Maybe it's just me, but I find that a lot of ballet teachers, including myself, tend to find a couple of ballet class albums they really like and then use them over and over and over... There is something to be said for knowing the music like the back of your hand and being able to whip out a barre, center, or across the floor combination quickly. It can really be a time saver! BUT it can also to fun to mix it up every now and then. It is especially fun for the students to hear "ballet renditions" of songs that they are familiar with. This past year, I have really challenged myself to use new music in my ballet classes. I've enjoyed the challenge of finding fun, new ballet albums and my students have enjoyed it too. There is a lot more out there than I realized! I am going to share 8 artists with you whose ballet albums I am really excited about! I will post one video example from YouTube of their work, and then links where you find their full albums 1. Nate Fifield I have started using Nate Fifield's ballet albums regularly, and I am so excited for his recently released Pop Hits for Ballet Class Volume Four! I also love movie soundtracks, so I think his Hollywood Hits for Ballet Class albums are really fun. Check out his albums below. Pop Hits for Ballet Class Vol. 1 Pop Hits for Ballet Class Vol. 2 Pop Hits for Ballet Class Vol. 3 Pop Hits for Ballet Class Vol. 4 Hollywood Hits for Ballet Class Vol. 1 Hollywood Hits for Ballet Class Vol. 2 2.Lisa Harris I personally feel like some of Lisa Harris's albums are classic. Many of my ballet teachers used her music when I was growing up and I have been using them since I began teaching as well. Her albums usually do a great job of mixing traditional and contemporary songs, all while being very easy to follow for each exercise. I have always loved her Micky's Kiss album, which features several Disney songs along with other fun tunes. Her Album from 2015 titled, Let's Dance, is also one of my favorites. She has MANY wonderful ballet albums and you can find them all here. 3. Andrew Holdsworth Andrew Holdsworth has a lot of fun themed ballet albums. He has albums with songs from the 80s and 60s. He has some albums he calls An Alternative Ballet Class where he takes songs from traditional ballets and changes them up. He also has albums of pop songs re-imagined for ballet. I've listed some of my favorites below: Songs from the 60s Reimagined for Ballet Class Songs From the 80s Reimagined for Ballet Class Pop Reimagined for Ballet Class Vol 1 Pop Reimagined for Ballet Class Vol 2 An Alternative Ballet Class Vol 1 An Alternative Ballet Class Vol 2 4. Christopher N Hobson Chrstopher N Hobson also has MANY wonderful ballet albums including Songs From the Stage and Screen, Musical Theatre Hits, and 8 volumes of Modern Ballet Studio Melodies. Find them all here. 5. Soren Bebe The above version of Hallelujah is from Soren Bebe's Music for Ballet & Contemporary Classes, which is beautiful. However, my favorite album of Bebe's is Jazz Songs for Ballet Class and Tap Dance. It's a fun mix of genres with many well-known songs. And because I teach both tap and ballet, this is an obvious album to look into because it's two for one! 6. Craig Wingrove Ok, Craig Wingrove seriously has made so much ballet music! I had a hard time picking which video to post because there is just. so. much. But, the song above is really pretty! And he has ballet albums for just about everything: technique class, recitals, young dancers, repertoire, pointe class, creative movement, holidays, and more! Take a look at all of his albums here. 7. Rob Thaller Rob Thaller's Music for Ballet Class - The Fun Class really is fun and unique because it features all kinds of different instruments! Don't get me wrong, I love the piano, but sometimes variety is a breath of fresh air and it can give your dancers a new burst of energy. I also like his albums Jazz Music for Ballet and Music for the Young Ballet Class.
8. Modern Ballet Class Series Well, I was unable to find a YouTube Video for these albums, probably because there is no one specific person listed as the artist, but they are fun nonetheless! Ballet Goes Pop Vol 1 Ballet Goes 90s Pop Vol 1 Well, that's a lot of ballet music! Hopefully that helps in your search for new music to spice up your class. What are your favorite ballet albums? Let me know in the comments below!
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