The piece is an arrangement of the fourth movement of my Quartet of Dances (2004), for string quartet.
The short, lively piece adheres to no established form or genre: it is not a waltz, a tango, a foxtrot, or any other specific kind of dance. I call it a “dance” because it is essentially rhythmic rather than melodic in its conception, with an irregular yet emphatic pulse throughout.
As well, the piece comes with its own built-in little manifesto: there is too much seriousness in contemporary music. I claim no exemption from my own criticism, as some of my own works unabashedly strive for profundity and gravity. But in this piece, I have tried to inject some joie de vivre into new music.