The Drum Also Dances

The Drum Also Dances is a collaborative project featuring dancer Zac Priestley that focuses on tribute and exploration. The name is derived from drummer Max Roach’s 1966 tune The Drum Also Waltzes. The similarities between Roach and part one of this project are obvious: an extended drum solo in odd time with expressive figures played over a foot ostinato. The added choreography and videography allow for the exploration. Part one is strictly composed and choreographed, part two is fully improvised, and part three is a mixture of both approaches. The developing, often improvised, dialogue between drum, dancer, and camera is what makes, somewhat paradoxically, this project both unique and firmly rooted in history.