Tell me how to dance


A Dancer's Guide to Knowing What Dance to Do to a Song » Dance With Brandee

A Dancer’s Guide to Knowing What Dance to Do

What Dance Do I Do to This Song?

Here’s how to your dance music know-how

Dancers, have you ever found yourself standing on the sidelines for the first half of each song trying to figure out what dance is supposed to be done to the music? Like my students you might be wondering: How do I know what dance to do to a song?

Many events help you out by announcing each song’s dance or posting a set list for your reference. Even then, some songs work equally well for more than one dance, so being able to match dances to songs is a skill to develop. And of course, you’ll need that skill at weddings and private parties that don’t have these dance aids.

Until there’s an app for it, I want to help you develop your dance music know-how. Of course, there are lots of variables in dancing and music, exceptions to the rules, etc. But I’m going to keep this simple, so consider this a rough guide to figuring out what to dance to a song.

No Hard and Fast Rules

First of all, unless you’re at a dance competition, know that there are no hard and fast rules for which dance must be performed to a particular song. You get to choose the dance you want to do. That said, when you fit a dance well to a song, it’s easier to keep rhythm, to express the character of the dance, and overall, it tends to just feel better.

And some dances’ music is unique enough that it will hit you clearly. For example, Tangos have a distinctive staccato rhythm and dramatic. Once you’ve heard a few Tangos, without needing to think, you’ll just know it’s a Tango.

For the rest, it’s really just a process of elimination. As you become more experienced, hearing the dance in most songs will become more automatic.

5 Easy Steps to Determine What Dance to Do

1. Get a Feel for the Song’s Speed
Ask: What’s the speed of this song?

Start by determining the song’s tempo (i.e., it’s speed.) This simply means getting a feel for whether the song is slow or fast or somewhere in between.

Sometimes the instrumentation or vocals in a song can fake you out. For example, a song may sound very upbeat but actually have a rather slow beat. Until you get good at gauging a song’s tempo, just tap your toes or fingers to the beat of the song, becoming a human metronome for its true speed.

Once you know if the song is slow or fast (or somewhere in between), you can then rule out some dances. For example, if the song is fast, then all the slower dances are out, such as Rumba, Nightclub Two Step and Slow Waltz. Or if the song is really slow, you can cross off Cha Cha, Salsa, East Coast Swing and Viennese Waltz.

Note: As a beginner, you’ll likely only be comfortable dancing in a narrow tempo range for each dance. So if you identify a song as Cha Cha but find yourself unable to keep up with the music, it doesn’t necessarily mean you made a mistake identify it as a Cha Cha—you just may not be experienced enough to dance to the full tempo range for Cha Cha.

If you’re curious, check out this list of tempo ranges for each dance (this is one person’s idea of good tempos, not an official list). In case you’re interested, here are the official tempos used at ballroom dance competitions.

2. Rule Out If It’s a Waltz
Waltzes have 3 beats in a measure (instead of 4)

As you’re tapping out the speed of a song, count the beats. If it’s easy to count 1-2-3-4 it’s not a Waltz. However, if counting in four’s feels off, try counting in three’s: 1-2-3, 1-2-3.

Most songs are in 4/4-time, meaning there are four beats in each measure. However, Waltzes are in 3/4-time, with only three beats in each measure. (There are other time signatures, but 4/4 and 3/4 are main ones you’ll encounter.)

If 1-2-3 matches the music, you’ll know it’s a Waltz. And having already gauged the song’s speed, you can immediately determine whether it’s a Slow Waltz (slower) or Viennese Waltz (about twice as fast as Slow Waltz).

3. Listen to Its Rhythm/Feel
What’s the rhythm or feel of the song?

If the song isn’t a Waltz, your next step is to pay attention to the song’s rhythm or feel. Is it happy, romantic, dramatic, bluesy, melancholic, or funky? Does it have a Latin/Afro-Cuban beat? Does it make you want to bounce, glide, twirl or march? Listening to the songs’ rhythm and character will help you sort it into one of a few broad categories: Ballroom, Latin, Swing, or other (Hustle, Country Western, Nightclub Two Step, etc.).

