2014 Music Selections

Because I'm a huge music / stats nerd, I like to share my song choices from each year.  It's mostly for me to be able to look back and say "when did I use that song"? , but maybe someone will enjoy it too.

(Here's 2013's music list if you're curious... and 2012... and 2011)

Our first half of our recital had a theme which was "dance inspired by literature or literary themes", so you may notice that some of my songs are related to books.

Links open in iTunes, unless otherwise noted :)

TEENS

• A Little Party - Fergie:  Senior large group tap, called this "At The Ball" and had the girls dress up in fancy dresses, gloves and masks as if they were at a ball out of a fairytale.
• Talk Nerdy To Me - The girls titled this dance!  We mixed together three songs for this "nerd" dance:  Cool Jerk, I Wish (Skee-Lo), and Boom! Shake the Room (whattup Fresh Prince!?). This was a lot of fun to put together...:P
• Royal Rebellion - another WAY overused song, but I mixed Royals (Lorde) with the instrumental half of Emily Well's Symphony 2 and the Click Boom Boom (to attempt some originality) for a large group contemporary, ages 15-18
• Medicine - Daughter:  large group contemporary, ages 15-18
• Youth - Daughter: senior contemporary duet, age 17
• Roar - cover by Tori Kelly & Scott Hoying:  Tap solo, age 17 (YouTube link)
• Miss Otis Regrets - Bette Midler:  Musical Theater Tap solo, age 14
• Eet - Regina Spektor:  Contemporary solo, age 16 - can't pass up a year without using a Regina Spektor song!

TWEENS

• Crazy In Love - The Puppini Sisters: Small group tap, ages 13-15
• My Anthem - Christina Grimmie: solo, age 11
• Wings - Little Mix: SO overplayed at competitions, but my kids loved this one.  In hindsight, I wish I hadn't picked such a popular song.  Small group tap, ages 11-13
• Torn - Nathan Lanier:  small group modern, ages 9-11
• The Gravel Road - James Newton Howard:  Large group ballet, ages 9-12.  Theme was "The Giving Tree", costumed half as trees and half as children

CHILDREN

"I'm Late" - white rabbit tap solo
Loved this one!

• I'm Late - Mary Martin: solo, age 9, costumed as white rabbit
• Mr. Sandman - The Puppini Sisters: Trio, age 9
• Jungle Rhythm - The Jungle Book 2:  Large group tap, age 5-6
• What's New At The Zoo - Do Re Mi Soundtrack: Large group jazz, ages 5-6, hilarious song, costumed as different zoo animals.  I only wish I had a little boy to costume as a zoo keeper
• Technologic - Daft Punk / Happy - C2C - Large group tap, ages 6-9.  Entitled "Cookies", they used Girl Scout cookie box props.
• Wizard Wheezes - Harry Potter soundtrack:  large group tap, ages 7-10, called this "It's A Mystery" and we used magnifying glasses - theme was supposed to be mystery books
• Hawaii 5-0 Mix - JiveBunny / Wipe Out - Surfaris:  Large group jazz, ages 7-10.  Used beach props (towels, beach ball, surf board)
• Define Dancing - WALL•E:  Large group ballet, used for ages 6-8 and 7-10, entitled it "The Jellyfish Ballet" and used umbrella props

Can I get a show of hands for who used an "over popular" song this year and regretted it?  What was your favorite song to choreograph to this year?  Comment below.

2013 Music 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!

Want more? Here are 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

My little "Nutcracker" dancers

• 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.

Reading List

I started titling this entry "Summer Reading List", but then realized that it's already August!  Yikes!  So I will call this my Late-Summer / Early-Fall reading list and hope I get through most of the books by the time the leaves start to fall.

This is also my response to August's Blog Challenge - what are you reading?

And p.s.... Happy National Book Lover's Day!  Total unplanned coincidence!

Dance Books

The Human Alphabet by Pilobolus - can't wait to use this one in creative movement class in the fall!

The Souls of Your Feet by Acia Gray - a tap book!

Twyla Tharp: The Creative Habit - I have been meaning to read this book for ages...

Creative Dance for All Ages by Anne Green Gilbert - this was recommended to me by a colleague as a springboard for developing creative movement ideas

Business Books

The Fire Starter Sessions by Danielle LaPorte - I started reading this the other day and so far it is a nice change of pace from usual business books - it's like a breath of fresh air!

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon - a nice little book that promises to be full of inspiration, if its anything like his blog



Quick word about my affiliate relationship with Amazon so we're all clear:  If you click the links above and end up purchasing a book, I get a teeny percentage of the sale.  If you don't want to do this, you can search for the book on another site or use Amazon without clicking the links.  Yay freedom of choices! 

