2020 Weekly Dance & Music Choices

TANGOLERO wrote:

The rest, I'm too old-fashioned and traditional to pretend.Let' face it, and I don't mind being laughed at.Fred and Ginger are archive stuff to most, Ariana who? just to think all those wonderful songs in the great American song books of Berlin, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein, Hart and the rest. Was there ever a song written to compare with "Some Enchanted Evening"?

I'm pretty old-fashoned too Tango, but Rescue Me is quite a bit older than KC and the Sunshine Band! I think it will work well for the Cha Cha Cha. I love Thats the Way by KC and the Sunshine Band but am not sure about it for Saahmba (as A nton would say). I think the Stevie Wonder one should be good too for the QS - joyful.

And yes, of course, Under my Skin is sublime and Frank does it justice, although I must admit I slightly prefer Ella Fitgerald's version. And I think Oti will deliver a beautifully choreographed routine and I am looking forward to it very much

Yes a pleasant selection of music this week with dances that should suit the music. Not often that happens lately.

A better week of music thou the term Could do better echoes out.
I yearn for more Motown classics, frothy frocks and a Tux!
For me the time machine to disappear to earlier series music and Wardrobe choices.
Do you recall we used to spot a top /bottom of a Frock refashioned in another series?

saxonsiren wrote:A better week of music thou the term Could do better echoes out.
I yearn for more Motown classics, frothy frocks and a Tux!
For me the time machine to disappear to earlier series music and Wardrobe choices.
Do you recall we used to spot a top /bottom of a Frock refashioned in another series?

I still do occasionally!

I am not set on any perid of music, but both the tempo and the mood of the music has to fit the dance.  I think I have given an exampe before of a song that has perfect QS tempo, but is about loss and dealing with grief, so the mood is totally unsuitable.

So a Foxtrot has to have the 'slow, slow, quick quick slow, rhythm, the waltz 3/4 timing, the Cha Cha Cha that 'cha cha cha' beat in it.  It is generally the case that there are lots of relevant tunes from the era that a dance was popular - so 20s for Charleston, 30s/40s for Foxtrot, 40s/50s for jive etc etc.  The Cha Cha Cha was very popular as a social dance at the end of the fifties and going into the sixties and there are a lot of early sixties songs that have that 'cha cha cha' beat.  A lot of songs from the last ten years also seem to have that underlying rhythm (for some reason).  

In other cases, like Samba, Paso and AT, you really need the authentic music for the dance as nothing else genuinely has the right rhythm or mood. But it doesn't necessarily need to be by artists from that country or from a specific era, eg, Gotan Project, though (relatively!) recent, is very traditional in style and thus is perfect for the AT (and also th e ballroom Tango).  

There are many, many songs written in both slow and fast (Viennese) waltz timing and I don't really think we should only be using Strauss! But we do need to capture the right mood. The Waltz is slow and dreamy and romantic, the VW swooping and twirling with some joyfulness to it.

Anyway, I think you get my drift - it's not about new v old, it is all about how appropriate a tune is for the dance it is destined for.  If Ariana Grande brings out a beautiful love song in 3/4 time, then I think it is fine to use it for a Waltz.  If, however, they try and shoehorn a samba into one of her more uptempo songs, then I will get feisty...

diamondsandpearls wrote:
 If, however, they try and shoehorn a samba into one of her more uptempo songs, then I will get feisty...

Bring it on... The Bells of St Mary's ..cha.cha... hey, there's a thought for a v.w.

lol Mr T! The Bells of St Mary's! for some reason I heard the chant of St Trinians School song in my head

Ive forgotten already is it Blackpool week when?

saxonsiren wrote: I've forgotten already is it Blackpool week when?

Yes sax. This would have been Blackpool week but it's a 'nod' to Blackpool in the Pro dances instead. I think it's about 3 weeks to the final?

B4p wrote:

Yes sax. This would have been Blackpool week but it's a 'nod' to Blackpool in the Pro dances instead. I think it's about 3 weeks to the final?

I thought it was 4 weeks? Final on 19th December... So four more shows including tonight's ((but yes, only three more after that)

Such a short run - I thought ten weeks would have been a nicer, more rounded number than nine. But who am I?

