David offers one-to-five day residencies for college level dance programs, as well as ongoing programmatic support, centered around musical exploration with undergraduate, graduate and faculty choreographers. David provides consultation, music production resources, his signature Dance Scoreathon workshops, and his Does it Really Work? Making Choices with Music for Choreography presentation.
Dance Scoreathons are transformative processes of shaping choreography by introducing choreographers to thoughtfully chosen, alternative scoring approaches. In scenarios drawing from videos or live performances David applies multiple musical selections to unlock the potential of choreographic works-in-progress.
Does it Really Work? Making Choices with Music for Choreography is a music and dance video presentation by dance musician, composer and recording artist David Karagianis. Drawing on videos of student choreography from his Dance Scoreathon sessions David illustrates principles from his writings and experience in mentoring over a thousand choreographers in an approach that is both illuminating and entertaining. Designed particularly, but not exclusively, for college level dance programs that either don't have a music director or offer musician-led music courses for dancers.
“A sad reflection of the times, many college level dance programs have eliminated music director and music faculty positions, as well as music for dance related courses, consequently diminishing their quality, character and reputations. There is no true substitute for retaining a full-time, experienced, dance musician serving in some form of music director position, certainly not a few dance faculty with Spotify subscriptions or even a liaison with an adjacent music department. However, via the range of my experiences and the insights in this realm that I have to offer I can help enhance your programs.”
— David Karagianis
David has led workshops for dancers as well as dance musicians, taught music for dance related courses and/or participated in residences at the following universities, colleges and conferences:
Loyola Marymount University
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Arizona
International Guild of Musicians in Dance/NDEO Conference
Scripps College, Claremont California
St. Mary's College of California
Santa Monica College