For example, say the song has a Latin rhythm. The most common Latin dances in ballroom/social dancing are Rumba, Cha Cha, Samba and Salsa. Rumba is the only one of these with a slower, romantic feel. So if the song is like that, you’re ready to Rumba!

And if the song’s rhythm is upbeat, you can eliminate Rumba and then parse out which of the remaining three dances it might be. Samba has a very distinctive “boom-a-boom” percussive beat (think Brazilian Carnaval music). If you’re hearing that, it’s probably a Samba. If you’re not, congratulations, you’ve narrowed it down to a Cha Cha or Salsa.

4. When in Doubt, Step It Out
Dance in place to see what matches the music

Continuing with the same example, say you’ve figured out the song is either a Cha Cha or a Salsa. Cha Chas usually have a “cha-cha-cha” in their beat, although you may not be able to hear this until you have more experience.

At this point, it’s time to experiment with the basic steps in each dance. Do this on your own in place, so small and casual people might not even notice. Try a few Cha Cha basics and see how well your feet match the music. Then try the Salsa basic. Usually one will feel like the right fit and voila, you’ve successfully determined what dance to do to this song!

See what dance others are doing


5. Or “Cheat” and Steal a Peek

If you’re still stumped after you’ve “stepped it out,” have a look and see what others are dancing. As a beginner, it’s often best to look at intermediate-level dancers. Fellow novices are likely as lost as you are, and advanced dancers may be dancing fancy figures with so much styling and technique you won’t even recognize what they’re dancing as the same dance you know! Intermediate dancers, however, will know which dance to do to a song yet will still be dancing figures you can recognize.

Have Fun: Make into a Game!

I encourage you to make a game out of matching dances to songs when you’re not out dancing. Play the “What Could I Dance to This Song” game when you’re listening to music at home, in the car or when you hear a tune playing at a store or on the street.

Make a game out of matching dances to music

Of course, all music isn’t made for partner dancing (e.g., classical, electronica, hip hop and even many pop tunes). So to make it easier on yourself you may want to listen to songs pre-selected for a dancing, such as those off a ballroom dance practice CD or from a recommended playlist like this.

Remember, ultimately which dance to do is your choice, so have fun and feel free to be creative. That said, be respectful of other dancers on the floor. For example, make sure you use proper floor etiquette, especially if you decide to do a dance that’s different from what the majority on the floor is doing. If doing a traveling dance, stay on the outside track, moving in the line of dance; if doing a spot (non-traveling) dance, dance in the center of the floor.

Over time the process of matching songs to dances will become faster and simpler. You may even find yourself mentoring new dancers on the subject!

What BTS and Ed Sheeran's ‘Permission to Dance’ Lyrics Mean

BTS started the summer with “Butter,” and they're continuing the feel-good vibes with their new English song “Permission to Dance.” The track accompanies “Butter” on its just-released CD single.

The lyrics of “Permission to Dance,” co-written by Ed Sheeran (who previously co-wrote the boys' 2019 Map of the Soul: Persona track “Make It Right”), are a literal reminder that you don't need anyone's permission to feel joy, dance, and bask in positivity. Sheeran was thrilled about its release and Jin, Jungkook, V, RM, Suga, Jimin, and J-Hope bringing the lyrics to life. Sheeran tweeted, “Wrote this song a while ago and so happy it’s being heard on such a world stage and being sung by such talented people.”

View full post on Twitter

“Permission to Dance” continues the theme “Butter” established. As BTS told Zane Lowe of “Butter” and its purpose, via an interpreter, in May, “We wanted to create a song that's really upbeat, that's a really summer song that, as you said, it makes people happy and go out and dance. That's what we want to do. We wanted to have a summer song that can heal and console people. That's why we chose this song and that's why we decided to release this song. This is a really fun song so when we finished recording it, we all listened to it together. Then we were saying to each other, ‘This is so great. This is such a fun song.’”

