Competition Music

A Guide for DanceSport DJs

A recent competition featured a DJ who was doing that job for the first time. While there were a couple of songs that didn't really work, he did a pretty good job. What I really appreciated was his attitude: he admitted that he had a lot to learn and wanted to know where his efforts fell short.

Here is some advice for DJs from the perspective of a competitive dancer.

Musical character

One key consideration when choosing a song for a dance is how well it reflects the character of that dance. Swing dances like Waltz and Slow Foxtrot need to have swing in the music or dancers can't feel what they are supposed to be responding to musically. Cha Cha is a sharp, cheeky dance highlighting the sexual tension between men and women, and the music needs to bring out that quality. Samba is a party dance from Brazil, and should be light and bouncy. Quickstep music must also be light and fun-loving, with a bit of swing. These characteristics allow the dancers to perform to the best of their ability, without having to fight against music that isn't appropriate.

I've been to many competitions where at least one song didn't fit the character of the dance. It ruins the effect for the audience, and keeps the dancers from going all out in their performance.

A Waltz may have the correct numerical bar count, yet be flat and lifeless. Just because it says "Waltz" on the disc label, and just because the label is a strict tempo album published by a reputable dance music studio doesn't mean the song should be used for competition. Some of this music is appropriate for show dances, where couples can design the routine to contrast the music, or for social dancing or practice, where character of the dance isn't too critical. But competition needs to bring out everything the dancers have to give, and only music that truly fits the character of the dance can do this.

Phrasing

Make sure the songs you choose have the right phrasing. Besides tempo, this is the most important aspect of music for dancing. Competitors usually can't change their choreography on the fly to suit the song you've selected. They all designed a routine to standard 8-bar phrasing for Samba, and if you play something that changes from 8 bars to 6, you'll make them look off time. Worse, if they have a highlight where the music doesn't because the phrasing is out of whack, you've just make their routine look bad. You're as much a participant on the floor as every couple out there. Listen to every song carefully ahead of time to make sure it has proper, consistent phrasing all the way through.

The Music, Part 1: Standard Dances

Waltz

The Waltz is the king of the swing dances. The music should be elegant and flowing, with long swings in the movement of the notes. Waltz lends itself well to haunting melodies like Hayley Westenra's beautiful "Dark Waltz." Songs like "Greenwaves" make a beautiful Waltz because of their tenderness and soft edges. The best Waltz music avoids sharp attacks but allows the notes to draw out as long and gracefully as possible. One example of a Waltz that falls short for me is "Under the Bridges of Paris" from the "Shall We Dance" soundtrack. There's nothing especially wrong with the music, but the notes are a little to short and crisp, keeping the dancers from fully extending into the music in a way that makes the dance shine.

Tango

Tango is a staccato dance with lots of sudden, sharp movements. It highlights the sexual tension between men and women. The best Tango songs have a sensual touch to them, like the wonderfully sexy "Senuel" from the "Ballroom Fascination" album. There are very few good Tango songs with lyrics; most of the best music is instrumental. Lyrics seem to take away from what is happening on the floor in this dance. Good Tango music allows the notes to attack with a feline grace, quickly yet smoothly, then fall off gradually. This highlights the leg lines and lets the movement on the floor become one with the music. "Hernando's Hideaway" and "La Cumparsita" are both among the best Tango songs. And of course, it isn't really Tango if there's no violin. Tango music that falls short usually fails by trying to emphasize the staccato nature too strongly.

There's a fine line between softness and crispness. When it crosses the line it becomes harsh and loses its power. A good example of this, and a truly awful Tango song, is "Tango fur Bandoneon Soloe" from The Ballroom Mix album. On the other hand, songs like Dancelife's "Woman in Love" (from the album Bring 2 Smiles to Your Feet) is too soft and has no crispness at all.

Viennese Waltz

You'd think there could be little that could be problematic with Viennese Waltz music. Surprisingly, I've seen plenty of bad choices at competitions. Songs like the theme from "The Waltons" may sound like reasonable tunes, but listen closely and you'll hear sharp contrasting undertones that compete with the smoothness of the rotation. Jerry Goldsmith didn't design the song to be danced to. On the other hand, "Lucky’s Waltz" from the motion picture "Running Free" makes a delightful Viennese Waltz song, because the notes move so gracefully that you can feel the swing as each partner rotates around the other on the floor. When you choose a song for the Viennese Waltz, make sure that it has smooth rotational qualities and uninterrupted swing.

Another aspect of Viennese Waltz music is the phrasing. There are songs out there with unusual 7-bar phrasing. Be careful to choose only songs with traditional 8-bar phrasing. And choose one with a clear intro that isn't ridiculously long.

Slow Foxtrot

When I showed my aunt a video of world-class Slow Foxtrot, she looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes and said, "It's beautiful walking!" The music for Slow Foxtrot is the best of all the DanceSport music and must reflect that quality of a romantic stroll in the park. There are so many good choices out there, I'm always shocked when a DJ picks an unsuitable song. But it does happen.

Look for smoothness with swing that isn't too deep, and a soft bass beat that doesn't come on too strong. Songs like "September in the Rain" by Dinah Washington or Bobby Darin's incredible "Beautiful Things" or Frankie Lane's "Kisses that Shake the World" or Julie London's delightfully sexy "Must Be Catchin" wonderfully match the qualities of what is happening on the floor. On the other hand, tunes like Peggy Lee's "A Doodlin' Song" (which I've heard played at a comp) are choppy, with notes that arrive and leave too quickly, removing the swing. This has the effect of minimizing movement on the floor rather then emphasizing it.