2012 Song Selections

Now that the competitions and recitals are over, I'd thought I'd share my list of songs I used this past year for choreography. (Here is 2011 in case you're curious)

All links open in iTunes, unless otherwise noted

TAP
Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles: Large group tap
Medley: It Don't Mean a Thing / Jumpin' At the Woodside - Swing: Large group tap, ages 13-18
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz: Small group tap, ages 12-15
Americano - Lady Gaga: Large group tap, ages 13-18
Tea Party - Kerli: (had to really edit this version, so beware!), large group, ages 11-14
Hold On - KT Tungstall: Small group tap, ages 13-15
A Shine On Your Shoes - Jane Monheit: Solo, age 11

My magic hat!
Faces obscured for privacy

Born To Entertain - Broadway Kids: Solo, age 10 (Amazon Link Broadway Kids: Sing Broadway)

LYRICAL / CONTEMPORARY
Paradise - Coldplay:  graduating senior dance
Addicted To Love - Florence + The Machine:  jazz / contemporary collaboration - alumni dance (so ages 18+)
Who You Are - Jessie J: Large group contemporary, ages 11-14
Wonderwall (cover) - Ryan Adams: Large group contemporary, ages 15-18
Remnants of a Lullaby - Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Lyrical solo, age 15
The Call - Regina Spektor: Large group lyrical, ages 10-13

OTHER
Magic - B.O.B.:  jazz, ages 6-8, complete with magic hat prop!
Ever Ever After - Jordan Pruitt: jazz, ages 5-6
Rodeo: IV. Hoe-Down. Allegro - Copland: Large group ballet, ages 6-8
Fairy Dance - James Newton Howard: Large group ballet, ages 7-9
Crayola Doesn't Make A Color... - Kristin Andreassan: Large group modern, ages 7-9

Quick Choreographic Inspiration

Have choreographer's block?  Try some of the following choreographic devices to jump-start your creative mind:

Repetition - repeat a sequence of choreography you have, but with a change - new port de bras, new formation, new facing or pattern, different timing, new levels

Retrograde - Perform a sequence in the reverse order.  Or retrograde the arms, movement pattern or timing.

Peel/Canon/Contagious - A canon in dance is when the same step is repeated by each dancer, one after each other, started at regular intervals. Perform yours side to side, front to back, one at a time, or go out of order.  Or build - start with one dancer, add two, add four, etc.

Manipulate Timing - Take a sequence and repeat it, but with different timing.  For a controlled-chaos contemporary look in a group piece, have the dancers perform the same sequence, but each with their own timing, some frantically moving at double time, others slowly moving through the steps. 

Cross-art Inspiration - look at pieces of art, read a poem, listen to a different song.  Find something about that piece of art that inspires you and create a movement sequence from that.  Turn on another piece of music and choreograph a sequence.  Return to your original music and manipulate the new sequence with that music.

Non-Art Inspiration - similar to art-inspiration, analyze your choreography - are the movements natural?  Then look at pictures or videos of nature, watch animals move, observe snow falling.  Create a movement pattern from this.  Is your choreography stiff and mechanical - look to machines for inspiration.  Look at the world around you for things that move and imitate them with your body.

Group Work - let your dancers help in the creative process.  If you are teaching children, they love to participate and make a dance "their own".  Give specific instructions and allow them to improv to the music.  "Movements that are low to the ground and stay in one place" or "quick, sharp movements" are examples of structured improv directions.  If possible, record their improv so you can play it back and isolate movements you like.

If all else fails, walk away, do something else and then return to your choreography. Sometimes a block is really a block and you will ultimately be frustrated if you try to force out choreography.

Happy choreographing!

Need to Solve a Problem? Take a Shower!

In a world of constant connection and interruption, the best place for your creative juices to flow may be the shower!

Last week I realized that I kept discovering solutions to problems while taking a shower. In mid-shampoo, I realized that if I set-up registration in a certain way, it would eliminate hours of work for my office manager. The next day, I choreographed a brilliant combination for my tap class. The next - I got lost in imagining new lifts for my dancers to try.

Why were these moments of brilliance isolated to the shower?

Because I was "disconnected".

No ringing phones, no email notifications or text messages. I was on my own, free to let my mind wander without consequence.

This is apparently not isolated to me - Ismene Brown writes an article about a ballet conceived in a bathtub (theartsdesk.com), Steve Palina discusses his process for exploring creativity, and Wikipedia defines this state of mind.

The ten or fifteen minutes of creative energy I experienced is often referred to as "creative flow". It is that period where ideas are free-flowing and you are so involved in the task at hand that you can tune out the world. Choreographers or dance teachers, this may sound familiar: have you ever been driving while a song comes on and you don't just hear the song, you SEE the choreography. Your mind is in its creative flow.

