It is often surprising how many people don’t understand what makes some music more dance-able than others. Being able to identify the good and bad types of dance music is key in being able to dance well.
Go to a party and you WILL see people trying to dance to songs that aren’t great to dance to.
Such songs just don’t have a dance-able beat, or are not particularly motivating to dance to. Such songs are often too melancholy or thoughtful, etc.
Dance music types cover a range of music genres with the key theme being a regular, clear, crisp rhythmic beat, and clear chord changes.
The above can be manifested in different ways. This includes:
- Identifying what mood you are in prior to dancing
- Learning how to spot a non-dance-able song
- And correlating your dance song with your dance mood.
These 3 criteria can go a long way in making you a better dancer. So read on for key dance knowledge to improve your dance music choice.
Identify your dance mood:
Getting in touch with your mood prior to dancing is very valuable.
Start by acknowledging how you are feeling at that time. By doing this you will begin the process for expressing that emotion, which is what dance is all about.
SO MANY PEOPLE MISS THIS STEP.
They assume that dancing is just about upbeat songs that are super energetic. But dance doesn’t have to be like this at all.
So many people will jump straight into a song, and dance for the sake of dancing. However, they don’t get in touch with how they really feel. This makes their dancing not very genuine, and people watching will be able to notice that.
So, take a few minutes to just acknowledge how you are feeling. This will guide you as to what kind of songs will make you dance and express that emotion.
If you don’t do this step and play songs that don’t correlate with how you feel, you may find yourself not feeling like dancing, when in reality, you just haven’t matched up the way you are feeling with the type of music you are playing.
However, we should make a special mention here. The hardest emotion to dance with is if you are feeling numb or empty for whatever reason. In this instance, there may be underlying factors that should be addressed.
However, in a dance context, it can be useful just to cycle through your favorite songs to see if any pique your dance interest. Often you won’t be as perhaps empty as you might think.
Identify what is dance music and what is not:
So how to identify types of dance music? The best way to become skilled at identifying dance-able music is through practice.
Use the following case studies to get a feel for what is a dance-able song and what is not:
Case studies of dance songs and non-dance songs:
Song case study 1:
Song A: George Ezra- Hold My Girl
Song B: Busta Ryhymes/Mariah Carey- I Know What You Want
If you selected song B as the more dance-able song, you would be right!
The main reasons as to why some songs can be danced to and others are not are outlined below. We use a comparison between songs A and B listed above.
| Song A- George Ezra- Hold My Girl | Song B- Busta Ryhymes/Mariah Carey- I Know What You Want |
| No beat initially | Beat from the beginning |
| Beat comes and goes | Chords and beat may change, but an audible/detectable beat still remains |
| Lots of soft and subtle chords which ebb and flow into one another which makes it hard to translate these chords into dance moves because they are so subtle | Chords are segregated and stronger which makes it easier to translate the chords into dance moves |
| If there is a beat it is faint and not crisp | Clear and crisp beat |
| Relatively long and regular periods of ‘retrospective stillness’ which encourages moments of reflection not movement: see 2.17 in the song | No periods of stillness |
Don’t get me wrong, song A is a great song. But it’s not a great song to dance to because of the listed factors.
A highly trained contemporary dancer might be able to dance well to song A. However, for the average dancer, it is much easier to song B.
Song case study 2:
Another song comparison is below, choose which song you think is more dance-able:
Song C: Metallica- The Four Horsemen
Song D: Michael Jackson- Billie Jean
If you selected song D, you would be right again! Here is why:
| Song C- Metallica- The Four Horsemen | Song D- Michael Jackson- Billie Jean |
| The beat is too fast for moving to in a rhythmic way | Beat is slower and more manageable |
| The chords ebb and flow into one another which makes it hard to translate these chords into dance moves because there is so much going on | Chords are more segregated and stronger which makes it easier to translate the chords into dance moves |
| The beat is hard to follow amongst all the other instruments such as loud guitar and vocals | The beat is crisp and clear |
| There isn’t a large variety to the song, it has a fairly ‘flat structure’. This song washes over you in a mass of sound (bangs you over the head repeatedly: cue head banging) and fails to bring you along for a clear ride. Again this makes it hard to translate into a dance. | The song has clear variety with contrasting components that takes you on a clear journey. This makes it easier to translate into a dance. |
Again don’t get me wrong, Metallica is obviously a renowned and skilled band. However heavy metal as a genre doesn’t lend itself to dancing.
Correlate your moves with the type of music:
So if you have followed the first two paragraphs above, you will have:
- Identified what your mood is
- And you will have selected a song that is ‘dance-able’.
The final step is to marry those two up and use movements that reflect the music and your mood. I will give you some examples below.
Scenario 1: Songs to choose if your mood is energetic:
Say you are feeling super energetic, you have just had coffee or pre-workout, etc. You acknowledge you have loads of energy and are feeling happy. You would not select a song that is too slow or chill or sad. An example of a chill or sad song is below:
You would instead select a song that is more upbeat and hyped like this one:
Scenario 2: Songs to choose if your mood is tired:
However, say that you might have had a long day at work or poor sleep. You would acknowledge that you don’t have much energy and your mood might be lower. So you would not select a hyped or fast song, such as this one:
You would instead select a slower more chill song such as this one:
Don’t forget that all songs are not created equal for dancing:
So, as you can see, dance music types can be multifaceted. The key is to not lose sight of what makes a song dance-able. Otherwise, the goal of dancing well becomes much harder.
For more insight into educational dance challenges, have a read of the article Why Do People Hate Dancing: The mystery logically debunked.
Also, remember that you’re ability to judge what makes a song dance-able becomes more discerning the more you dance.
Keep the above principles in mind and you will be well on your dance journey way.