There's just something that I like about sassy, girly jazz. Maybe it comes from my competition dance days, but I get really excited when I find a new upbeat, sassy song. Here are some songs that would be awesome for jazz choreography! 1. Hey I Don't Know by Kongos Their song Come with Me Now made it big on the radio, but this song is (also on their album Lunatic) has just as much bluesy attitude, with little more of a happy, bouncy feel. I choreographed a small jazz number to this song last year and it was awesome. Beware, it might just get stuck in your head. 2. One Heart by Leftover Cuties I love Leftover Cuties' retro style and sound. I choreographed a competition jazz piece to this song a couple years ago. This could be a fun song for any age group. 3. Shake the Room by Gamu I'm currently using this song for the 2nd time! Usually I get so tired of a song that I would never use it again, but this song is keeping me excited! Last year I choreographed a cute jazz duet and right now I'm actually using it for a tap duet. The fast beat is great and it's always fun to shake it a little, right? 4. Put the Gun Down by ZZ Ward I was hesitant to include this one because it can be a little TOO sassy, if you know what I mean. I definitely had to cut this song to keep it family friendly, but once I did, it made for an awesome dance. I choreographed a trio for some older teens and it did really well at competition. (I cut out the 2nd verse and chorus [:56-1:42] and part of the bridge [1:46-1:56]). 5. Time Machine by Ingrid Michaelson I've seen many lyrical dances done to Ingrid's songs, but in this one she much sassier than normal! I personally just like to dance to it. Can you blame me? 6. Change by Churchill (The song starts 36 seconds into the video). The first time I heard this song, I listened to it over and over and over... It's catchy! I've never used it in choreography, but I love using it in warm-up and do so often in jazz class. I hope you enjoy!
What sassy jazz songs do you love? Comment below!
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Just for fun before I begin this post, here's a throwback to one of my favorite hip hop numbers I did in my high school years. Yes, I'm the one in the middle with the duck face... So, you're teaching a hip hop class for kids, but all the good hip hop songs seem to be too inappropriate for the little ones. What do you do? Morgan recently commented, "You want to know my struggle? When I teach hip hop to elementary kids in after school program, I struggle every year to find good clean music that doesn't involve the name Justin Beiber or other similar artists. Any suggestions would be great!" It can be a challenge to find clean hip hop music! I've used Justin Bieber and similar artists a few more times than I'd like to admit. However, I do know there are other options out there. Now, before I get into some of my ideas, let me say that there are a lot of different hip hop styles out there. The songs that I suggest certainly won't work for everything. If we want to get technical, b-boys (break dancers) probably won't want to use the same music as dancers who do popping or locking. Krumpers won't use the same music as dancers who do "liquid" or "lyrical" hip hop. I'm no expert on each of the individual hip hop genres, but if you're just looking for some clean music for kids, hopefully this helps. :)
The Bridge has lots of tracks that simply have good beats and use an electronic sound. Look through their music and find a song at the tempo you need, and you won't have to worry about lyrics. I've used this for hip hop skills across the floor. 2. The Muppet Show Theme Song by Ok Go This song may not technically be classified under hip hop, but it totally works! I choreographed a kids hip hop piece to this song where half of the kids were "puppets" and the other half were "puppeteers" and acted as if they were controlling the puppets' movements. It was cute, the kids had fun, and the parents liked it too! 3. Pro Nails (Rusko Remix) by Kid Sister Dubstep. Lots of people are using dubstep in hip hop, while others are criticizing it. All I know is, when I've used this song, my students have loved it - especially every time it says, "Uh Oh!" For some reason, that gets them every time. Incorporate that into your choreography and you're golden! (I've also used this song for a modern combination and my teen students liked that as well.) 4. Recess by Skrillex Alright, yeah, more dubstep-ish music. I've used this song for choreography and it was a lot of fun. If you like the dubstep sound, you should also check out Basshead. Bassnectar is a good song to start with in my opinion. 5. Where Did You Go by Morgan Page, Andy Caldwell & Jonathan Mendelson This one has more of pop sound. It reminds me more of a Chris Brown song if that's your thing.
