Dancing to "Love Songs"

[pygmalion]

I've come to the conclusion that many if not most of the love songs out there are totally useless when it comes to dancing. I mean, when I think of all my favorites, decade by decade, I can't visualize anything other than the old grope and sway (which is NOT a dance! :lol: ). No actual dancing required.

Question. Are there any actual dance love songs? Or are love songs doing something wrong, from a dance perspective (e.g. not keeping strict tempo) Why are top 40 love songs often not good songs for dancers? Any thoughts? Or am I just imagining things?

[dancin_feet]

I find that I can rumba to just about any love song around, but then that's just me. :wink:

[pygmalion]

I started to say something else, but then I remembered that International rumba is a lot slower than American style. So I'll be quiet, and let the thread evolve. :wink: 8)

[peachexploration]

Depends on the dance. Quite a bit of Salsa is Salsa Romantica.....

[Chris Stratton]

I think you are looking at it from the wrong direction.

Which dance songs are sufficiently romantic?

Dance music seems to cover the whole spectrum - even the variety of music for a particular dance. But I'll also agree that a bunch of popular music is danceable based on latin dances like rumba - also if you habitually drill technique under tempo, that increases the range of tempos you find it comfortable to dance to.

One more thing: I'm going to pass on a rumor here, that some of the classic Sinatra and similar stuff is hard to dance to _intentionally_. The tunes are wonderful fxotrots if performed for dancing, but they started being performed in ways designed to get people to stop dancing, and pay more attention to the performer. Of course this may simply be a theory made up by folks used ot strict tempo music - still I often feel like the Manuel & Mountain Music (ie Casa Musica's house band) version is often better than the original because they simply present the song for it's wonderful merits, without excessive embellishment. I recently heard an interview on the radio with Henry Manicini's daughter, and they played a bit of a version of Moon River she had just done - it was horrible, not just for dancing but for listening too as every time all that's good about Moon River started to finally find its feet, someone would kick it over again in their enthusiasm to be original.

[jdavidb]

Check out what Dorry & Sommer did at their wedding dance: http://www.dswedding.com/ I see triple steps, a sugar push and a basket whip in there. I wouldn't really expect to see moves like shakin' change, birdland or the midnight reverse double shin whack during that particular song.

It's a huge 32 meg file. It's in the first main box... the top right pic of them in closed position is "the button" for the video.

[jon]

Question. Are there any actual dance love songs?

Are we excluding from "dance love songs" the entire classes of sappy pop love songs suitable for Nightclub Two-Step, of sappy Latin love songs suitable for Rumba or Bolero, of sappy ballads suitable for Foxtrot or Blues, etc.?

I'll grant that someone who focuses on the topic, like, say, Nana Mouskouri, doesn't do a lot of music suitable for the kinds of dancing I like, but then the whole point of her stuff is the vocals.

Maybe it would help focus on the question if you enumerated the decade-by-decade songs you're thinking of?

[jon]

One more thing: I'm going to pass on a rumor here, that some of the classic Sinatra and similar stuff is hard to dance to _intentionally_.

Haven't heard that rumor, and I find Sinatra's output eminently danceable for the most part, especially his Capitol Records period (BTW, "The Capitol Years" 3-CD collection includes most of the Sinatra foxtrots commonly played today. without being a budget-breaker).

I can go with your strict-tempo theory. Many ballroom dancers either actively dislike, or pay no attention to vocals and lyrics. Their loss. At simplest, when the lyrics tell you to "now jump!" or "stop!", you've got a free suggestion for an embellishment that's almost guaranteed to fit the music :-)

[Genesius Redux]

Yes, American rumba can move quickly--but just because a song has a quick tempo doesn't mean it isn't a love song. "Just the Way You Are" is perfect for American rumba (well, maybe a little fast--more nightclub 2-step). And slow tunes you can always bolero to.

[etchuck]

I would think just about any ballad by Michael Bolton would be completely undanceable.

[Sagitta]

Bachatas my df friends. Bachatas. DR country style romantica, I think. Not enough sleep, and it's 4:46 in the morning. Actually I guess it was considered sleazy low class dancing, but you can make it a passionate dance. Really passionate.

[salsachinita]

I find that I can rumba to just about any love song around, but then that's just me. :wink:

Me too.....Ballroom rhumba, that is (NOT Afro-Cuban Rumba Guaguanco etc.)! This is of course sappy top 40 type love songs we are talking here, right....?

Salsa Romantica, old Son, or Bolero are different stories. IMHO these songs really test how well you connect with your partner. No room for faking :shock: .

Generally speaking from my old-school Latino influence, these songs are reserved for your SO, or the one you are interested in that way. This is not strictly followed these days, as I've noticed at the clubs. Studio trained dancers will dance ballroom rhumba etc......so I end up joining them too 8) !

*shrug* A dance is a dance. Sappy or othewise :wink: !

[pygmalion]

I would think just about any ballad by Michael Bolton would be completely undanceable.
:lol: :lol:

[pygmalion]

Oh, btw, I do rumba, bolero, NC2S and foxxy (oh yeah, and slow drag, a blues dance). Most slower tempo "love songs" do fit one or the other. There are some that are so slow as to be almost undanceable (unless you add a bunch of syncopations -- one of my favorite things to do while I'm dancing around my empty house. LOL)

[Sagitta]

I just realized we are talking about top 40 love songs. :oops: This is what happens when someone is wired up from dancing. :oops: :) I stay away from those. You play one of those and I take a bathroom break. :car:

[pygmalion]

Oh yeah, and Chris, your observation/rumor about dance music being made not strict-tempo sounds entirely plausible to me. Too bad it doesn't always work. Once you've heard a song often enough, you can adjust to the liberties the vocalist is taking. It's not all that difficult to do.

You know what I do find difficult to dance to, though? A lot of the old Nat King Cole stuff. It's at the right tempo for foxtrot in a lot of cases, but he was just too much of a jazz musician. That prominent dance beat just isn't there in some of his tunes.

[DancePoet]

Rumba and Bolero probably best bets. Foxtrot perhaps with some of the older stuff.

Regarding Sinatra, I have his "Greatest Hits" album, and I've been trying to figure out what works with some of these, and I have been struggling.

[Flat Shoes]

I can do Lindy-like blues dancing to any song that has some feel to it. I just skip the bouncing part and dance to the melody and not the rhythm. I do some stuff in closed position, lead the girl through some open position moves and back to closed again. And I play a lot with the tempo and the direction.

As long as there's a good connection, anything goes.

[tsb]

Check out what Dorry & Sommer did at their wedding dance: http://www.dswedding.com/ I see triple steps, a sugar push and a basket whip in there. I wouldn't really expect to see moves like shakin' change, birdland or the midnight reverse double shin whack during that particular song.

It's a huge 32 meg file. It's in the first main box... the top right pic of them in closed position is "the button" for the video.

they're a pretty amazing couple. you can find out more about them at the 'about us' link at:

http://lindybaby.com/newmove/

where they have weekly(?) vids of sample lindy moves.