“Permission to Dance” has that same vibe—and is destined for a spot on everyone's going-out playlist. Take in the music video below, which is truly a sweet ode to post-vax summer, and the lyrics too, via Genius.

View full post on Youtube

Verse 1: Jungkook, RM
It's the thought of being young
When your heart's just like a drum
Beating louder with no way to guard it
When it all seems like it's wrong
Just sing along to Elton John
And to that feeling, we're just getting started

Pre-Chorus: Jimin, Jin


When the nights get colder
And the rhythms got you falling behind
Just dream about that moment
When you look yourself right in the eye, eye, eye
Then you say

Chorus: Jungkook, V


I wanna dance
The music's got me going
Ain't nothing that can stop how we move, yeah
Let's break our plans
And live just like we're golden
And roll in like we're dancing fools

Post-Chorus: Jimin, RM, Jin


We don't need to worry
'Cause when we fall, we know how to land
Don't need to talk the talk, just walk the walk tonight
'Cause we don't need permission to dance

Verse 2: J-Hope, Suga, Jungkook
There's always something that's standing in the way
But if you don't let it faze ya
You'll know just how to break
Just keep the right vibe, yeah
'Cause there's no looking back
There ain't no one to prove
We don't got this on lock
(Yeah)

Pre-Chorus: V, Jungkook, Jimin
The wait is over
The time is now so let's do it right, mm (Yeah)
Yeah we'll keep going
And stay up until we see the sunri-i-ise
(Yeah)
And we'll say

Chorus: V, Jin
I wanna dance
The music's got me going
Ain't nothing that can stop how we move, yeah
Let's break our plans
And live just like we're golden
And roll in like we're dancing fools

Post-Chorus: Jungkook, J-Hope, Jimin
We don't need to worry
'Cause when we fall, we know how to land
Don't need to talk the talk, just walk the walk tonight
'Cause we don't need permission to dance

Bridge: Jin, Jungkook
Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
No, we don't need permission to dance
Da-na-na-na-na-na-na (Hey)
Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
Da-na-na-na-na-na-na

Pre-Chorus: Jimin, V
Well, let me show ya
That we can keep the fire alive, mm
'Cause it's not over
Till it's over, say it one more time
Say

Chorus: Jungkook, Jimin
I wanna dance
The music's got me going (Music's got me going)
Ain't nothing that can stop how we move, yeah (Hey, yeah)
Let's break our plans
And live just like we're golden
(Ooh)
And roll in like we're dancing fools (Like we're dancing fools)

Post-Chorus: Jin, Suga, V, Jungkook
We don't need to worry
'Cause when we fall, we know how to land (We know how to land)
Don't need to talk the talk, just walk the walk tonight (Ooh)
'Cause we don't need permission to dance

Alyssa BaileySenior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE. com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.

Dance the night away — Footloose (Free)

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Dance the night away

Dance all night


Look at your body
Your man needs help
Stop being selfish
I got notes
Take my hand
I'll do the rest
Tell me what you want girl
Is it S-E-S-E-X
Daddy don' t want you
Hangin with a thug
I bet he's thinking
We gonna ha ha ha ha
Breathe real hard
Your sweat is drippin
All over your body
Let me give you what you're missin

[Pre Chorus: ]
Grab you coat, grab you coat
Say goodbye, say goodbye
Now let's ride, c'mon let's ride, girl let's ride, girl lets ride
I feel the need, I feel the need to sweep ya, to sweep
Me and you we should be
Dancing in the sheets

[Chorus:]
I can do what i want to
I play by my own rules
Come with me let's just dance the night away
Don't worry bout what i do
Watch me as i move on the floor
And let's dance the night away
Ooh the night away
Come with me let's just dance the night away