Quickstep

The Quickstep has its roots in the party dances of the Big Band era, including the Charleston. So, the music should be light and fluffy, with a suitable Big Band swing quality. If the song has lyrics, they should be playful. Songs like "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "42nd Street" are wonderful choices because they meet these criteria so well. Some songs, like Rosemary Clooney's "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" or Shirley Bassey/Nelson Riddles "Just One of Those Things" are a too 'jumpy' to make great Quickstep songs. There isn't enough swing quality to them, making them feel short and small instead of long and smooth. Pick songs with a slow, deliberate attack and fade to the music. It needs to bounce horizontally, not jump vertically.

The Music, Part 2: Latin Dances

Samba

The Samba has its origins in the carnival atmpospher of Brazil. It's a party dance, and the music should reflect that aspect of the dance. It should also have a nice, light bounce action to it. Songs like "Mas Que Nada," especially the version on Latin Music 8, or "El Chupacapra" from The Latin Mix 2, are great Samba songs with a strong beat and a good light bounce. Some Samba music is too hard, with a solid beat but no qualities that help the dancers bounce and enjoy themselves on the floor. Sum Svistu's "Pa-Pa-Pa" comes to mind. Not a bad song for social dancing, but horrible for competition. And don't get me started on those awful Big Band styled Sambas like Skylab Orchestra's "Happy Talk." These weren't even good Samba songs back in the 50's where they came from. The instruments are all wrong for Latin.

Be careful to check the phrasing as well of any song you choose. A surprising number of Samba songs are phrased in 7 bars or have uneven phrasing that switches from, say, 8 bar phrases to 6. This has a devastating result on the floor because the couples will look as if they're off time and have little opportunity to fix it on the fly just because you picked a bad song! They'll hate you for doing this to them if you pick a poorly phrased song.

Cha Cha Cha

I love Cha Cha music. It's crisp, fun and easy to move to. Many popular songs have a beat count that works for Cha Cha, but most of them aren't suitable for competition use for a variety of reasons. The Cha Cha is about the boy chasing the girl and the girl saying, "Maybe, maybe not." It's a cheeky dance and the music should reflect that playful quality. Some songs are too heavy or too soft to make the dance shine. This makes it tough for the competitors to really let go and pull out all the stops in terms of energy and musicality. Some great Cha Cha songs include the German radio hit "Besame" by Andres Ballinas, "I Like You" or "Gentleman" or "Boom Boom" from the Dance House album Latin Music 3, and Donato and Estefano's "Y Bailo." They are all crisp, full of energy and radiate the story of men and women playing the game of love. Tom Jones' 60's hit "Sex Bomb" and a new version of "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" from the album The Latin Mix 4 are also delightful Cha Cha tunes. On the other end of the scale are songs like Tito Ramirez's "Wabble Cha," from the Agua de Coco album. I've heard this at a competition and it was stupendously uninspiring. How can couples put an effort in when there's a song like that playing?

Rumba

The Rumba is a romantic dance, full of passion. Where the Cha Cha represents the man's desire as he chases the woman, the Rumba represents the result after the woman gives in to his advances. The music should reflect a love story. More than that, the music needs to be strong while at the same time having smooth edges and a background melody that suggests a rising crescendo of passion. Perhaps one of the best examples of this is "From Here To Eternity" from the Dancelife album Bring 2 Smiles to Your Feet. Another excellent tune is "La Nave Del Olvido," another Dancelife song from the Album Lolita Cubana. In the background of both these songs, you hear a rising crescendo that lifts steadily through 8 bars, building to a passionate climax before it begins again. Sensual, beautiful and perfectly suited to the Rumba.

Paso Doble

Not much to say here, except "Please, please, please play something with the proper beat count!" Competitors work hard to develop their choreography so that key movements are timed to the music. And then, every once in a while, you get an idiot DJ (pardon the frustration) who doesn't understand the Paso and plays something nobody every heard before that has straight 8-bar phrases and no highlights! It's enough to make the couples want to throttle the DJ when the dance is over. Be kind to the dancers. Play Spanish Gypsy Dance and you'll be loved. Only if you really know what you're doing, with a full understanding of how Paso is phrased, should you ever play anything else.

Jive

The Jive is, in many ways, the Latin equivalent to the Quickstep. It was created out of many different dance styles and needs to be light and fresh so that dancers can accentuate that light quality with their footwork. Songs that go back to the Big Band era are fine (like Swing Brothers' "Hey Baby" from Vivo Latino), but there are some good modern songs as well.

The key issue with the Jive is the phrasing. A number of songs out there have odd phrasing. For example, one song I often hear played in competitions is "Hey Ya" from the Dance House album Dance Charts Step IV. This song changes from 8 bar to 6 bar phrasing all through the song, and has moments where it even goes to 4 bars before returning to the 8 and 6 format. Horrible. You can design a show dance routine to this song and it would be awesome, but why subject dancers who have choreographed to 8-bar phrasing to a song that will make them look off time? Another example is Madonna's "Hanky Panky." In almost every respect it's a fantastic Jive song, yet it suffers from this same phrasing change several times into the music that makes the routines on the floor suddenly look off time. Great Jive songs include "Bim Bam" from the Dancelife album Conquistador Latino and S-Club 7's "Reach." Make sure you listen to the complete songs you select before you have to play them for the participants in case they have phrasing issues.

Conclusion

Hope that helps you choose great music for your competitions. I know from experience that dancers check to see who is in charge of the music. In some cases, DJ's get great reputations for understanding the music, and others become a source of horror and whispered conversations. Consistently getting the music right will put you in a position where dancers look forward to any event with your presence.