Typical Dance Songs
If you are a new dancer, your first step toward dance-music awareness is to listen to songs that have been identified by dance. The brief table below lists one song for each of 13 partner dances. Clicking a song title should play a QuickTime sound clip. You can download Quicktime free These are wav files, and take about 40 seconds to download at DSL speeds.
Song tempi are listed in measures per minute (MPM). An easy (though not especially accurate) way to count MPM is to tap out the number of beats in a particular interval—20 seconds for music in 3:4 time (Waltzes), 30 seconds for music in 2:4 time (Sambas), or 15 seconds for music in 4:4 time (all other dances discussed here).
Dance Song
Waltz (slow) Take It To The Limit [Eagles; 30 MPM] Listen Here.
Foxtrot Why Don't You Do Right [Sinead O'Connor; 29 MPM]
Tango (marching) La Cumparsita [Astor Piazzolla 34 MPM]
Rumba Cuando Me Querias Tu [Linda Ronstadt; 29 MPM] Listen Here.
Mambo/Salsa Dia Y Noche Pienso En Ella [Jerry Rivera; 48 MPM]
Samba Ma Fiancee Elle Est Partie [Dany Brillant; 48 MPM] Listen Here.
East Coast Swing/Jive Bloodshot Eyes [; 46 MPM] Listen Here.
West Coast Swing You're The Boss [Brian Setzer Orchestra; 32 MPM]
Nightclub Two Step Take A Bow [Madonna; 20 MPM] Listen Here.
Criteria For Matching Dances To Songs
A good way to pick a dance that suits a given song is to consider the song's rhythm, tempo, and character.
Rhythm
Rhythm is the structure of the music, and it is what makes the sound of Cha Cha music very different from that of Foxtrot music, even though both are played in 4:4 time at about 30 MPM. Each dance also has a rhythm pattern, which may or may not match the rhythm of the music to which it is danced. For example, the Cha Cha basic is danced 2 3 4 & 1 (a.k.a. 2 3 cha-cha-cha), where the triple step 4 & 1 coincides with the cha-cha-cha sound heard in traditionally-structured Cha Cha music {Evil Ways [Santana; 29 MPM]}. However, the Hustle basic is danced in 3 beats (& 1 2 3) to music with 4-beat measures {Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough [Michael Jackson; 30 MPM]}, which has been known to annoy musicians who dance.
Tempo
Since it can be awkward to dance too slowly or too quickly, song tempo plays an important role in determining whether a dance is comfortable to perform to a given song. The speed at which one dances depends on the tempo of the music (measures/minute), the pace of the dance (steps/measure), the length of each step, and the degree of rise and fall. While it's easy to adjust step length, a dance's pace and rise & fall are largely fixed. Hence, it is helpful to pick a dance whose pace and extent of rise & fall make it comfortable to perform at the tempo of the music being played. The table of dance speeds shows the basic pattern and pace for various dances.
The suitable song tempo for each dance is a somewhat controversial subject. Some dancers (particularly competitors) tolerate only an extremely narrow range of tempi for each dance (e.g., dancing International Rumba only to songs at 26 MPM). Others dancers are happy at any speed, such as those who will dance West Coast Swing to relatively fast music (e.g., songs at 35+ MPM). Over the years, I've developed a two-part philosophy on music tempi suitable for social dances.
1. It is the responsibility of the DJ to play interesting, diverse, and fun music that is rhythmically appropriate and at a reasonable speed. Most good dance music was not recorded for the benefit of competitive ballroom dancers, and hence will not lie within very narrow tempo ranges. Consider Foxtrot music, for example. There is far more good Foxtrot music in the wide range of 27 - 33 MPM than in the 28 - 29 MPM range preferred by some International style dancers, or the 29-32 MPM preferred by some American-style dancers. Hence, the DJ should work with fairly wide tempo ranges to deliver the best music.
2. The dancers should expect good music played at reasonable tempi, but—when necessary—adapt how they dance to the speed of the music. Remember, there are no judges, and you won't be penalized for adapting your dance technique to the song! Just roll with it and have fun.
Character
The character of a song inspires the motion and attitude used to dance to the music. A song may make you want to
* bounce Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers 38 MPM]},
* travel {Billy-A-Dick [Hoagy Carmichael; 53 MPM]},
* whirl {Kiss From A Rose [Seal; 45 MPM]},
* march {La Cumparsita/Tango Please (Medley) [David Hirschfelder & The Bogo Pogo Orchestra; 34 MPM]},
* glide {Take A Bow [Madonna; 20 MPM]}, or
* shuffle {Pop's At The Hop [Indigo Swing; 61 MPM]}.
It may be
* happy {Banana Split For My Baby [Louis Prima; 35 MPM]},
* funky {Mama Told Me (Not To Come) [Three Dog Night; 30 MPM]},
* dark {A Los Amigos [Forever Tango soundtrack; 36 MPM]},
* romantic {Historia De Un Amor [Julio Iglesias; 25 MPM]},
* sexy {You're The Boss [Brian Setzer Orchestra; 32 MPM]},
* dramatic {Obetura [Forever Tango soundtrack; 35 MPM]},
* celebratory {Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough [Michael Jackson; 30 MPM]}, or
* confrontational {I'm Not That KindofGirl [Vitamin C; 29 MPM]}.
Picking a dance that suits the character of the song will make your dancing more expressive.
