Three fantastic dances by Shostakovitch

Ok, so its 4:30 in the morning and I can't go back to sleep b/c i think my brain is melting! yay! And since I have been practicing this little set of dances today...i figured I would write about them. Each 2 page dance is written in a definitive ABA form. They don't really sound too much like a normal dance or waltz, they have more of a heavy marching quality to them. My piano teacher and I discussed this, and she explained that Shostakovitch, being Russian, put many capitalist ideas into his music. This would explain the heavy undercurrent beat present in all three. He also uses a lot of chromatics to create dissension and disharmonies. I think these pieces give a good "slice of life" look at what was going on around Shostakovitch in Russia with the Revolution and new governments. I like these pieces...I mean I don't necessarily wake up humming them, but I think I have an appreciation for what they stand for.