From 16 October 2021
Dance!
A specific dance style must be mentioned in the song lyrics or the title, but may not appear in the name of the band.
An example is ‘Macarena’.
Thank you, Sarah.
Chrisna
Chubby Checker – The Twist
Karen
Ritchie Valens – La Bamba
“La Bamba” is originally an 18th-century folk song that comes from the Verracruz region on the Mexican Gulf Coast. It also refers to a dance performed mainly at weddings.
The bride and groom try to tie a ribbon together with their toes while dancing “La Bamba” as a symbol of their love for each other.
It became a hit for the young rocker Ritchie Valens after he died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 along with Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. The song is very popular with Mariachi bands and is often played at weddings. The lyrics are in Spanish: “Para bailar la Bamba se necessita una poca de gracia” means “To dance La Bamba you need to have a little grace.”
Richard
Nick Lowe – “I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock And Roll”
Wilfred
Wiener Philharmoniker – Maurice Ravel – Bolero – Regente Gustavo Dudamel
I am going to take this down a notch or two…
The Bolero originated as a Spanish dance in the 1770s and had many different names. It was known as the “Escuela Bolera, “Goyescas”, and “Baile de Palillos”. Bolero dancing fused common popular dances with classical ballet to create a dance that was more polished for the stage. It combined contradanza with the sevilana.
In 1928, when Maurice was commissioned to orchestrate six pieces from Isaac Albéniz’s work for piano, he instead chose to compose a work based on the popular Spanish dance, the Bolero. Ravel’s preoccupation with Spanish music, which is exemplified in numerous works, stemmed from his mother’s Basque origins.
Although the insistent rhythm on side-drum in Boléro is derived from the Spanish dance, Ravel apparently was also inspired by a factory.
Kick back, relax and listen to the incredible buildup over the next 17 minutes. This is not to be rushed.
Lynda
Strauss ~ The Blue Danube Waltz
The original form of Waltz was used by 13th-century peasants in Germany, who devised rolling folk dance that was quite different from all court dances that were popular at that time. Johan Strauss, “the Waltz King” composed this waltz in 1867 as is known as the most popular/loved waltz of all times.
Geraldine
Madonna – Vogue
The story behind Madonna’s song and iconic music video, Vogue.
Vogue or vogueing, is a highly stylized, modern house dance originating in the late 1980s that evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene of the 1960s.
It was a little-known dance style at the time, as it evolved from African American drag queens of the Harlem ballroom scene in the early 1960s.
Over the years, vogueing has become a prominent dance form practised in the LGBTQ ballroom scene and clubs in major cities throughout the United States and around the globe — particularly New York City and Paris.
Madonna was inspired by vogue dancers and wrote the song. It was a smash hit and Vogue was the best-selling single of 1990; more than six million copies flew off the shelves. It’s considered one of the most iconic music videos of all time.
And many other music icons have followed the footsteps of Madonna: Beyonce, Rihanna and Ariana Grande have all adopted the dance style and incorporated it into their music videos and performances.
Sue
A. Piazzolla. Libertango
“LIBERTANGO” is a composition by tango composer Astor Piazzolla, recorded and published in 1974 in Milan. The title is a portmanteau merging “Liberstad” and “tango”.
It symbolizes Piazzolla’s break from classical tango to tango neuvo.
The video is a recording by the Russian Philharmonic in Moscow.
It is interesting to note the various parts dedicated to particular instruments starting with the rhythmic clapping of the audience.
The two dancers execute the tango with the necessary sharp precision and rhythm of the dance.
Enjoy!!!
Paul
Armin van Buuren live at A State Of Trance 900 Wild WIld Son (Richard Durand remix)
Before trance music was labelled as such, other forms of electronic music—most notably acid house and techno—served as precursors to its birth.
The origins of trance music can be traced back to Germany during the late 80s and early 90s, when European DJs and producers began to incorporate electronic and psychedelic sounds into their music.