I've been thinking we should be lost
All of your clothes let's take them off
Except them pumps leave them on your feet girl
Give it to me now
I'll make your week girl
Now momma what you gonna do
Live in the past and move on to something new
I trippin about your friends, they can come to
We ain't got much time but i'm acting brand new

Ooh no i don't follow no rules
I do whatever i want to
It's my life and i can't be
Like you i can only be me
Some call me a rebel
You wanna be one let's go
It's your life so gonna do you

[Pre Chorus:]
Grab you coat, grab you coat
Say goodbye, say goodbye
Now let's ride, c'mon let's ride, girl let's ride, girl lets ride
I feel the need, I feel the need to sweep ya, to sweep
Me and you we should be
Dancing in the sheets

[Chorus:]
I can do what i want to
I play by my own rules
Come with me let's just dance the night away
Don't worry bout what i do
Watch me as i move on the floor
And let's dance the night away
Ooh the night away
Come with me let's just dance the night away

Ooh no i don't follow no rules go, hit the door
It's my life and i can't be
See girl come with D. B.
Like you i can only be me
Take my hand girl you can be free

Look into my eyes girl tell me what it is
We could go the club but not yet, go ahead do it
we can dance all night, your choice let's live

[Pre Chorus:]
Grab you coat, grab you coat
Say goodbye, say goodbye
Now let's ride, c'mon let's ride, girl let's ride, girl lets ride
I feel the need, I feel the need to sweep ya, to sweep
Me and you we should be
Dancing in the sheets

[Chorus:]
I can do what i want to
I play by my own rules
Come with me let's just dance the night away
Don't worry bout what i do
Watch me as i move on the floor
And let's dance the night away
Ooh the night away
Come with me let's just dance the night away

Look at your body
Your boyfriend needs help
Don't be selfish
I hear a tune
Give me your hand
I'll do the rest
Tell me what you want baby
It's S-E-K-S
Daddy doesn't want you
You mess with a bandit
I'm sure he thinks
We're going ha ha ha ha
It's hard to breathe
Sweat is running
All over your body
Let me give you what you're missing out on

[Chorus]
Grab your coat, your coat
Say goodbye, goodbye
Now let's ride, let's ride baby
I feel like we should ride
We should
Dance in the leaves

[Chorus]
I can do what I want
I play by my own rules
Come with me and dance all night
Don't worry about me
Watch me move on the dance floor
And let's dance all night long
Oh, All night long
Come with me and dance all night

I thought we were going to get lost
All your clothes, take them off
Give me that, now
I made your day, baby
What are you going to do now, mommy?
Live in the past or move on?
I took you away from friends, but they can come
So little time has passed, but I'm completely different

Oh, I don't follow the rules
I do what I want
This is my life and I can't be
Like everyone else, I can only be myself
Some people call me a rebel
You want to be alone
It's your life
Don't let anyone control it

[Chorus]
Grab your coat, your coat
Say goodbye, say goodbye
Now let's ride, let's ride baby
I feel like we need to ride
We should
Dance in the leaves

[Chorus]
I can do what I want
I play by my own rules
Come with me and dance all night
Don't worry about me
Watch me move on the dance floor
And let's dance all night all night long
Oh, all night long
Come with me and dance all night

Oh, I don't follow the rules
What does howling dad say about what you're about to do?
I do what I want
3-4 go ahead kick down the door
This is my life and I can't be
Go baby go with D. B.
How are you, I can only be myself
Take my hand, you can be free

Look into my eyes and tell me what it is?
We can go to the club, but not now, let's go ahead
We can dance all night, your choice is to live!

