Blue Waltz

Another waltz study and a few more recommendations for the dance floor.

Moon River - Andy Williams
Ocean Waltz - Sting
Jazz Waltz Waltz - Bugs Bower
B Minor Waltz (for Elaine) - Bill Evans

Ballroom Dancing - Waltz

The most elegant of the smooth dances. Taking a waltz lesson was my introduction to ballroom dancing. I think that waltz was the first dance that I danced in dancing shoes (Which, I learned, did make a big difference over dancing in street shoes!).

Here a list of my current favorite waltz music/songs:

• Dark Waltz - Hayley Westenra
• Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
• Sunrise, Sunset - Jim Nabors
• Winter Waltz - Jim Brickman
• Fascination - Al Martino
• Tennessee Waltz - Guy Lombardo or Norah Jones' version
• Vito's Waltz (The Godfather) - The New 101 Strings Orchestra
• Sleepsong - Secret Garden
• Play Me - Neil Diamond
• I Go To Sleep - Sia
• Reach - Idina Manzel
• Buck's Nouvelle Jole Blon - Buckwheat Zydeco
• Around the World - Nat King Cole

What can I say; Eclectic is how I like my music!

I haven't danced to this yet but I think that "Silly" by Deniece Williams would make for a great song to waltz to. That's one of the really cool things that I'm finding with ballroom dancing, you start to hear the various ballroom beats in lots of contemporary music.

You can find my other posts on dance here.

Ballroom Dancing - Tango

Tango. I really like this dance. The sharp, staccato moves are killer. Its all passion and power. You just feel smooth doing it, even at my noobish level.

My current Tango faves:

• Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre) - Gotan Project (Smooth, fast, sharp with a hint of funk!)
• Singapore - Nightshift (Geisha, samisans and Tango. Nice East meets West fusion.)
• La Cumparsita - The New 101 Strings Orchestra (Classic Tango)
• Jealousy - The New 101 Strings Orchestra (Another classic Tango)
• Hernando's Hideaway - Archie Bleyer (Hey, how often do you get to dance to castanets!?!)
  

Ballroom Dancing - Rumba

One of my latest interests is social ballroom dancing. It was something that I'd always wanted to try and I finally took the plunge. I've been taking classes for about six months now and its been a lot of fun. I've always enjoyed dancing, but this has been like discovering a whole new world of movement and music.

One of the first dances that I learned was the Rumba. I've found that I like the slower, smooth Rumba songs best. Here are some of my current Rumba favorites:

• Sway - Michael Buble (Great vocals, performance and arrangement)
• Little Child - Des'ree (Sad subject/lyrics, Great vocals, performance and arrangement.)
• Viente Anos - Buena Vista Social Club (Love the beat and how the voices ride the music.)
• Somos Novios (It's Impossible) - The New 101 Strings Orchestra (Smooth arrangement. Strong voice, passionate delivery.)
• Cuando Pienso En Ti - Jose Feliciano (Classic Jose. Sung with lots of passion and emotion.)
• Te Amo Corazon - Prince (Layered arrangement, R&B/Latin fusion. Love the guy's musical innovation.)
• California Dreamin' - Queen Latifah (This song is pure silk!)
• Besame Mucho - The Hit Crew (Mid tempo, but retaining the smoothness that I like.)
• Whatever Lola Wants - Irene and Her Latin Jazz Band (Throw in some Latin guitar and this old standard works well as a rumba.)