Dance 12 is a short, neoclassical character piece by Clark Kimberling designed for pedagogical use. It features clean, accessible melodies that prioritize clear phrasing and basic structural organization.
At Henle 1 this is an early-beginner piece — the challenge is playing evenly and confidently, not the notes themselves. The main demands: a true singing tone, with the melody floating above the accompaniment; precise articulation — the difference between crisp and blurred is the piece; and fine finger independence within the hand.
Focus on maintaining a consistent pulse and precise articulation between the melodic lines.
Comparable difficulty and character — good candidates for what to learn next.
Where this piece's skills lead: slightly harder works making similar technical demands.
Lesser-known works by the same hand, at a comparable level.
Dance 12 is rated Henle level 1 of 9 — beginner repertoire, roughly ABRSM grades 1–2. In the RCM system it corresponds to about level 2.
You should be comfortable at Henle level 1. Learning it one level early is possible as a stretch piece, but more than that usually leads to months of frustration.
A typical performance of Dance 12 lasts about 1.5 minutes.
Dance 12 is available as free public-domain sheet music on IMSLP — the score is linked directly from this page.
Pieces at a comparable difficulty and character include Dance Twenty Four by Clark Kimberling, Dance 28 by Clark Kimberling, Dance 29 by Clark Kimberling — see the full similar-pieces list on this page.