Life has many exciting "first moments"... First steps, first day of school, first kiss, first home... The list goes on and on. Utah Dance Artists, one of the fabulous dance studios that I teach at, is dedicating their Spring 2016 Recital to these moments. The recital theme is "That's a First! Dances Inspired by Life's Fabulous First Moments." I have to admit that when I first heard the theme I thought, "What...? What does that mean?" But, as I've grown to understand the idea, I've become very excited for this theme! There are so many possibilities and so many personal memories that can be commemorated. I have spent the past month or two searching for songs that capture these first-time life moments. It's been challenging and exciting; I've found quite wide selection! While I am saving some of my best ideas for myself, I certainly can't use all of them, so I thought I'd share. These song could be used for many different ages and styles, Hopefully these will help some of my UDA teachers who need a last minute (or back-up) idea. But really, no matter where you teach, these songs could inspire great choreography in any venue! 1. First Love by Adele I've been an Adele fan for a long time. Before "Rolling in the Deep" and "Set Fire to the Rain" there was this song. I'm thinking advanced contemporary, but what do you think? 2. Breaking Up is Hard to Do by Neil Sedaka (First Break-Up) How cute would this be for a preschool class?! 3. Money from the musical Cabaret (First Paycheck) A great song for a musical theater/jazz piece. 4. Fixing a Hole by the Beatles (First Home) Who doesn't love the Beatles? They are played often in my tap classes, so my students definitely like them. I was originally thinking of this song for tap choreography. I wanted to use a house piece of scenery that the dancers would 'fix up" during the dance by using tools such as hammers - banging to the beat of the music. The idea is up for grabs if you want it! 5. Being Alone by LOVE ON A REAL TRAIN (First Time Being Alone) I just think this song is awesome. I could see this being used for modern or contemporary choreography. 6. One is the Loneliest Number by Three Dog Night (First Time Being Alone) Another great song for the same idea. This one is rockin! 7. Best Summer Ever from Teen Beach Movie 2 (First Summer Vacation) Ok, I'll admit I would probably get reaallly sick of this song if I had to listen to it every week... But I know that any young jazz class would love to dance to this song. And it would probably be really cute. :) 8. I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash (First Road Trip) I guess this could be titled First Time Hitch-Hiking, but I don't really want to promote that, so we'll stick with First Road Trip. This would be perfect for a tap dance. 9. NYC form the Musical Annie (First Trip to NYC) Ok, so maybe a trip to NYC isn't a first that happens in everyone's life...but it should be! I'm a tap teacher, so a lot of the ideas I had were for tap, but this could also be a fun jazz dance. 10. Everything I Own by Bread (First Loss of a Loved One) I saved the best for last this time. Sadly, this is is a first moment we can all relate to eventually. This song may be old, but a modern, contemporary, or ballet piece to this song would be BEAUTIFUL.
Do you have any great "first moment" ideas that you aren't using? Share your ideas! Do you have a great idea, but can't find the right music to match it? Let me know and I'll see if I can help. Did any of these spark an idea for you? Comment below! Good luck on your choreographic endeavors! -Haley
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Today I am featuring the music of the talented, Lucy Schwartz. It's likely that you've heard her before, as her music has been featured on many movies and TV shows such as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, Shrek Forever After, Nashville, Parenthood, and more. I don't know Lucy Shwartz, and she certainly didn't endorse this, but I do have a connection with her music. I love how she tells stories through sound with her cinematic and climactic style. It translates beautifully into choreography. I also love that each of her songs is completely unique from the others, so her work could be used for many different styles of dance. Personally, I've used it for contemporary, jazz, lyrical, and tap, but there are so many possibilities. Here are a few of my favorites by Lucy Shwartz, but if you like them, by all means - look up more! http://lucyschwartzmusic.com/ 1. Boomerang Let's start this off with a boom, shall we? I am using this song this year for jazz choreography and my dancers and I love it! This song has so much personality with it's bouncy beat, catchy lyrics, and even a tap solo (at 2:38), which happens to be triple time steps, if anyone is wondering. Plus, the music video is full of cute dogs, so it's definitely worth checking out! 2. Gone Away I used this song for a lyrical piece I choreographed for a high school dance company several years ago. It's beautiful and soft with a nice build, which makes it easy to choreograph to. I did have to edit out the "D word", but it was an easy fix. 3. Graveyard Lucy's songs are so perfect for dance, she even uses modern dance in her videos. 4. Ghost in My House I used this song for a contemporary combo and it was a hit. I'd love to see this one interpreted on stage! You can download this song and a few others from the Timekeeper album here on Noisetrade. 5. Running I've never used this one, but it's on my to do list. I'm seeing a modern dance with lots of running evolving into contact improv... What do you think? 6. Timekeeper There is something about this songs that reminds me of magic. Listen for yourself.
Again, if you like any of these, check out the rest of her work. Would you use her music in your choreography? Let me know! |
HaleyDancer. Teacher. Choreographer. Music Collector. Resource. Archives
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