Loving this new song from Jessie Ware called “Alone”. Would be a great lyrical or jazz piece.
When the chorus comes in it has a really nice pick up and the whole song just kind of grooves.
Enjoy!
Tag Archives: lyrical
NMM: Promise Land – Hannah Miller
You know how you start on YouTube looking up a ballet step and then you end up down a weird alley of YouTube and don’t know how you got there? Or is that just me? Anyway, this time I ended up at drone videos of Chernobyl (what?), but at least I got this haunting song out of it. Happy Monday!
iTunes link to Promise Land by Hannah Miller
And here is the drone video of Chernobyl:
New Music Monday: Maps (Maroon5 cover) by Madilyn Bailey
Loving this cover by Madilyn Bailey of the Maroon 5 song, Maps. I’ve been using it with my advanced tappers for a little combination. My tappers call this style “lyrical tap” – when you tap to a song that could traditionally be for contemporary or lyrical. I like that this song has a lot of pauses in it which are fun to fill with tap!
Enjoy – happy Monday!
Fall 2014 Teen Playlist
We interrupt this renovation saga with a playlist! I was updating my playlists for the fall and here are a few new songs my teen/college classes have been enjoying. I say “teens” because some of these songs have some questionable PG-13 subject matter, so use with caution (as far as I know, there are no swear words).
Stretching Songs
- Stay High (Hippie Sabatoge Remix) – Tove Lo (questionable subject matter)
- Unkiss Me – Maroon 5
- Stolen Dance – Milky Chance
- My Fault – Imagine Dragons
- Work Song – Hozier
- First (Hold My Hand) – Cold War Kids
Upbeat Songs
- Celeste – Ezra Vine – an indie rock tune, good for warm-ups
- Let The Groove Get In – Justin Timberlake
- Flirt (Acoustic or regular version) – Zac Waters – both links link to YouTube because this song is not on iTunes yet!!
- King of the World – Young Rising Sons
- Dear Future Husband – Meghan Trainor (some questionable lines in this song, so beware)
- Fireball (Instrumental Version) – In the Style of Pitbull
Lyrical/Contemporary Songs
- I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Bootstraps – link opens in YouTube
- Still – Daughter
- Photograph – Ed Sheeran
- Riptide – Vance Joy
How has the beginning of the new dance year been for you? Found any new music? Share in the comments!
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Our “Frozen-Inspired” Dance Camp
Our most asked camp question since last December has been “Are you doing a Frozen Camp?” So due to popular demand… a Frozen (inspired) Camp is what we did!
What works best for our studio is doing a half-day camp, where the students come 4 or 5 days a week from 9am-noon.
Each year we do a different theme and base the week’s lessons around that theme. We hold an impromptu little “show” on the last day of camp for family and friends.
We did the Frozen (inspired) Camp for our Princess age group (ages 4-7) at the end of June, and we actually had to close off registration a week prior because of the demand! (For comparison, our July Princess Camp was half as full as the Frozen Camp was).
I’m going to break up the posts into a few different sections, and hopefully they will give you some ideas for your own camp.
1) Music (this post)
2) Crafts
3) Games & Activities
General Camp Agenda
8:50-9:05am – Parent Drop-off and Student Sign-in
9:05-9:30am – Warm-up and “Get to know you” activities – I like doing the Name Game as an icebreaker
9:30-10:00am – Ballet Dance class (learning choreography / technique)
10:00-10:45am – Craft Time
10:45-11:00am – Snack Time
11:00-11:40am – Tap class (learning choreography / technique)
11:40-12:00pm – Games / Cool-down
Dance Camp Playlist
All links open in iTunes – the Dance Buzz is an iTunes affiliate
I know you will all be surprised when I tell you that the most used album during our Frozen-Inspired Camp was… the Frozen album. Shocking, I know! But we also used a few other non-Frozen songs during our camp so that we (the teachers) didn’t go crazy from having songs stuck our head all day!