In addition to these songs, I've found that that kids like when I use some well known oldies like U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer. They also like remixes of theme songs from TV shows and movies, like this Inspector Gadget remix (this also immediately gives them a character to work with). And, of course, they love songs they've heard on the radio. When I was teaching a hip hop class a few years ago, the big requests were Stereo Hearts by Gym Class Heroes and You Make Me Feel... by Cobra Starship as well as several Justin Bieber songs. It doesn't hurt to throw those in sometimes too, but it's definitely nice to have other options. So, hip hop teachers, what suggestions would you make? What songs do you love to use with kids? Where do you look? Leave a comment and share, because we could all use more ideas! -Haley First post! On this blog I plan to regularly feature new (or old) music that I feel would be great to add to your music library as a dancer, teacher, or choreographer. To kick off the blog, I thought I'd give you a list of some of my favorite songs I have used for choreography and teaching in the past. Hopefully at least one of these will spark interest for someone! 1. Hypnosis Theme by Wax Tailor This French artist collaborates with many other artists and uses his turn-table style of mixing music and text to create beautiful and unique tracks. I used this creepy and mysterious song as a part of my senior graduation choreography project in the Modern Dance Department at the University of Utah. 2. Mr. Pitiful by Matt Costa I recently used this bouncy, up-beat tune for a character jazz piece with black folding chairs and a bit of miming. It did really well at competitions and my students easily got into character with this song. 3. Steam Heat from the Pajama Game I recently won a People's Choice Award at a Broadway themed dance recital for my choreography to this song. It was a tap number (complete with bow ties and bowler hats) but this song would also be great for a jazz piece. I used a newer version of this song... but Bob Fosse is one of my favorite choreographers of all time, so I hope you enjoy his original choreography from the Pajama Game movie. 4. All I Want (Piano & Strings Sessions Version - Instrumental) By Future of Forestry Click on the link below to get the instrumental version that I used for free (legally!) at Noisetrade.com. http://noisetrade.com/futureofforestry/the-piano-strings-sessions A quick word about Noisetrade... If you like music, you need to check it out! Here, artists let you download their music for free to build publicity. You have access to lots of free music from upcoming artists and some you've probably heard of like Nate Ruess of FUN. and Ingrid MIchaelson. Plus, if you want to support the artists financially, you can make a donation to them right there on the website. Anyway, I choreographed a large ballet piece to the instrumental version of this song. My husband said it was his favorite dance he's seen me choreograph. Black leotards, interweaving lines, dramatic lighting...this song inspired a great one for me. 5. Tigerlily by La Roux You've probably heard La Roux's "Bulletproof", which was very overplayed on the radio stations a few years ago, but you may not have heard "Tigerlily", which is better in my opinion. I choreographed a competition jazz dance to this song a few years ago and still love it today. Electronic. Attention-grabbing. A little spooky during the bridge section. Check it out. 5. Atlantic by Sleeping at Last I had a hard time choosing which song by Sleeping at Last to post. If you like this, please research him. I use his music for all sorts of things. I specifically like to use this song for improvisation in my classes at the public school I teach at, but I also used his song, "Next to Me" for my wedding video. His voice is just as beautiful as his instrumental tracks. 6. Eleven by Thao & Mirah I used this song in a piece I choreographed for a high school dance company a few years back. It's fast, exciting, and original. Almost industrial electronic meets oriental? Maybe not. I'm not quite sure how to describe this song, you'll just have to listen to it for yourself. Also, enjoy the video of people dancing with scarves. 7. Railway by BOY This has been one of my favorites for warm-up in modern class. I constantly have students asking me for the title and artist. It's calm, yet driving. And I love her voice.
It was soooo hard to pick only 7 songs. I'm excited to post music every week! I'll post some new finds as well as songs that I've rediscovered in my library. What do you think? Would you use any of these? What would you be interested in hearing? Anything I should look into? Leave me a comment below! |
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