Reviews

Hello Miss Civil, it is a long time I am listening to your first three cds, I am a teacher from Paris Opéra ballet school. I wanted to thank you so much and to congratulate you for your magnificent music. It is full of respiration, space, strength and during this difficult time, you help so much the dancers working alone at home. Thank you again and take care of yourself.

Eric Camillo, Teacher at The Paris Opéra Ballet School

Paris 04/30/2020

"Gill Civil's Dancing Keys 1 & 2 CD music for class, is a great addition to anyone's collection for ballet class or warming up music before a performance. It sets you up perfectly for the day, either in the morning beginning your daily routine on a high note, ready for a long day of rehearsals ahead or for warming up the body and mind ready for that exceptional performance we all strive to achieve at that 'beginners call' I have been lucky enough to have these two CDs for a while now and I never tire of the expertise in Gill's phrasing per exercise or the strength of character in each musical interpretation. It's a joy to listen and dance to and a 'must have' for anyone looking for the ideal music to accompany ballet/dance class. I very much look forward to the release of Dancing Keys 3!"
Gary Avis, Character Principal Artist & Ballet Master with
The Royal Ballet London 09/20/2012

"Just wanted to say thank you for your talent! I bought and LOVE your album for my ballet classes. My teenage students get all excited when they hear updated music in piano! Makes their barre much more exciting and makes me look cool! Lol amazing!!"
Marguerite V, Choreographer, Master Teacher, Judge Englishtown, New Jersey 02/15/2015

"It's a pleasure to recommend Gill Civil's "Dancing Keys 1 & 2 music for ballet class. I have had the opportunity to work with Gill as a professional dance accompanist in the School for Contemporary Arts (Dance Program), Simon Fraser University. She is an exquisite musician, who plays with tremendous flow, breadth, qualitative dynamics and passion. Her compositions for dance technique class and CD's capture all these rich attributes and clearly demonstrate that dance accompaniment is an art form, that strongly supports dancers on-going education and development from youngsters to professionals."
Marla Eist, Associate Professor of Dance School for the Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University Vancouver, B.C. 10/16/2012

"Beautiful. This music is perfect for ballet class and comes from the heart."
Kathryn Morgan, soloist with
The New York City Ballet 11/27/2011

"I recently reviewed Gill Civil's Dancing Keys CD for this site, and I was fortunate enough to be able to listen to the next album she compiled Dancing Keys 2. Civil's work is truly unique in that the tracks dont sound familiar they sound fresh. Some ballet class music can have a typical feel to it that just doesnt add anything to the barre or centre exercises. This is not in that category. The music here taps into emotion and feeling something I think the good ballet music composers understand as necessary for it to be something dancers will want to move to. Teachers too find this type of music inspiring, and it can add a measure of creativity to the class environment overall to have such beautiful music. The CD has a simple barre (10 tracks) and centre music (port de bras, adage, pirouettes, allegro, etc.) and a number of bonus tracks as well. As always, I appreciate the amount of effort that goes into creating original music for ballet class. Civil does it well, and this CD is a great one to own if you teach ballet."
Catherine L. Tully, Owner/Editor www.4dancers.org 12/13/2011

"I highly recommend this (Dancing Keys 2) to all ballet teachers using CDs. Gill plays at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts - Her enthusiasm, ear for supporting the dancers and artistry infuses all her classes with a special magic, and in my opinion even reads on the CD through her original scores for ballet class. This is a recommended resource for all dance schools and the perfect Christmas gift for all Ballet Teachers. I believe you can also find her work on iTunes, but the CD art work and information offers wonderful suggestions and information for the teachers."
Sara Coffin, BSc K, BFA Independent Dance Artist, Interim Artistic Director Mocean Dance 11/02/2011

"Dear Ms. Civil, Please tell me you have more than one cd???!!!! I have Dancing Keys and have worn it out. I just love it. It is me, it is perfect for class. I hope you have more great ballet class music. Please let me know."
Deborah Choszczyk, Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, MI Fine Arts/Dance 08/14/2008

"Just a note to say I did receive Dancing Keys and it is lovely. I teach courses in elementary and secondary music and arts education at the University of Regina, and I plan to recommend this CD to my students. These short pieces are absolutely perfect for encouraging creative dance with children - and the alternate titles are very helpful for stimulating the imagination. What a great education resource!"
Denise Morstad, M.Ed., Chair of Music Education, Faculty of Education, University of Regina 09/16/2006

"I just received Gill's cd in the mail as a gift after commenting on a post about ballet class music. The music is beautiful and clear enough for beginning students to follow, but interesting enough for all ages to enjoy! I am so glad to have new music for class and I recommend that you check out Gill's work if you are looking for new music!"
Amber Corriston, Dancer / Dance Instructor at All That Dance 06/12/2012