Love this song! First heard it on Grey’s Anatomy (which, by the way, is a wonderful resource for angst-y, dramatic lyrical songs!) and we’ve been using it in our contemporary / lyrical class.
Listen to or download it in iTunes
Enjoy!
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A look back at all of the songs I used for choreography this past year. This post is more or less for my own archival purposes, but maybe someone will find something new too!
My little “Nutcracker” dancers
Want more? Check out 2012 and 2011‘s lists.
TAP CHOREOGRAPHY
MODERN / CONTEMPORARY / BALLET
CHILDREN’S MUSIC
Hello all – hope everyone’s summer is going good.. as we move into August, here’s a list of the songs that have been getting the heaviest rotation on my summer dance playlists!
Ballet Class – I like to use Sunny Choi’s tunes during our stretch to keep things fresh – links open in YouTube
22 (Taylor Swift Cover) – Sunny Choi
I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift cover) – Sunny Choi
Just Give Me A Reason (P!nk Cover) – Sunny Choi
Stretch / Lyrical Class
All I Want – The Kodaline – EP – nice and slow for stretching
Pompeii – Haunt – EP
Gone, Gone, Gone – The World from the Side of the Moon (Deluxe)
Red Hands – R.E.V.O.
Tap Class
Wake Me Up – Avicii – love this one!
You Make Me Feel So Young – Michael Buble – my favorite off his newest album
Wild – Royal Teeth
Mountain Sound – Of Monsters & Men
I Love It (Radio Edit) – Icona Pop
Jazz Class
People Like Us – Kelly Clarkson
Cups (Pitch Perfect’s “When I’m Gone”)- Anna Kendrick
Treasure – Bruno Mars
Blurred Lines (Radio Edit) – Robin Thicke
The Dance Buzz is an iTunes affiliate.
I am currently loving this song by Kerli “The Lucky Ones”.
I’ve been using it for tap and jazz warm-ups this week and its got a great beat (and no bad words!).
Grab it on iTunes:
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| It’s hard to find a picture of new beginnings in January,but here is a “snow egg” in a nest that’s in front of our house. |
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With it being January, I wanted to make a playlist of songs about beginnings, fresh starts and the future.
Enjoy! (All of the links below open to iTunes)
I’m Beginning To See The Light – Maynard Ferguson – an instrumental jazzy tune with a big band feel, that would be nice for a classic jazz or adult tap class. There’s another great version by Michael Buble too!
At the Beginning – Anastasia (Music from the Motion Picture) – classic Disney love song – could work for a lyrical dance.
Starting Now – Ingrid Michaelson – I’ve used this quick-tempo song for combinations in modern, jazz and contemporary class. It starts out sounding acoustic and then builds to a full band, which is nice for a dynamic change.
Where Do I Even Start? – Morgan Taylor Reid – This song was used on Grey’s Anatomy, so you know it’s dramatic! I am a sucker for songs with piano harmony sections, so I liked this one right away. I would use it in lyrical or contemporary class or possibly for a lyrical ballet piece.
New Age – Marlon Roudette – Another nice lyrical / contemporary song.
Intro – xx – One of my teachers used this song last year for a jazz / contemporary piece. I could see it working for a modern dance as well. Has a great creepy beginning and then changes into an intense and building melody.
Wanna Be Starting Something – Michael Jackson – Doesn’t need explanation 🙂 There is also a newer version featuring Akon, but you gotta love classic Michael.
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| This is what my front yard looks like in January…snow and ice! |
New Soul – Yael Naïm – Ever since it was featured on that iTunes commercial, I hesitate to use it in class, but it would be such a fun song for a young modern class or for a solo.
Brand New – Emilie Mover – She has such a fun voice – this is a nice uplifting song with a country or bluegrass feel.
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| Our ‘happy elf’ at the studio! |
Does your holiday playlist need some updating?
Here are a few songs that you can add into the usual rotation to spice things up a bit this year (links open in iTunes):
The Happy Elf – Harry Connick Jr.
I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Stuhr Remix) – Kay Starr
(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With the Bag – Kay Starr
The Christmas Waltz – She & Him
Somewhere In My Memory – Home Alone Soundtrack (I actually recommend the entire Home Alone Soundtrack by John Williams for some fun music that has a Christmas-y feel to it – I especially love the track “Holiday Flight”“)
Hurry Home – The Good Lovelies
March of the Toys (Instrumental Version) –
From 2011: Holiday Music Round-up
From 2010: NMM: Holiday Music
Just discovered this haunting piano cover of the Pixies tune “Where Is My Mind” by Maxence Cyrin.
And bonus: at 2 minutes 47 seconds… you don’t even have to cut it!
Enjoy!
A few new songs that I’ve been loving in class and some videos to go along with them:
“Great” – Tony Robbins – free download here – this is the song from the Purina dog commercial that might have made you cry. I think it would make a nice contemporary dance:
Try – P!nk – I didn’t know she was such an awesome dancer – check out the video:
And my final song / video combo is:
Capital Cities – Safe And Sound – you could use this techno song for warm-ups in jazz or tap, but I just love this fan-made video. Its a mash-up of historical dance moves juxtaposed with war images. I dig the old dance moves against the song:
It been a while since I’ve done a New Music Monday post, so I thought I’d share my updated music from my contemporary classes.
I’m teaching a beginning contemporary class this year of ages 10-14, instead of just my usual 15 and up class, so it has been a challenge to find some music that is relatable to a 10-year old. In fact, when I tried playing the slower, lyrical-type music for the younger class, they asked if I had any faster or “fun” music.
So far (third week in), I have found a balance of “fun” and “serious” music keeps everyone happy – we are working on emotions in combinations, but then we keep it more upbeat during technique portions. What do you find works best for this age group?
Now that the competitions and recitals are over, I’d thought I’d share my list of songs I used this past year for choreography. (Here is 2011 in case you’re curious)
All links open in iTunes, unless otherwise noted
TAP
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| My magic hat! Faces obscured for privacy |
LYRICAL / CONTEMPORARY
OTHER
What was your favorite song that you danced to this year?
The Dance Buzz 