Songs We Used for Choreography
- Let It Go – Idina Menzel – for a ballet / lyrical
- Love Is an Open Door – Kristen Bell – for jazz
- For the First Time in Forever – for lyrical / sing along
- In Summer – Josh Gad – for tap
- Fixer Upper – Frozen – for tap
Songs We Used in Class (for creative movement, games, and technique)
- Winter’s Waltz – Frozen good for across the floor in ballet
- Ice Dance – Edward Scissorhands – creative movement and free-dance
- Let It Go / Vivaldi’s Winter – The Piano Guys – good one for dramatic dancing, freeze dance
- Waltz of the Snowflakes – The Nutcracker
- Love Is an Open Door (Instrumental Karaoke version) – good for pass the beanbag, or warm-ups
What non-Frozen songs can you think of that would fit in well?
Halloween Playlist
Looking for some new songs to add to your Halloween playlist? Here are some suggestions to spice up your playlist.
All links open in iTunes – The Dance Buzz is an iTunes affiliate
Tap
Superstition – Stevie Wonder – classic with a moderate tempo
Love Potion No. 9 – The Clovers
Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
Devil With the Blue Dress On – Mitch Ryder – keeps those toes a-tapping
Headless Horseman – Kay Starr – tells the story of the Headless Horseman in a cheery sort of way
Little Demon – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins– a fun 50’s rock-sounding tune
Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical
I Put a Spell On You – From “Hocus Pocus” soundtrack, or Nina Simone, and the cover by She & Him is particularly haunting
Howlin’ for You – The Black Keys – we’ve been using this for across the floor combinations in my jazz classes this week – works good for turns and battements
Strange and Beautiful (I’ll Put a Spell on You) – Aqualung – a melancholy melody in 3/4 time
Other Fun Songs
Dinner With Drac, Pt 1 – John Zacherle
What’s A Girl To Do – Bat For Lashes – basically the plot to Twilight summed up in a song
Grim Grinning Ghosts Remix – (link opens to YouTube – couldn’t find a link) could maybe use this for hip hop?
And of course, you have to add The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) – Ylvis just for fun!
Looking for more ideas?
NMM: Freight Train – Sara Jackson-Holman
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!
The Dance Buzz is an iTunes affiliate.
2013 Song Selections
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
- Come Fly With Me – Michael Bublé: brother/sister duet
- Lucky Strike – Maroon 5: senior duet
- Say – John Mayer: senior small group
- Dance With Me Tonight – Olly Murs – senior large group
- Cheek to Cheek – Jane Monheit: senior solo
- I Got Rhythm – Nikki Yanofsky: teen solo
- The Music Box: teen duet, mixed two songs – Music Box by Regina Spektor & a techno version of Habanera (the song that plays in the beginning of the Regina Spektor version)
- Sinking Feeling – Roisin Murphy: senior duet
- Suzy – mixed two songs – Suzy & Dragons by Caravan Palace: junior large group
- Nothing Gets Better Than This – Max Schneider: junior large group
MODERN / CONTEMPORARY / BALLET
- Us – Regina Spektor: junior large group modern
- How – Regina Spektor: senior large group contemporary
- I’m In Here (Acoustic Version) – Sia: contemporary teen solo
- Hi – Psapp: senior small group modern
- Home – Philip Phillips: junior small group modern
- We Bought A Zoo – Jonsi: junior large group ballet
- Waiting Outside The Lines – Greyson Chance: teen large group lyrical
CHILDREN’S MUSIC
- Pose – A.N.T. Farm: tap dance ages 6-8
- Think – Aretha Franklin: jazz dance ages 6-8
- T-R-O-U-B-L-E – Travis Tritt: tap dance ages 7-10
- Nutcracker – I combined two songs from the Nutcracker and called it “Nutcracker Sweets”: ballet dance ages 5-6
- Die Puppenfee (The Fairy Doll): XVII. No. 16 Ballabileh (called this the “Dance of the Dolls”): ballet dance ages 6-8
- Mean Girls – Sugarland: large group, ages 10-12
Apparently this was the year of Regina Spektor and combining songs! Oh well, onto the next year 🙂
What was your favorite music you choreographed or danced to this year?
All songs open in iTunes, Dance Buzz is an iTunes affiliate.
Summer Playlist
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.
NMM: New Year’s Playlist
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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.
The Dance Buzz 