[Chorus]
Grab your coat, your coat
Say goodbye, goodbye
Now let's ride, let's ride baby
I feel like we need to ride
We should
Dance in the leaves

[Chorus]
I can do what I want
I play by my own rules
Come with me and dance all night
Don't worry about me
Watch me move on the dance floor
And let's dance all night all night long
oh, all night long
come with me and dance all night

Translated by NancyD


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Dance the Night Away Lyrics Rating: 5 / 5 1 opinions

Footloose (music from the motion picture)

Footloose

Tracklist (3)

  • Footloose
  • Fake I. D.
  • Dance the night away

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Quotes about dance - Totem dance Theater

- If you know the names of all the movements that you dance, then you are either a beginner or an international class dancer.
Dassi

- If a dancer wants to show that there is no gravity, then this is ballet. If the dancer seeks to show that gravity oppresses him, then this is modern. If a dancer seeks to show that he is ready to die in the fight against gravity, then jazz.

"Dance is life..."
Isadora Duncan

"I would only believe in a god who could dance!" (Nietzsche)

The desire to move in response to an emotion is a physiological fact that will always exist as long as people live. The existence of rhythm and its direct connection with life and with sex is obvious, when rhythm and movement are combined together, dance is born. (Victor Sylvester)

Dance is the loneliness of people who do not need words.

Ettore Scola
Dance is a way to achieve beauty, to control every muscle and direct it to happiness.

Maurice Béjart
Dance is sculpture in motion.

H. D. Sorell
If you are not invited to a white dance, do not be upset - be a man ...

V. Sumbatov
If a girl dances badly, she scolds the orchestra.

Hebrew proverb
Only those who dance with their bare feet on thorny grass really like to dance.

Thomas Fuller
And the little mermaid danced and danced, although every time her feet touched the ground, she was in such pain, as if she were stepping on sharp knives. And her eyes spoke more than the songs of slaves.

G. H. Andersen
The body never lies.

Martha Graham
Dancing is a vertical expression of horizontal desires.

George Bernard Shaw
I have discovered the art of dance, an art lost two thousand years ago.

Isadora Duncan
Tell me who your teacher is and I will tell you what you can become.

"you want to die?! but you know how to dance?! no, then how do you want to die if you don't know how to live?"
Hermann Hesse

We don't know much about ourselves until we start moving!
Paul Schilder

"Consciousness expresses itself through creativity. The world in which we live is the dance of the Creator. Dancers come and go in the blink of an eye, but the dance lives on. Very often, while dancing, I feel the touch of something sacred. In at such times I feel my soul soar and become one with all that exists

I become the stars and the moon I become loving and loved I I become a winner and a loser. I become master and slave. I become a singer and a song. I become knowing and knowledge. I keep on dancing - this is the eternal dance of creation. Creator and creation merge in the fullness of joy.

I keep on dancing… and dancing… and dancing, because there is only… dance..”
From the book of Michael Jackson

The human body is the same instrument that can be used to express music through dance.
Dance is expression music...

You can be silent and not utter a word, but a gesture will be enough to express your feelings... one step or hand movement.

And we express ourselves through dance. The most impenetrable face will become an open book when a person starts dancing... All the most hidden desires and fears can be seen in a person when he dances, even if he really wants to hide it. ..
Don't dance if you have something to hide!
And dance and enjoy the dance if your soul sings...

Dance is an expression...
Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breath. This is the rhythm of your life. It is an expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy.
Only those who dance with their bare feet on thorny grass really love to dance.
Dance until you are told "Well, you still dance."

“There is no greater reward than the moment when a work comes to life on stage and speaks for you what you want to say… there is no greater reward than to feel how the audience is absorbed in your work, to see how they are briefly immersed in your world, to hear their laughter - when it is necessary - and to understand that what is happening on the stage does not leave them indifferent.
Maresa

O higher people, your worst thing is that all of you have not learned how to dance, how to dance - to dance on top of yourselves!
Nietzsche

Dance is the only art for which we ourselves serve as material. Ted Sean

And although there is a quagmire and thick sadness on earth, but whoever has light legs runs over the mud and dances as if on cleared ice.
Nietzsche

Raise your hearts, my brothers, higher, ever higher! And don't forget the legs too! Raise your feet also, you good dancers, and even better, stand on your head!
Nietzsche

Dance - happiness and pain.
Gabriela Komleva

Dance is a verse in which every movement is a word.

