Over the 2025 spring semester I composed the score for a senior dance thesis at Wesleyan University. Between Animals by Malia Detar Cheung explores what it means to “dance with horses.” 

The composition consists of recordings and live instruments to bridge dance and music in a conversation of movement and sound.

The Process

I spent weeks playing with sound alongside the musicians and dancers during rehearsal. This dynamic gave us the unique opportunity to structure the music and dance at the same time. Musicians and dancers took turns participating in a call and response process. This immersion of music and dance allowed me to explore the relationship within a single space.

The composition used a combination recorded instruments and sounds:

Instruments:

• Cello
• Synths
• Piano

Recordings (at my family’s barn):

• Walking on pavement/gravel/sand
• Horse grunting and breathing
• Barn doors opening and closing
• Hooves walking/trotting/cantering
• Horses nickering and clucking like chickens
• Leather stirrups twisting and stretching
• Birds chirping outside a barn window

Initially the music was to be performed live. However, the plan slowly shifted to a recorded composition as the rehearsal transformed our vision. This transition took place as we felt a recorded piece provided the dancers with certainty during an extended choreographic process. The stability of the sound composition was complimented by live musicians filled with variations.

The composition process was swift. During spring break I spent 6 days in the studio with my various instruments, mics, synths, and a 2-minute video recording of the choreography.

I returned to Wesleyan with a full score completed, and this supported the final elements of the choreography performed by dancers Adam Cyzner, Ry De Guzman Jr., Eleanor Kanengiser, Sana Lee, Violet Detar (“Five-Mile Fortune”). We collaborated with musicians Ellis Carter (trumpet), Xavier Samuel (saxophone), and Gavin Cui (Flute) who participated in the live performance by responding and improvising to specifically-timed sections of the pre-recorded piece.

The project taught me how to work with dancers in an expressive relationship and how to bridge the gap between recorded and live sound within a shared space.