The Song Makes the Dance

And when you combine the right music with the right dance, well it can be magical.

Ideally, you practice timing by listening to the appropriate music while dancing. But if you are taking lessons on a crowded floor with lots of other students, then the music gets shared. So you’ll often hear multiple instructors counting out the specific beat for the dance they are trying to teach you. Can be a bit of an issue when one is particularly louder than the others.

It can also be hard to tune out the music which you need to do because trying to Waltz while a Hustle is playing is a bit of challenge. There is a lot of energy when the floor is filled with students but it can also be a little loud and chaotic. At times it is even a bi overwhelming.

And sometimes, you get the music but it is underwhelming. I suspect many instructors just have some “go to” songs for the various dances. A lot of them feature easy to hear beats for those of us who are not as musically inclined. But the wrong song (like one you’ve heard a zillion times and don’t particularly like) can suck the energy right out of you. Well at least it can for me.

Part of practice is trying to channel my performance side but I’ll freely admit that can be difficult at times. Its a mind set and there are just days when it is hard to switch it on. Unless you get the right song at the right time.

Happened on a recent lesson. We were actually discussing this very issue of trying to practice with more energy. Then, we got to Fox Trot and the song that came on was New York, New York by Frank Sinatra. I know music is a personal thing and we are all going to have songs that hit us in certain ways but, to me, this one just screams FOX TROT. And I danced with more energy than I had shown the entire lesson. Times when the music just gives you that little extra edge.

It is why I hate it at parties when they play a song and tell us we can Cha-Cha, we can Swing, we can Hustle, just get out there and move. Yes, the song will likely fit the requirements for each dance but, it typically never really sounds like any of them. Just because you can dance to something doesn’t mean you should dance to it.

Happens at Showcase as well. I hate it when they play the perfect song when I’m not in the heat.

It would be better if I could just turn up the energy whenever I wanted. It just seems like I need the right song to be able to turn it all the way to 11. Like I said, some songs just fit perfectly with the dance and some don’t. And I know this is personal so we are all going to have our own list of those “perfect” songs.