Dancers are God's athletes.
Einstein

Dancing is the art of pulling your foot before your partner steps on it

Art, like life, is not up to the weak.
Block

The goal of creativity is self-giving,
Not hype, not success.
Shameful, meaning nothing,
To be a parable on everyone's lips.
Pasternak

Do not be afraid of perfection!
It doesn't threaten you at all.
S. Dali

To create means to kill death.
Rolland

All kinds of arts serve the greatest of arts, the art of living on earth.
Brecht

Know how to love art in yourself, and not yourself in art.
Stanislavsky

If I could tell you what it meant - there would be not point in Dancing it.
ISADORA DUNCAN.

What? You are looking for? Would you like to multiply yourself tenfold, increase a hundred times? Are you looking for followers? - Look for zeros!
Friedrich Nietzsche

Life is short,
But the path of art is long,
Opportunity is fleeting
Experiment is dangerous and judgment
Difficult.
Hippocrates

This is how I want to see a man and a woman: him - capable of war, her - of childbearing, but so that both of them can dance - not only with their feet, but also with their heads.
Nietzsche.

"We must consider lost every day in which we did not dance at least once."
Friedrich Nietzsche

"The true essence of a people is in its dance and its music. Bodies never lie."
Agnes deMille

"To dance is to lose your temper. To become bigger, more beautiful, stronger."
Agnes deMille

"Dance can reveal all the secrets that lie in music."
Charles Baudelaire

"Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, only they move at different speeds. A sense of humor is dancing common sense."
William James

"Ballet technique is very capricious and difficult. Mastering it is never easy - it is only possible. To "make" a dancer's body, you need so long and relentlessly, sometimes painfully, to work on it, so much effort is spent on something to maintain the dance technique, that if you do not get a certain satisfaction from discipline and punishment, then it is impossible to withstand this tension.
Agnes deMille

"Similarly, there are three types of dancers: the first, those who regard dance as a kind of gymnastic exercise consisting of impersonal and graceful arabesques; the second, those who concentrate and commit their body to the rhythm of desired emotions, transmitting learned sensations or experiences. And, finally, there are those who turn their body into a brilliant stream, an element completely subordinate to the movements of the soul. "
Isidora Duncan

"The essence of dance - and I still have to define the concept of "essence" - consists mainly in movement. Of course, you will immediately object that basketball is also associated with movement. first of all. The actions of a basketball player are a means to an end beyond movement. In dance, in fact, movement is an end in itself, it has no purpose other than itself."
Alvin Nicholas

"If one had to define the most important trait that a dancer should be endowed with, there would be a huge number of options. Beautiful body, grace in lines, generosity, joy in work, ability to please, unshakable integrity, unbending pursuit of some abstract perfection Of course, all these qualities determine the personality of a dancer, and each element exists in combination with others, and this combination shows us the artist. "
Lincoln Kirstein

"I will turn an average person into an average dancer, provided he has certain data. I will teach him how to move his arms and legs, how to turn his head. I will give him stability, brightness and speed; but I cannot give him those fire and understanding, those elegance and expressiveness, which is the soul of real pantomime.
Jean-Georges Novaire

"A choreographer cannot force the audience to love ballet, he must proceed from his inspiration. He must believe in ballet, let it stand on its own feet or fall from its own weakness. If the audience accepts ballet, then this time the choreographer is lucky!
Gerald Arpino

"I love dance passionately, with all my heart. I struggle, I get tired, I lose heart. But what always resurrects me ... is a new surge of strength every time the creative process is restored and artistic activity begins to unfold, even if it is insignificantly small doses."
Ann Halprin

"A dancer is born.


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