It's that spooky time of year! Time to plan your Halloween dance classes. I've put together a list of 20+ unique Halloween songs to give you inspiration for your classes in October and Halloween choreography. If you'd like even more ideas for Halloween songs, you should also check out my post "15 Fun Halloween Dance Songs" that I wrote a few years ago. I love this jazzy, soulful song originally sung by Donovan. Lana Del Ray brings a modern sound to it and it is great for an older jazz or contemporary class. 2.The Halloween CD by Craig Wingrove This album is perfect for planning your October ballet classes! 3.My Family (from the Addams Family Motion Picture) Hip hop dancers of all ages would enjoy dancing to this song from the new Addams Family movie. 4.Skeletone by Caspar Babypants (mention Them Bones) Caspar Babypants has a very large collection of songs for young children. This particular song definitely has a spooky feel with a skeleton theme and a bit of The Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg. Them Bones is another Babypants song that is great for Halloween. 5.Monster Methuselah by Mary Lambert Mary Lambert is also a great artist for young children. Kids will like this song because of the repeating chorus that would be easy to choreograph some fun hand gestures or simple choreography to. 6.Spooky Halloween by John Maxim (mention The Witch & Her Cat) This song, along with John Maxim's The Witch and Her Cat are perfect for a little Halloween fun in a pre-ballet class. 7.Castin' My Spell by Johnny Otis I happen to love Johnny Otis and his boppy 50s sound. If you like that too, this song would be a lot of fun for a jazz class. 8.Spooky Walk by Jacob Johnson This is a great song for preschoolers! As you go on a spooky walk, you see a tiger, an alligator, and a bear. You could use simple actions for each of the creatures you come across on your spooky walk or let the children improvise. There are no YouTube videos of the song, but it can be found on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spooky-Walk/dp/B01MXRS21K or on Spotify or Apple Music. 9.Ghostbusters (version for Frappe) by Nate Fifield If you teach ballet and you have not checked out Nate Fifield's albums, you need to. This song is perfect for a Halloween ballet class. 10.Do You Know How Pumpkins Grow? by the Kiboomers Another great song for a preschool dance class. It could be fun to bring in real pumpkins for the children to dance around. 11.Ghosts by On An On This is a dynamic, yet steady and somewhat ambient song that would be great for an older contemporary class. 12.Dance-A-Story "Enchanted Toy Store" by Richard Maddock This song is perfect for guided improvisation for young children. It is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Story-Enchanted-Toy-Store/dp/B01EH2GMTY. It is also available on Spotify and Apple Music. 13.Witchy Woman by the Eagles This is a great 70s rock song with some twang by the Eagles. I also love the cover done by the Hollies. 14.Bats by Daniel Ingram (from My Little Pony) This song from My Little Pony would be fun for a Preschool or young elementary school age tap or jazz dance class. 15.Batty Bat (From Sesame Street) I used to dance with this song when I was a young child! Your dance students will love this classic Sesame Street Song. You could even bring towels for scarves for the students to use as their "wings". 16.Monsters Under the Bed by Dylan Cartlidge I can see this unique, high energy song being used for an older hip hop or jazz class. 17.Do the Skeleton Scat! by the Wiggles Little kids love the Wiggles! Their songs are easy to dance to! This is perfect for a tap class. 18.We are Monsters by Mr. Eric & Mr. Michael This song would be great for any kind of stomps or marches in young childrens class. This song is great for teaching children to stay on the beat of the music. It could also be fun for improvisation. 19.Heffalumps and Woozles (From Winnie the Pooh) Have fun doing a Halloween Combination to this classic from Winnie the Pooh! 20. I Put A Spell On You by Screamin' Jay Hawkins I personally love the energy that Screamin' Jay Hawkins brings to this song. This would be awesome for an older jazz class. Or, if the older sound isn't your thing, try this newer version by Annie Lennox. 21.Grim Grinning Ghosts by VoicePlay Last, but not least, I love this fun version of the Disneyland classic from the Haunted Mansion! I plan to use it for some Halloween tap choreography.
What Halloween songs do you love to dance to? Let me know in the comments!