So, the next time you need to solve a problem, create some choreography or find inspiration - "unplug" from the world. Go for a walk (WITHOUT the ipod or phone!), take a long bath or just sit in your favorite room with the TV off. Find your flow.

The next problem - remembering your ideas once you get out of the shower!

Dance News - September 28, 2010

Dance is the Most Popular Elective at Rutgers - NJ.com

Choreography Takes Flight - The Star

Building a Dance Empire - SF Examiner

Dancing About Trash - The Brooklyn Paper

100 Years of Ballet Russe - Telegraph

Dance News - Gender & Dance Edition

While females make up about 85% of the dancing population (amateur or otherwise), there are only four female directors of large ballet companies in the United States (large meaning their budget is over $2.5 million). Here are a few articles that touch on this subject that we think are worth a read:

Where Are the Women Ballet Leaders? | Dance USA

Finally, Women Choreographers | Dance Magazine

Where Are the Female Choreographers? | Dancer Universe

Gender In Dance | Bourgeon

For more dance news - search our archives.

Dance News - August 10, 2010

Will Choreography Die with the Choreographers? | BBC Radio 3

Making a Living With Hip Hop Dance | The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dance in Unusual Places | Telegraph UK <-- GREAT photos!

Choreographer's Roots: Napoleon & Tabitha D'umo

In our Choreographer's Roots feature, we take a quick look back at where they started to help understand where they are today. We've been on a SYTYCD kick lately, so today we'll look at Napoleon and Tabitha, or "NappyTabs" as they are affectionately known.
See other Choreographer's Roots posts here

The husband and wife team are often credited with developing the style of hip hop dance known as "lyrical hip hop", but they started with humble beginnings until their paths met!

Napoleon:
> Grew up in California where he learned breaking, locking & popping
> Joined the military and was stationed in Germany for a while
> Attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, studying dance (including jazz & modern) and molecular biology!

Tabitha:
> Grew up in New Jersey
> Took jazz classes and was a cheerleader, but loved watching hip hop videos
> Attended the University of Nevada for communications, where she met Napoleon

NappyTabs:
> Began teaching hip hop classes together at the Las Vegas Athletic club
> Joined the dance company "Culture Shock" (future members of Jabbawockeez) and danced, choreographed and eventually became Artistic Directors
> Married in 1998 and moved to Los Angeles and started teaching at The Edge Performing Arts Center (where they still teach today!)
> Worked as back-up dancers for Beyonce, Missy Elliot, Toni Braxton, Timbaland and more
> Choreographed for NBA and NFL dance & cheer teams
> Joined Monsters of Hip Hop and teach master classes
> Assistant Directed Christina Aguelera's and Ricky Martin's tours
> Tabitha created a fitness DVD "Drop it with Dance"
> They have been supervising choreographers for ABDC and have choreographed for SYTYCD, where their choreography "Bleeding Love" was nominated for an Emmy

Now they have started their own clothing line (NappyTabs) for hip hop dancers, started working with Circque du Soleil, and Dancing with the Stars and continue to expand their brand.

Sources: Dance Plug, Wikipedia, Twitter,

Dance News - Technology Edition

Choreographing a Video Game | New York Times

Dance in 3-D - A New Mindset Required | Los Angeles Times

Dance Shows Increase Enrollment in Australian Dance Schools | The Australian

Ballet Film to Open Venice Film Festival | BBC News

Step Up 3D Dance Dub Competition Finalists

Learn the choreography:



Our favorite finalist:

Broadway Dance Center


Vote for them here (click on "the Music" tab)

Choreographer's Roots: Stacey Tookey

In our Choreographer's Roots feature, we take a quick look back at where they started to help understand where they are today. After watching SYTYCD tonight, we thought we'd start with one of our favorite choreographers - Stacey Tookey.

Stacey Tookey performed as...

...a member of Mia Michaels' company
...a member of R.A.W. Dance Company (Mia Michaels)
...part of Parsons Dance Project
...cast member in Celine's Vegas show
...Ballet British Columbia
...Fusion Dance Company
...NBA's Grizzlies Extreme Dance Team

View her full biography here

Breaking News! Travis Wall Dance Company

2012 UPDATE!  Read about Travis' new company here!

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Breaking news! Travis Wall (dance & choreographer - known for competing on SYTYCD Season 2 and then choreographing in Seasons 5, 6 & 7) just tweeted he will be starting his own DANCE COMPANY!

He says:

I made a pretty big decision yesterday.... I was gonna wait to do it but it makes so much since right now! I'M GONNA START A DANCE COMPANY!!

ok, so his spelling could be better, but.... a dance company!! squeeeeeee!!

In case you're unfamiliar with his choreography, here are my two favorite routines of his:



and



ahhhh soo gooood

2012 UPDATE!  Read about Travis' new company here!