Love Playlists for Jazz & Hip Hop

Posted in Music by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

And we have come upon our last Valentine’s playlist! Click here for previous weeks (tap, children, lyrical).

This week’s playlist is everything else I found that didn’t fit under certain heading – mostly for jazz or hip hop, with a little classical ballet mixed in at the end!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little series… have a great Valentine’s Day!

JAZZ
Stereo Love – Edward Maya ft Alicia
Somebody To Love Remix – Justin Beiber ft. Usher
Seasons of Love – RENT
One Love – David Guetta
Bad Romance – Lady Gaga
Groove Is In The Heart – Dee Lite
Heartbeat – Enrique Inglesias

HIP HOP
Love Lockdown – Kanye West
Countdown – Beyonce
Good Feelin – Flo Rida
You Make Me Feel So – Cobra Starship
BALLET
DJ Got Us Fallin In Love – Sunny Choi
Love Story – Taylor Swift
The Heart Asks Pleasure First – Ahn Trio

23Jan2012

Love Playlist for Lyrical / Contemporary Class

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Until Valentine’s Day, I’ll be doing a different “Love” themed playlist every Monday. This week’s playlist is geared towards lyrical or contemporary dancers. After I made the playlist, I realized it tended to go to the darker side of love – the heartache or wanting. All the better to ’emote’ with, I guess! As my students would say, “this song needs an angsty lyrical face.”

[Links open up in iTunes]

Love Remains The Same – Gavin Rossdale – an uplifting song
My Love – Sia – hauntingly beautiful
She Is Love – Parachute – simple and soft acoustic guitar
A Little More of You – Ashley Chambliss – mellow
Like You Do – Angel Taylor – very “pop” and bubbly
I Will Show You Love – Kendall Payne – updated love ballad
Be Be Your Love – Rachael Yamagata – 3/4 rhythm, bluesy
The Book of Love – Peter Gabriel – beautiful song for all ages
Thinking About You – The Big Scary – slow and steadily tugging on your heartstrings
Fools In Love – Inara George – another 3/4 time! Lamenting about fools in love
Jar of Hearts – Christina Perri – no need for description, there’s a reason it’s overplayed…
Piece of My Heart – Keri Noble – song about leaving a piece of yourself behind – I used this as a duet for sisters when one of them was a high school senior

16Aug2011

2011 Song Selections

Posted in Music by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Just wanted to jot down my song list from this past year for posterity! (Or so I can look it up at a later time when I can’t remember what that song was I used way back when…)

All links open in iTunes, unless otherwise noted

Ruby Blue – Roisin Murphy: Large group jazz, ages 14-18
Firework (cover) – Sunny Choi: Small group ballet, ages 13-15 (YouTube link)
Crabbuckit – K-OS / Tightrope – Janelle Monae: Large group tap, age 14-17
Who’s To Say – Vanessa Carlton: Large group lyrical, age 12-14
Live It Up – Group 1 Crew: Large group jazz, ages 11-13
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk – Trace Adkins: Large group tap, ages 11-13, dressed up as old people…it’s better if you don’t ask
Sister Kate – The Ditty Bops: Small group tap, ages 10-12
Boogie Shoes – KC & The Sunshine Band: Small group jazz, ages 8-10, with red sequin sneakers of course!
Waka Waka – Shakira: Large group modern, ages 6-9
Ma Belle Evangeline – Princess & Frog: Large group ballet, ages 6-8
Happy Feet – Joanie Bartels: Small group tap, ages 6-7
Funkytown – The Chipmunks: Large group jazz, ages 6-7
Trickle Trickle – The Manhattan Transfer: Large group tap, ages 6-7
Animal Crackers In My Soup – Shirley Temple: Small group tap, ages 4-5
Gravity – Sara Bareilles: Contemporary solo, age 18
Bubbly – Colbie Caillat: Tap solo, age 17
Stuck Like Glue – Sugarland: Tap solo, age 16
I Want You Back – Colbie Caillat: Tap solo, age 15 (YouTube link)

And my favorite dance for the year:

Oh What a Beautiful Morning / Flight of the Bumble Bee / Imma Be / Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows : Had two really small classes, so I combined them and the 4 & 5 year olds were flowers and danced to Oh What a Beautiful Morning. Then the 6 & 7 year olds came in to Flight of the Bumblebee and then danced to the chorus of “Imma Bee”. Then they all danced together to Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows.

13Sep2010

New Music Mondays: Ballet Music

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

Looking for some new ballet music?

Here are our current favorites:

1. Aly Tejas – Music for Ballet Class III

Described as “haunting” and “beautifully melodic”, her album Music for Ballet Class III is one of her best and most recent. You can’t really go wrong with any of her stuff, but we especially love this album.

2.Dancing Fingers Volume 8 – Michael Roberts
We’ve been using Michael Roberts’ album “Between the Barres” for years, but his new album, “Dancing Fingers” is another classic. 34 songs, most of them between 1 and 2 minutes makes them perfect for class.

3. We’ve mentioned Sunny Choi in a previous New Music Monday post – but she has some cool covers… available for FREE on Facebook.

4. Musique de la Danse (Ballet Class) – Fernando Davil

Enjoy!

2Aug2010

New Music Mondays: Sunny Choi

Posted in Uncategorized by Cait (The Dance Buzz)

We have a fun way to spice up your ballet class! Today’s New Music Monday is all about the piano artist, Sunny Choi.

Sunny plays classical piano covers over Top 40 hits and many are available on her Facebook page for FREE download. Not all will work for ballet class because of changing tempos and unusual phrasing, but here are a few of our favorites:

“Why Don’t We Just Dance” (Josh Turner) – use for: Tendu, Degage, Frappe, Petite Allegro

“Alejandro” (Lady Gaga) – use for: Ron De Jambe / Tendu / Petite Allegro

“Temporary Home” (Carrie Underwood) – use for: Adagio

“Your Love Is My Drug” (Ke$ha) – use for: Petite Allegro

“Haven’t Met You Yet” (Michael Buble) – use for: Degage, Frappe, Pique turns

From her Facebook page:

“Sunny Choi…has a rare gift called “perfect pitch” and this talent allows her to play almost any musical selection that she hears without the aid of written music. Sunny has spent the last decade fine-tuning her gift and has developed her business “Sunny Choi Music” around her love of music and powerful talent.”

Now go and enjoy the free downloads!