📚 A Linha Curva — 6b.8
Aural Setting
Percossa · Live percussion · 4 percussionists · Samba-influenced
📚 On this page
- Describe the aural setting accurately — who performs it, how, and what style
- Link the music to the stimulus, intent and movement
- Practise a full DLIE appreciation answer
- Consider how silence — or a different score — would change your reading
6b.8.1 Description
Composers/Performers
Percossa — percussion group from Holland
How performed
Live percussion — performed at every show
Number of musicians
4 percussionists
Style
Samba-influenced — no melody, purely rhythm
Tap each card to reveal how each musical feature connects to the work ↓
Percossa
Tap to reveal
Who they are
A percussion ensemble from Holland who specialise in complex multi-drummer performances.
→ Their expertise in layered percussion creates the dense rhythmic texture that drives the samba-influenced movement.Live performance
Tap to reveal
Why it matters
The music is performed live at every performance — not pre-recorded. 4 musicians on stage, every night.
→ Live music creates a spontaneous, unpredictable energy that mirrors the intent: celebrating the ability to live in the moment.4 percussionists
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The scale
Four musicians playing simultaneously, each contributing a different rhythmic layer to the overall texture.
→ The layered rhythms directly enable the canon and accumulation structures in the choreography — one rhythm per wave of dancers.Samba-influenced
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The rhythm style
Samba is the defining rhythm of Brazilian carnival — syncopated, driving, and insistently physical.
→ The samba rhythms directly support the hip rolls and grounded, rhythmic movement style drawn from the Brazilian carnival stimulus.No melody
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Purely percussive
The score has no melodic instruments — no piano, strings, or vocals. Only percussion: rhythm and timbre.
→ A purely percussive score gives the music a primal, physical quality — the body responds to rhythm before the mind processes melody.Music and movement
Tap to reveal
The relationship
The percussion rhythm directly drives the choreography — the dancers respond to specific rhythmic cues, and the samba pulse enables the hip movement.
→ This creates a unified work where neither music nor movement could exist as effectively without the other.🔗 Match the musical feature to its effect
Use the flip cards above to help — select the correct effect for each feature.
Live performance
Samba-influenced rhythms
4 percussionists
Purely percussive
Examiner's Eye — the live performance point is your strongest EVALUATE
Most students describe the music but forget the most powerful evaluation point: it is performed live. Live percussion is physically felt by the audience — the sound vibrates through the body, not just into the ears. This is something a recording can never replicate. Always use this when asked about impact on the audience.
6b.8.2 Appreciation DLIE Panel
Sample answer — Aural Setting in A Linha Curva
D
Describe
The aural setting for A Linha Curva is performed live at every show by Percossa — a percussion group from Holland. Four percussionists perform simultaneously, creating a complex, layered rhythmic texture. The music is samba-influenced and entirely percussive — there are no melodic instruments. Only rhythm and timbre.
L
Link
The samba-influenced rhythms link directly to the Brazilian carnival stimulus — samba is the defining rhythm of Brazilian street celebration. The live performance links to the choreographic intent: Galili's aim of celebrating the ability to live in the moment is embodied by a score that is itself unrepeatable. The percussion pulse directly supports the samba hip rolls and grounded movement style, and the layered rhythms enable the canon and accumulation structures in the choreography.
I
Interpret
The purely percussive score — with no melody — could suggest something primal and communal: rhythm is the most ancient and shared form of music, the body's first language. This could represent the collective heartbeat of the carnival — one rhythm driving many bodies. The live performance could also symbolise the work's central idea directly: you cannot record the moment, you can only live it. Each performance of the music is as unrepeatable as each performance of the dance.
E
Evaluate
This is effective because the live percussion is physically experienced by the audience — the sound vibrates through the body, not just into the ears. This creates an immediate, visceral connection between musicians, dancers, and audience that a recorded score cannot replicate. The energy of four live musicians on stage raises the stakes for everyone and makes the carnival atmosphere genuinely present rather than represented. The audience is not watching a celebration — they are in one.
6b.8.3 💜 What Does the Music Make You Think or Feel?
Your Emotional Response to the Sound
These prompts ask for your genuine reaction to the percussion. Anchor every response to something specific — a rhythmic quality, the live performance, the absence of melody. Tap to see model responses, then write your own.
1
🎭 Knowing It's Live — Does That Change How You Listen?
The percussion is performed live at every show. Four musicians are on stage. The music is not a pre-recorded track that plays the same every night — it is a live performance, subject to the same spontaneity as the dancing.
