Dancing with the Teachers

[Ralph]

Hey, as you saw in an other thread, I'm doing this with a few others at our school. It looks like I'm going to do the Slow Waltz and the Cha Cha Cha (could still change).
Does anyone have any tips for what music I should pick. I have lots aof dance music, but I want a bit of the type of music on the show. Non-dancers have to like it too.

[pygmalion]

Hey, as you saw in an other thread, I'm doing this with a few others at our school. It looks like I'm going to do the Slow Waltz and the Cha Cha Cha (could still change).
Does anyone have any tips for what music I should pick. I have lots aof dance music, but I want a bit of the type of music on the show. Non-dancers have to like it too.

I didn't see the other thread. :oops: What gives? :cool: :)

[Ralph]

The other thread was about Lisa and Louis's Waltz

[Infosaturated]

Don't underestimate non-dancers musical tastes. There are tons of complaints about the music on the ABC boards which are populated by non-dancers.

Even kids today listen to many different styles of music therefore have a more sophisticated ear and greater acceptance of different types of music. "World beat" is very popular and techno music absorbs everything from opera to primitive african beats (and big band).

I think you are probably a very good judge of music. Pick music with strong beats that is evocative of the dances you are performing and you can't go wrong. Good music is good music regardless of it's era.

[Ralph]

I have so many options, but I don't know what to pick? I have numerous good dancing songs. I asked this to see what you guys would like to hear, so that I can make up my mind.

[alemana]

why don't you list your options for each dance and we'll weigh in. it's hard to just randomly name songs out of the blue.

[Ralph]

Okay, here they are:

Slow Waltz:
Natural Woman by Carole King
Sam by Olivia Newton John
Dark Waltz by Hayley Westenra (probably too hard though)
Come Away with Me by Norah Jones
What te World Needs Now (If I can find the right version)

Cha Cha Cha:
Crazy in Love by Beyonce
Tururu by Azucar Moreno (probably not good for the public though)
I Like it Like That by The Blackout Allstars
Get This Party Started by Pink
A La Playa by S.B.S
Hey Gringo by Movin' Souls ft. Daddy Freddy
September by Earth, Wind and Fire (Remix)
Lady Marmalade

(And yes, I do prefer Latin over Ballroom :p )

[musicchica86]

Well, if you're going for a dramatic waltz, I'd say "Natural Woman." Otherwise, my vote goes to "Come Away With Me" every time.

As for cha-cha, out of that list I personally like "I Like It Like That" or "Get This Party Started." "Smooth" by Santana is also an excellent choice.

[Ralph]

You are so right. How could I forget Smooth?

[SDsalsaguy]

I've danced cha cha to both " I Like it Like That" and " Lady Marmalade" and found both quite workable. I've also seen routines performed to each and, again, those worked well. As for "Smooth" I find it a little slow for ballroom cha and a bit overused in general, but maybe that's just me and the events I've been to.

[Purr]

I vote for "Come Away With Me" for waltz and "I Like It Like That" for cha cha.

[pygmalion]

Lady Marmalade rocks! Which version? Patti Labelle or Moulin Rouge? As much as I hate to say it, the Moulin Rouge version seems a little more danceable -- a little more upbeat, IMO.

[Ralph]

The Moulin Rouge version.

[pygmalion]

Good choice, IMO. :D (Is this thread helping any, or just confusing matters? :lol: )

[fascination]

I dont dance much latin or rhythym...but I like AY Mujer for cha cha

and for waltz...sheesh where does one start: theme from "dances with wolves", "it is you" from shrek, "a time for us" from romeo and juliet, "Meggie's waltz" from thornbirds, Time in New England......

[pygmalion]

I "it is you" from shrek

This waltz rocks!!!! (Did I use enough exclamation points so you can feel the love? :lol: I had it on auto-repeat in my CD changer for the longest time. Waltzing around the house... one of favorite pass times. :oops: :lol:)

[fascination]

This waltz rocks!!!! (Did I use enough exclamation points so you can feel the love? :lol: I had it on auto-repeat in my CD changer for the longest time. Waltzing around the house... one of favorite pass times. :oops: :lol:)I sing it at least 12 times a day.....my daughter even likes it now...it is in my car nonstop

[Ralph]

Good choice, IMO. :D (Is this thread helping any, or just confusing matters? :lol: )

:D A bit of both. It narrows the choices, but it narrows it down to two or three tough choices. :D

Shrek's Waltz is a bit too fast for a Slow Waltz IMO, but I also love the song.

[gracie]

For some inspiration if you decide to use Come Away With Me check out this website: Longwoodballroom dot com. log in and go to multimedia. Choose Pro shows and watch what Rick and Melanie did.

[Joe]

There is a version of the Shrek waltz on Casa Musica's "Ballroom Fantasy" CD @ 29 bars; should be slow enough for ya.

[fascination]

I concur...thats the one we use and its plenty slow

[Ralph]

But I don't have that cd.

[fascination]

me neither, but my studio did

[pygmalion]

And some studios have sound systems that allow the tempo of the music to be modified slightly. Just a thought. Not campaigning for any particular piece of music, mind you. :wink:

[delamusica]

My votes are "Come away with me" and "Get this party started."

Especially if you were hoping for more pop-oriented musics. And I think they're both fun to dance to. :)

[Ralph]

We just had our first training. It was so much fun! I'll keep a blog on my website, starting tomorrow. I'll announce it in this thread when there's an update.

[Ralph]

Blog update: http://rbc-dancing.tripod.com/id6.html