At this time, Detroit techno was making its way to Europe, where many German and UK producers used it to create a more atmospheric sound. During these formative years, many people called the genre “techno trance” or even “trance dance” because it comprised techno foundations layered with mind-altering sounds.
The label “trance” as applied to music may stem from the emotional feelings it induces—the high euphoria, chills and uplifting rush experienced by its listeners—or it may indicate the real trance-like state that the earliest forms of the sound attempted to emulate in the 90s, before the focus of the genre changed.
One notable song is CHILDREN by Robert Miles.
The Late 90s and Trance’s Rise to Supremacy
As artists like Oliver Lieb, Breeder, and Tilt continued to explore the deeper, more progressive side of trance, soon-to-be world-renowned artists, such as Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, and Armin van Buuren, were pushing a more high-energy sound. Anthemic choruses, crescendos, drum roll build-ups, beat free breakdowns, and heart-tugging refrains created the sound of the mid-to-late 90s, giving rise to the term “uplifting trance”.
Now this is something interesting!
Uplifting trance, also known as “anthem trance” or “euphoric trance”, is strongly influenced by ……. CLASSICAL MUSIC!!
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, leading artists like Ferry Corsten, Push, Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, and Rank 1 catapulted this form of trance to meteoric levels, especially in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.
This type of trance features longer major chord progressions across all elements (lead synth, treble, bass), breakdowns are extended, and the arpeggiation (the melodic part of the song, usually consisting of “saw synth/square lead” sounds) is relegated to the background, as wash effects are pulled to the fore (the harmonic element of the music, or “background fill”, which is often made up of synth choir/vocal/string chord progressions).
Here are some Trance genres …….
Acid trance
Big room trance
Classic trance
Dream trance
Eurotrance
Hands up
Goa trance
Hard trance
Ibiza trance
Neo trance
Nitzhonot
Progressive trance
Psychedelic trance
Tech trance
Uplifting trance
Vocal trance
You can read up about them here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_trance_genres
Now my part……
I’m not sure why I like Trance music, but I do. In Fact, both Liezel and I used to “jol” together with friends many years ago at a place called TRUTH NIGHT CLUB (the old Snake Part in Midrand).
I particularly like the HARD TRANCE, but my favourite is still UPLIFTING TRANCE.
What I loved about this dance style is the energy, the workout you get, and the emotional rollercoaster this music can take you on. It can make you feel so many things, it just depends on your mood.
Our favourite artist is by far Armin van Buuren, and this song particularly gets us because it’s dedicated to his son. I want you to imagine being in that crowd, music lovers all around going crazy.
Trance is huge! There are so many annual festivals around the world. People gather and dance all day long – most events start at around 10am or midday, and go all the way to 2am in the morning, with various artists appearing.
The most popular festivals are ULTRA and TOMORROWLAND. To see some of the amazing sets they make, and to see the crowds etc., check this video out of Tomorrowland …… mind-blowing!!
Liezel
Dirty Dancing “Do You Love Me” & “Love Man” Dance Scene.
In 1987 an iconic film came out that changed many viewpoints in what sexy dancing was all about. I remember having to watch this film at my open minded Aunt’s house with my cousins. My parents (especially my dad) would have flipped if they knew I had watched this scandalous movie at such an impressionable age. The song I’ve chosen actually has many styles of dancing included in the lyrics such as the mashed potato, the twist, the shake (even if they don’t call it the hippie hippie shake in the song). In the song they don’t mention the dance style being practiced in this video … however any die hard will know exactly which dance this is. So I believe I have fulfilled the mandate of mentioning the dances and throwing in a bonus of sexy Swazee dancing dirty.
Esther
Luis Fonsi – Despacito ft. Daddy Yankee
It is a Reggaeton and Latin pop genre, composed with lyrics about desiring a sexual relationship, performed in a smooth and romantic way.
It was the most-viewed YouTube video of all-time from August 2017 to November 2020 and became the first video on the site to reach the milestones of three, four, five, six, and seven billion views.