Karim Al-Zand: Music: The Waiting Game

The Waiting Game

a choreographic scene for dance

The work is divided into four linked sections, each with its own characteristic dance music: the first is rather slow and brooding, with periodic interruptions; the second, after a tentative beginning, is somewhat playful and humorous; the third section is a delicate and wistful dance; and the finale is rhythmic and boisterous. The Waiting Game also features a distinctive non-Western instrument: a kalimba (pictured at left), played by the percussionist. The kalimba originates in Africa and is constructed of metal tines affixed to a resonating chamber (traditionally a hollowed-out gourd). The tines are plucked with the thumbs (the instrument is often called a ‘thumb piano’) to produce its characteristic soft ‘pinging’ sound, which can be heard prominently in the third dance of The Waiting Game. The title of the work relates to a choreographed dance scenario which develops in tandem with the piece: a man and woman flirt as they wait at a bus stop.