 "Photo: Melissa Regan")
Dance and music are often synonymous with one another, but when Brian Casey is placed in the mix, a whole new experience emerges.
As a staff musician for the department of dance, Casey has brought an element to the classroom many admire, but his musical talent extends much further than just playing in the dance studio.
Casey, a Columbus native, had his first experience with music at an early age.
"It started with my parents. We would listen to a wide variety of music during dinner. It ranged from classic to folk to jazz," Casey said.
He picked up his first instrument, the trombone, when he was four years old because he thought it was "coolest." Casey went on to receive his bachelor's of music with a focus in jazz composition from Ohio State.
"I like the idea of spontaneous composition that appears in traditional jazz. Some of my influences include Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus," Casey said.
The idea of spontaneous composition, when there is no music sheet to play off of, is an element of jazz Casey often explores. One of the bands he plays for, AvantCollection, works completely off of free improvisation and a communal vibe. Casey also belongs to Honk, Wail and Moan, an eight-piece jazz group that performs all kinds of jazz, for which he composes music. Casey traveled with the band to Thailand, where he had one of his most memorable experiences.
"Thailand was amazing. We had the opportunity to play on the beach there, and there was a full moon shining down. There was 10,000 people and it was beautiful," Casey said.
As a composer, Casey has had the opportunity to work with many choreographers and dancers. Michael Kelly Bruce, department of dance interim chairman, was one of the choreographers who worked with Casey last spring on a project for OSUDance downtown.
"I had two pieces of music I wanted to work with — actually, it was the same piece of music; the Funeral March from Mahler's Fifth Symphony played twice — once very traditionally and then very untraditionally by a jazz ensemble," Bruce said. "Brian's task was to introduce the piece with his own work and build the transition from one version to the next. He came up with a very sophisticated sound score that worked beautifully with the dance and with the Mahler."
His skills as a composer are in demand from many dance students and have earned him grants from the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. He is composing music for two graduate students, Kareen Balsam and Vanessa Justice.
Justice said she chose to work with Casey because his ability to create certain moods is something that interests her.
He has a great ability to connect with a project, and his ability to see what is going on is also special, Justice said. The two have just begun working together, and Justice said she is certain she would work with him again.
"He is a great guy and very open to ideas and is a strong link in the creative process," she said.
Balsam, who is also a friend of Casey, said she chose to work with him on her project because of his strong desire to be involved in all the processes.
"He works with dancers often and has the experience necessary to help with my project, but what most impressed me was his work with his band, Honk, Wail and Moan. As a friend he is really someone who is responsive to outreach, and he is very willing to help you out and very mellow," Balsam said.
His mellow attitude and willingness to work with others makes Casey an asset in the classroom. Susan Chess, music supervisor, has been working with Casey for many years.
"He is always very calm but attentive. This is important when working with dancer instructors. Many request him to play for their classes. They know they are not dealing with any kind of ego. He knows his capabilities and is always striving to be a better composer as well as a better musician," Chess said.
Chess said Casey has a variety of talents which make him stand out.
"Brian has a diversity of sounds and texture. He really has the ability to match the music with the movement that take place," she said.
Dancers who have been in classes in which Casey plays said they are able to draw energy from his music.
Renie Viola, a senior in dance, enjoys it when Casey accompanies the class.
"He is an absolute genius. He does not just play music to accompany us — he feeds off of the dancers. He is also very eclectic as a musician because he is an artist of more than one genre, and he can collaborate with anyone," Viola said.
Even as a composer, an accompanist and a band member, Casey still manages to find the time to play alongside the silent films at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
"I compose little themes for silent films, and I play live with them when they are shown," Casey said. "Next week I am playing along with 'Gaucho,' part of the Douglas Fairbanks series."
Dave Filipi, assistant curator of film at the Wexner Center, said the center struggled for a number of years to find someone who could accomplish this task.
"It takes someone who is incredibly talented and who accents a movie without overshining the film," Filipi said.
Casey plans to stay at OSU for now, while continuing to work for the dance departments at Ohio Weslyan University and Kenyon College.
"Playing my music has become my life," he said. "It is wonderful to be able to do what I love for a living. I work very hard and am very busy but would not trade it for anything."
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