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This song gets me pumped! It's like big band meets electronic hip hop. And Angela McCluskey's voice is sort of reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald. So much love. 2. Sunset by Panda Panda! I was so excited to hear that Panda Panda released a second album! I use his first release, The Black and White EP, in class all the time! This album, Cherry Blossoms, did not disappoint! Panda Panda's mix of electronic and acoustic music along with the occasional clip of recorded text is the perfect background for improvisation or dance workshopping. I've used it for student choreography as well. You can get the album free (legally!) from Noisetrade here! (I promise Noisetrade doesn't pay me or anything. I just love them!) 3. Tell Me There's a Garden by Jospeh I've been loving and using Joseph's music for a while now, and I've featured them before, but I've noticed that they've gotten a lot of attention lately for their song White Flag. These sisters definitely deserve the attention! Their harmonies are so unreal! But while White Flag is a good song, it's not nearly as good as many of their other songs, in my opinion. So, I just had to share this one with you. I used this song last year for some contemporary modern choreography I set on my dance company at school. This song means a lot to me and I hope you'll love it too! 4. The Gene Sequence by Barclay Crenshaw I came across this song recently and thought it was so cool! With it's unique electronic sound and hip hop beat, it's just like a mysterious cacophony of goodness. 5. Let the Games Begin by Aloe Blacc This past winter, the concert at my school was titled, "Let the Games Begin". The students created choreography inspired by games. We had a good variety with everything from Twister, to football, to the Quiet Game. This song from the Race soundtrack was the perfect finale song for our concert. 6.Colors by Verite I used this song in my set warm-up this year and my students seemed to really like it. The is an electronic pop song with a strong beat and echoing female vocals. 7.Liv and Leo by Danny Black Danny Black is Dan Schwartz, the guitarist of one of my favorite bands, Good Old War. He came out with a solo album earlier this year titled, Adventure Soundtrack. Not only is this album the perfect background for all of your outdoor adventures, it is also the perfect pick for your next piece of choreography! Each song on the album has a very different sound as he uses both acoustic and electric guitar. I used this particular song for choreography in my last concert. Dan is an excellent musician and you won't want to miss hearing this one! 8. Built for this Time (The Hidden Memoir EP version) by Zayde Wolf I originally found another version of this song, which has a beat more constant throughout the song, but I actually like this version better. This dramatic song could definitely make for some epic choreography! Also, does this music video make anyone else laugh? The little boy is just so cute with his angry face, haha. 9. Hunger of the Pine by Alt-J You may have heard other tracks by Alt-J like Breezeblocks and Left Hand Free, which are both great songs, but you may not have heard this slower, more eerie side of their music. It's definitely interesting! Give it a listen! 10. The Raven's Song by Aaron Embry This is a sweet little song with piano and vocals. Like the lyrics say, "It's short, but it's strong." It's from the Soundtrack of Wish I Was Here, which I've never seen, actually. This is the only recording of the song I can find too. But...I kind of like the roughness of the recording. It makes it seem kind of sentimental, like listening to an old record. It's a pretty song.
Well, that's it for now. Let me know if you like these, end up using any of them, or need more recommendations! It's officially arrived - the week of Halloween! Dance teachers everywhere will be doing fun Halloween inspired classes this week. This time of year is so fun for students. I still remember when I was in school and my ballet teacher taught us barre exercises to Halloween music during the month of October. We had a blast and it made a great impression on me. Over my years of teaching, I've realized that finding new Halloween music can be hard. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and Ray Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters" are always go-to choices, but after you've heard them over and over, sometimes you just need something new and the students do too. I've compiled a list of 15 Halloween songs I've used or plan to use. Some are traditional, while others are more obscure. Hopefully this will help all teachers looking for spooky new music. Maybe you're just looking for songs to add to your Halloween party playlist? This is for you as well! 1. This is Halloween by Danny Elfman from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas In all honesty, this movie has always terrified me...but this song makes for great Halloween choreography. 2. Sally's Song by Fiona Apple (also from The Nightmare Before Christmas) Though I'm not a fan of the movie, I really enjoy this song. As a senior in high school, I choreographed a solo to this song that I used in auditions for several university dance programs as well as my senior solo at my studio. 3. The Monster Mash by Bobbby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers Check out this awesome clip with Dick Clark on American Bandstand! This song will always be a Halloween freeze dance classic. 4. Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley This song is great for young kids because it lends itself perfectly to actions. Also, they think the silly voices are HILARIOUS. 5. The Addams Family Theme Short and sweet...or should I say short and spooky? This year I'm choreographing a combo en pointe to this song. 6. Rama Lama (Bang Bang) by Roisin Murphy I have no idea what she is actually singing about, but this song just sounds Halloweeny, doesn't it? If you don't agree, surely Wade Robson's choreography to this song on So You Think You Can Dance will change your mind. I've taught a combo to this song in many teen jazz classes and it's always a hit. 7. Walking with a Ghost by Tegan & Sara This song has a great tempo for warm-up and conditioning. 8. Walking with a Ghost by KADEBOSTANY No, this is not a Tegan and Sara cover. (Though, if you want one of those, check out this one by The White Stripes). This is a much different song that just happens to have the same title. I'd describe it as a mix of piano, tango, Adele, rap, and a horn section. Intrigued? 9. Ghost in My House by Lucy Schwartz Click here to see my post featuring this song and more of Lucy Schwatz's music. 10. The Ghost Inside by Broken Bells While we are on the topic of ghosts, why not throw in this groovy song? 11. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon They'll be howling with this one. 12. The X-Files Theme Believe it or not, I've seen some great choreography to this song! 13. Disney's Grim Grinning Ghosts This song may or may not have scared me as I watched it on the Disneyland Sing-Along VHS as a child. 14. Love Potion Number 9 by the Clovers Why do so many of the good Halloween songs come from the 50s? 15. Double Trouble by John Williams from Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban Who doesn't love Harry Potter? This beautifully spooky song would be prefect for a Halloween ballet class!
What are your favorite Halloween songs? Feel free to share! I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween. Keep dancing! Haley 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 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! 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! 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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