Does knowing the music is live change how you experience it? Does it make you listen differently — or does it not matter as long as the sound is the same?
👁 Tap to see model responses
In my opinion…
In my opinion, knowing the percussion is live makes a real difference. You can see the four Percossa musicians on stage at the same time as the dancers — the music is not just playing, it is happening right in front of you. The samba rhythms vibrate through the theatre in a way that a recording through speakers cannot replicate. I feel drawn into the celebration because the musicians are celebrating alongside the dancers, not just providing a soundtrack.
This could suggest…
This could suggest that the physical power of the rhythm is more important than whether it is live or recorded. The samba percussion is so loud and driving that the audience feels it in their bodies regardless — your foot starts tapping before you have decided to tap it. The live performance definitely adds something, but the samba pulse itself is what creates the most immediate impact. The rhythm would work even if it was coming from a speaker.
✍️ Your response:
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2
🔇 No Melody — Does the Absence of Tune Affect You?
There are no melodic instruments. No piano, strings, or vocals (outside the moments Galili builds into the choreography). Only percussion — rhythm and timbre. The music makes no attempt to tell you how to feel through a tune you can hum.
Does the absence of melody affect how you respond emotionally? Does pure percussion feel more or less powerful than music with a tune? Does it feel more raw — or more limited?
👁 Tap to see model responses
In my opinion…
In my opinion, having no melody is one of the most effective choices in the whole work. Most music guides your emotions through a tune — a sad melody makes you feel sad. But in A Linha Curva there is no tune to follow, just the driving samba rhythm. This means the only thing telling you what to feel is the movement and the beat in your body. I think this makes the celebration feel more instinctive and physical, which fits the Brazilian carnival stimulus perfectly.
This could suggest…
This could suggest that without a melody, the dance becomes the main emotional language of the piece. In the Adage Septet, the rhythm slows and softens — but because there is no tune to guide you, you look to the 7 women in their yellow squares to understand what the section is about. The movement has to tell the whole story. In my opinion, this is actually a clever choice because it forces the audience to watch the dancing carefully rather than just listening.
✍️ Your response:
💡 Copy into your ePortfolio — not saved automatically.6b.8.4 💜 How Does the Aural Setting Change Your Interpretation of the Movement?
Sound and Movement — Which Leads?
The relationship between the live percussion and the choreography is one of the most interesting questions in this work. These prompts ask how your understanding of the movement changes depending on how you hear the music.
1
🥁 Does the Percussion Drive the Movement — or Respond to It?
In a traditional dance performance, music is pre-set and dancers follow it. In A Linha Curva, the relationship is more complex — the choreography was created with and around the percussion, and the live musicians can respond to the energy in the room. The movements feel musical; the music feels choreographic.
Do you hear the percussion as leading the movement — or accompanying it? Does your answer change your interpretation of what the work is about?
💬 Tap to see model responses
In my opinion…
In my opinion, the percussion leads. Galili created the choreography around the samba rhythms, so the movement feels like a physical response to the beat. When you watch the opening section, the hip rolls and shoulder rolls appear to come directly from the rhythm — the dancers seem to have no choice but to move when the beat demands it. This connects to the intent of living in the moment: when the rhythm is this powerful, you simply respond to it rather than thinking about it.
This could suggest…
This could suggest that music and movement work together as equals. Because Percossa perform live, the musicians are responding to the energy in the room just as the dancers are. When the accumulation builds — more dancers joining in one by one — the percussion builds with it. Neither is clearly in charge of the other. In my opinion, this equal relationship makes the work feel genuinely celebratory because 28 dancers and 4 musicians are all sharing the same experience at exactly the same time.
✍️ Your response:
💡 Copy into your ePortfolio — not saved automatically.
2
🌐 One Rhythm, 28 Bodies — Community or Control?
One percussion score drives the movement of all 28 dancers. The same rhythm is heard by everyone in the room simultaneously — musicians, dancers, audience. In the accumulation and canon structures, individual bodies join the same pulse one after another.
Does the single shared rhythm suggest community — everyone united in the same beat — or does it suggest control, all 28 people governed by one external force?
💬 Tap to see model responses
This could suggest…
This could suggest the shared rhythm represents the community spirit of the carnival. In Brazilian carnival culture, samba is the music everyone dances to together — it turns a crowd of individuals into a shared celebration. You can see this happening in the accumulation at the opening: one dancer starts, then another joins the same rhythm, then another, until the whole diagonal line is moving together. The percussion is what makes joining feel natural and joyful — it is the invitation.
