Society in the USA. She has also been voted ‘Best Pianist’ by the Colorado Springs Gazette “Best of the Springs” in 2016 and 2017.
“Everything Nina does is of the highest quality,” exudes Hoffman. “I’m not surprised at all that Disney decided to partner with her in this endeavor. I predict that a large percentage of the next generation of dancers will have enjoyed taking dance classes while listening to Nina’s new album ‘Fairy Tale Music for Dance!”
“I'm proud that this music is out and that ballet teachers and students everywhere can enjoy it,” says Miller. “The music has been recorded for a year and a half and it was difficult to keep a secret. If and when we do another one, we now know the process and expect that it will go much faster.”
Miller’s previous releases include:
(Figure 1: Fairy Tale Music for Classical Ballet cover art work;
Figure 2: Nina Miller and Hillary Moseley, photo by Kayla Coburn;
Figure 3: Nina Miller at recent Ballet Society dance performance)