create your own

Ballroom Dance Music

76
rate or flag this page

By Lissie


Ballroom Dance's music used to be strictly boring. Many people probably still expect to hear gorgeous dancers to be accommpanied by the ever-green light orchestra which somehow manages to make everything from a waltz to a paso doble sound the same, and heaven forbid that there would be a vocalist! Thank goodness times have changed, with the notable exception of British Open at Blackpool, almost all dancesport competitions are now run with CD's and modern technology means that even if the original of a piece is too slow or fast then it can be changed down or up to suit. Up to date music features in all dances and there is no reason to be bored practising to old "Joe Blow's Orchestra plays..." tracks.

Strict Tempo Dance Music

Competitive Ballroom Dancing is always danced to "strict tempo" or "strict time" music. Every dance works best at a certain speed of music. This is 'strict tempo.' Despite the word 'strict' the tempo can vary by 1 or 2 measures per minute. Here are the most common tempos, in measures per minute:


Arunas Bizokas & Katusha Demidova Photo: Wigwam Jones
Arunas Bizokas & Katusha Demidova Photo: Wigwam Jones

Foxtrot: 28 - 30

Waltz: 28 - 30

Tango: 32

Quickstep.: 50-52

Viennese Waltz: 56-58

Cha Cha Cha: 31

Samba: 48-50

Rumba: 26

Jive: 44

Paso Doble: 60-62

Over the years there has been a definite slowing down of tempi, often accompanied with additional complexity in the steps! Modern Samba choreography, in particular, is almost impossible to dance to Samba music from the 80's or earlier. Most good dancers consider that for a foxtrot or a waltz the slower the better.

Hints for a buying a Ballroom CD

First off if you are more than a beginner dancer you do not necessarily need to buy specialist strict tempo music. Foxtrots particularly show up in CD's put out by people such as Shirley Bassey and Micheal Buble.

Choose a CD which has all the same style of dance together: typically a 2 disk set may include 10 quicksteps, 10 foxtrots 13 waltzes 5 tangos and 3 Viennese waltzes. Get them grouped together: if you want to play them as background music you can always use the random track function on your player, but if you are practising then there is nothing more annoying than having to keep changing track as your waltz become a quickstep! I wouldn't recommend anything less than a 2CD set of either ballroom or latin - combining the two styles on a single CD or even a double will ensure that you are quickly bored with the 1 or 2 tracks of the dance you are practising.

Finding Local Dance Classes

If you happen to be looking for dance classes in New Zealand then check out my new site: Dance Classes Wellington where I intend to post all the local dance scene news plus tips on how to get into dance as a fun and healthy activity


Comments

RSS for comments on this Hub

stressrelief profile image

stressrelief  says:
2 years ago

Agreed, it has become really popular. Love her dress :)

MrMarmalade profile image

MrMarmalade  says:
2 years ago

I learnt it many years ago. Val did not want to know me if I could not move around the dance floor. I loved it.

Lissie profile image

Lissie  says:
2 years ago

Thanks for the comments guys. The dress is lovely stressrelief - it seem that satin is back in again - nice - but I could never wear white - I am way too messy! Its never too late to get back into MrM - good for both mental and physical fitness for all ages

dysnomian  says:
14 months ago

Which music (song title) are they using here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qzwo5SoCyA

Lissie profile image

Lissie  says:
14 months ago

I'm not sure - its a mix with a different piece used at the start for the Argentine work and then a more common piece for the international tango. Very nice video -its the same girl as I have in the photo

anjalichugh profile image

anjalichugh  says:
12 months ago

You have a very vibrant smile. Keep it like that always. I love it.

It has been a secret desire of mine to learn ball room and salsa but my work and other preoccupations never left me any time to go to a formal dance school. Can you recommend any web links which have dancing tutorials. I tried couple of times but the links always take me to their address etc details. I want to learn it at home. It was a good read, though.

Hendrika profile image

Hendrika  says:
2 months ago

I always loved my ballroom dancing. I wonder how I have let it go through the years? My resolution: I'm going to start dancing again! Age is no excuse.

Marisa Wright profile image

Marisa Wright  says:
2 months ago

Lissie, it is nice to have variety in ballroom dance music - however it is a double-edged sword. Every now and then I'll come across a favourite song that's completely ruined by being scored for strict tempo - I end up dancing to it with gritted teeth!

Lissie profile image

Lissie  says:
2 months ago

Hendrika - use it or lose it as they say!

Marisa Or the version of a song which is naturally a tango that they score for a foxtrot - yuck!

Ballroom_Lessons profile image

Ballroom_Lessons  says:
5 weeks ago

Yes Ballroom and Latin cds are great and lately you can get all the latest and best songs from itunes - that is if you know the name of the individual songs!

Submit a Comment

Members and Guests

Sign in or sign up and post using a hubpages account.


optional


  • No HTML is allowed in comments, but URLs will be hyperlinked
  • Comments are not for promoting your hubs or other sites


Ballroom Dance Music in the News

  • PS 152 stars in dance contestYourNabe.com5 hours ago

    Students from Woodside’s PS 152 showed poise and fancy footwork as they outstepped two other Queens schools and six others from the five boroughs in a citywide ballroom dancing competition. The school, which entered the contest this year for the first time, will go on to the grand final dance in June.

  • Dance to raise money for developmentally disabledLincoln Journal Star16 hours ago

    A dance and family fun festival at the PlaMor Ballroom Thursdaynight will raise money for a new concept in residential living forpeople with developmental disabilities.

  • NE Qns. teams win prizes in dance contestYourNabe.com5 hours ago

    Students from Douglaston’s PS 98 took a bronze award and Fresh Meadows’ PS 26 took a silver prize in a citywide ballroom dancing competition last week, but the schools were outstepped by Woodside’s PS 152, which will go on to the grand final contest in June.

working