In my opinion…
In my opinion, there is something interesting about one rhythm driving 28 bodies. Galili himself said the work has contradictions. The dancers are placed in individual grid squares, and the percussion tells them when to move and at what pace. This could suggest that even within a carnival celebration, there are structures that organise the freedom. The percussion creates the party, but it also sets the rules. The celebration is real — but it is also very carefully controlled.
✍️ Your response:
💡 Copy into your ePortfolio — not saved automatically.6b.8.5 💜 If the Same Section Were Performed in Silence, Would Your Interpretation Change?
Imagining Silence
One of the most powerful ways to understand what the music does is to imagine it removed. These prompts ask you to think about specific sections and how silence — or a different kind of sound — would change your reading.
1
🎉 The Ensemble Opening — Without the Percussion
The opening ensemble sections are inseparable from the percussion. The samba rhythm drives the hip rolls, the claps, the shoulder rolls. The accumulation — dancers joining the moving group one by one — feels like joining a rhythm that was already there.
If the opening ensemble were performed in complete silence, would you still read it as a celebration? Or would the absence of sound fundamentally change what the movement means?
💬 Tap to see model responses
In my opinion…
In my opinion, performing the opening in silence would completely change what it means. The clapping, the shoulder rolls, the hip movements are all samba moves — and samba only makes sense when you can hear the rhythm behind it. Without the percussion, the audience would not recognise these gestures as carnival movement. They would just see dancers clapping and rolling their shoulders without any explanation. The music is what gives the movement its cultural meaning and connects it to the Brazilian stimulus.
This could suggest…
This could suggest the movement would still make some sense without sound, but would read as something very different. The accumulation — one dancer joining another, then another — would still show people coming together. But without the samba percussion, it might feel more like a slow ceremony or ritual rather than a street party. The music does not just add energy — it tells the audience where in the world this dance is happening. Without it, the Brazilian carnival context would be almost invisible.
✍️ Your response:
💡 Copy into your ePortfolio — not saved automatically.
2
🟡 The Adage Septet — A Different Sound?
The Adage Septet is the work's most contrasting section — slow, gentle, 7 dancers only in yellow light. Even the percussion shifts quality here, becoming softer and less insistent. It is still percussion, but the character changes to support the slower, more sustained movement.
If the Adage Septet were performed in silence — or to a completely different kind of music (melodic, a single piano) — would your interpretation of the 7 women change?
💬 Tap to see model responses
In my opinion…
In my opinion, if a piano or strings replaced the percussion in the Adage Septet, it would feel like a completely different work had started. The fact that Percossa keep playing — even more softly — reminds the audience that the 7 women in their yellow squares are still inside the same carnival, just in a quieter moment of it. A piano melody would feel like a break from the world of the piece. The gentle percussion is what keeps the Adage connected to everything before and after it.
This could suggest…
This could suggest that the gentle percussion in the Adage Septet is doing something really important that you might not notice at first. Each woman is alone in her own yellow square surrounded by darkness — but the soft rhythm keeps her connected to the celebration in the rest of the work. In complete silence, that connection would break. Each woman would feel completely cut off rather than just in a quieter moment. The percussion, even at its softest, stops the section from becoming genuinely sad.
✍️ Your response:
💡 Copy into your ePortfolio — not saved automatically.📌 Key Points
PerformersPercossa — percussion group from Holland.
LivePerformed live at every show. 4 percussionists. Not pre-recorded.
StyleSamba-influenced. Purely percussive — no melody.
Link to movementThe samba rhythms directly drive the hip rolls and support the accumulation/canon structures.
Link to intentLive music mirrors the intent: to live in the moment — each performance is as unrepeatable as the experience itself.
EvaluateLive percussion is physically felt — it vibrates through the body. The audience is not watching a celebration; they are in one.
6b.8.6 Revision Check
✍️ Revision Check
10 questions — all DLIE layers. Answer all then submit.
1. What is the name of the group who perform the music for A Linha Curva?
2. Where is Percossa from?
3. How many percussionists perform?
4. How is the music performed — live or pre-recorded?
5. What style of rhythm influences the music?
6. What is notable about the instrumentation — what is absent?
7. How does the live percussion link to the choreographic intent?
8. What could the purely percussive score symbolise?
9. How does the samba-influenced rhythm link to the movement?
10. Why is the live percussion considered particularly effective in terms of audience impact?
📸
Screenshot your score and paste it into your ePortfolio.