Swing Music for Ballroom Class (single and triple)

DanceMentor

DanceMentor

Administrator
So a studio in LA decided they want me to teach their program classes, and I'll have about 40-50 in each class tonight. These are mostly ballroom dancers that learn it more like jive than swing, but not so fast as most are in their 50's and 60's. I'd love to get some ideas for music to use for single (first class for beginners) and triple (second class intermediate). I've always liked Cab Calloway "Are you Hep to the Jive?" for Single, but I'd love to have a few songs for each by tonight! What can you suggest?

I used to teach swing to 100 every night, but it has been a few years. I'm excited. :)
 
Short notice, otherwise would relate what was in John Javna's How to Jitterbug, which spans the decades and a number of styles.
 
What I did was pull out my collection from a long time ago and I'm getting some things together now.
Are You Hep to the Jive?
Deed I Do
Knock On Wood
Mustang Sally
Runaround Sue
Safronia B
Swing Time Boogie
Streamliner
My Baby Just Cares for Me
and a few more

I hope my class likes them! :)
 
These are classics known to have been used by someone who had lots of students.

Pennsylvania 65000
In the Mood
String of Pearls
Dry Bones
One Mint Julep
Let's Dance
 
Ok, the classes went great last night (75 students). The feedback I got from them is they also like some "disco" sounding music. While we aren't doing the hustle (but single swing in first class), I think it would be fun too, so if anyone has suggestions, let me know! :)
 
One scotch, one bourbon, one beer in the Amos Milburn version is really good for slowish swing, it's played a lot here when the local teachers are teaching newbies triple steps

 
Siggav said:
One scotch, one bourbon, one beer in the Amos Milburn version is really good for slowish swing, it's played a lot here when the local teachers are teaching newbies triple steps

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the people are a bit conservative and that one won't fly. :)
 
Well, and since you rang the bell here...

Just thinking that, even though you opened the door by asking what people want to dance to, and I have no idea what the heck jive is - ballroom swing? isn't that reserved for people that learn West Coast in a "studio?" - I think it would be a good idea to use songs with swing or shuffle in them. Not sure of any disco songs that fill the bill since I haven't yet gotten into that decade to any extent.
Not being a teacher, I'm allowed to think that if and when you try to explain the uneven division of the triple step, you can reference the music that has that same uneven division in it.
Going to swing again, I notice that the people teaching mention this, but usually once, and then use a straight count for the rest of the lesson.
Now, do I think people are going to get it in an intro course. No, not really. But, by talking about it and using (mostly) music that was being danced to when the dance was created, I think you set the stage for a deeper understanding of how music and dance go together.
Maybe one day JohnEm and I won't have to carp about people dancing WCS to music with a straight count, and people doing AT to non tango. And, really that was one reason I was able to peal away one night from my steady CW gig. The music wasn't working for me.
 
Ah ok yeah a conservative crowd is something I didn't think of.

Some more tunes that are regularly used at lessons where I go:

Shiny Stockings - Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie
Sunny Side of the Street - Bennie Goodman
Jump Session - Slim and Slam
Your Feet's too Big - Fats Waller
Long gone John - Gordon Webster

Here's a live version of the last one:

The CD version is the one played in class, it's a tiny bit slower and cleaner but I love that band live.

One thing I should say is that I do dance lindy hop instead of ballroom swing so my musical tastes for swing dancing are pretty rooted in the 1930s really but like Steve said it makes sense to use at least some of that music to teach. I have a very large collection of swing music and listen to it a lot so if there are specific tempos or moods you're after I can try and find more options. The ones Ive listed in here are all on the slower side
 
Steve Pastor said:
Well, and since you rang the bell here...

Just thinking that, even though you opened the door by asking what people want to dance to, and I have no idea what the heck jive is - ballroom swing? isn't that reserved for people that learn West Coast in a "studio?" - I think it would be a good idea to use songs with swing or shuffle in them.
Click to expand...

Well I'm walking into a program with 200 students with some weeks where I will teach nearly 100 in a night. At least in the beginning I need to work with the feedback the studio is giving me for what worked well for them in the past. I wanted to use Cab Calloway, but it wasn't well received. I do like disco music too, and I'm going to be researching for this Tuesday.
 
Keny Loggins - I'm Alright
Bruce Springsteen - Trouble River
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Indigo Swing - Ruby Mae
Johnny V - Club Anthem
Jenny Boneja & the Ballroom Shakers - Dance With Me Henry
Jenny Boneja & the Ballroom Shakers - Little Daddy
Caravan Palace - Star Scat
Cars - Shake it Up
Chicago - Along Comes A Woman
Stray Cats - Stray Cat Strut
 
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OMD – Forever Live and Die
The Association – Cherish
Martha and the Vandellas – Dancing in the Street
 
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