Week 6 Dances & Songs

Ranvir and Giovanni: American Smooth to I Say a Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin
https://youtu.be/STKkWj2WpWM


Maisie and Gorka: Quickstep to When You're Smiling by Andy Williams
https://youtu.be/hhn0taxfWvM


JJ and Amy: Viennese Waltz to Rescue by Lauren Daigle
https://youtu.be/gYR0xP1j4PY


Jamie and Karen: Tango to Tanguera by Sexteto Mayor
https://youtu.be/uJxs5SkSe7s


Bill and Oti: Jive to One Way Or Another by Blondie
https://youtu.be/1VFuHj9_Tgw


Clara and Aljaž: Jive to River Deep Mountain High by Tina Turner
https://youtu.be/uj0wPrN_Y_4


HRVY and Janette: Couple's Choice: Street/Commercial to A Sky Full Of Stars by Coldplay
https://youtu.be/VPRjCeoBqrI

Thanks B4p. Needs a bit of thinking about. I was hoping Alijaz and Clara would get ballroom to get them back on track after that bakehouse bop they had last week. It's all a far cry from Victor Sylvester.

The thought of musicals fills me (should) with delight. With all that array of choice, please lets not revert to Rocky Horror Show, Cats or Shampoo music. I'd love to see something traditional: The Sand Dance improvised as a Charlston or Heather on the Hill as a slow foxtrot, Some Enchanted Evening as a waltz, Disturbed's version of Sound of Silence as a Tango (yes, I actually said that, as we won't get any Gotan Project anyway) and Brazil as a samba. Ah well, que sera again I suppose...

Week 7 Dances & Songs

Musicals Week

Ranvir and Giovanni: Viennese Waltz to She Used To Be Mine from Waitress
https://youtu.be/53GIADHxVzM

HRVY and Janette: American Smooth to One (Singular Sensation) from A Chorus Line
https://youtu.be/BrLcbi68R_A

Jamie and Karen: Jive to Everybody's Talking About Jamie from Everybody's Talking About Jamie
https://youtu.be/__mmb2WVA-o

Maisie and Gorka: Jive to Little Shop of Horrors from Little Shop of Horrors
https://youtu.be/m4ADCCr_N4s

JJ and Amy: Charleston to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
https://youtu.be/q3A7Af0jaEo

The only one I'm not sure about is the Jive to 'Everybody's talking about Jamie'. Have I got the wrong track? I can't hear a Jive.
Interesting to see what Janette's cooking up for 'One, singular sensation'. Great tune

Little shop of horrors? What is the matter with these people? Haven't they heard of Long Tall Sally, Boney Moroney, Reet Petite and Roll over Beethoven? Jive hasn't just been invented; folk were jiving in jazz clubs in the 1920's, and Rock and Roll blew the fuse all over again in the 1950's. Gee, here I go again with all our yesterdays..ah well, que sera....

Hmm.

I am so very much hoping you HAVE got the wrong track B4p...

Tango - I have no disagreement with your general point whatsoever (quite the contrary - I agree wholeheartedly). However the amazing and appropriate tunes you mention aren't from musicals. But there are, of course, many, many musicals which have appropriate ones (basically all of Elvis' films for a start)

To be honest I am not a fan of any musical after West Side Story Can't stand Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lional Bart etc etc. Not even keen on the Sound of Music - the tunes have never married up with a very sombre tale of a family escaping the Nazis and Julie Andrews is just tew tew E-NUN-cee-ated for my enjoyment My Fair Lady wins on costumes, but again, not on the music To be fair, Chicago and Cabaret have their moments (both have sombre tales but the tunes - especially in Cabaret - are very much in context and of the era in a way those in A Sound of Music are not), but Little Shop of Horrors - ugh! (Ditto Rocky Horror Show. Or anythng with Horror in the title)

And Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a kids film with songs in it, as is Meery Parp-pins. Not a musical by my criteria. And if you are going to choose a kids film with songs in it then Bedknobs and Broomsticks is the only one.

Not that I'm opinionated or anything...

So I don't like ANY of those.

But Jamie in the clip looks like Jamie is Strictly. So there is that...

diamondsandpearls wrote:Hmm.



Tango - I have no disagreement with your general point whatsoever (quite the contrary - I agree wholeheartedly).  However the amazing and appropriate tunes you mention aren't from musicals.  But there are, of course, many, many musicals which have appropriate ones (basically all of Elvis' films for a start)...

indeed you're so right D &P. My fifties ramble was music, not musicals, but there are still some decent musicals besides West Side Story:Elvis films, yes, South Pacific, (Nothing like a Dame" sounds like it would fit in tonight's show) Brigadoon, Oklahoma, Annie get your Gun, Seven Brides, Student Prince, Desert Song, Carousel, Half a Sixpence etc, etc. Problem is, many of todays audiences won't have heard of most of them. I'm old fashioned, I love the moonlight and.....oh, sit down Tango, the usherette's coming round with the ice creams and Jusoda.

TANGOLERO wrote:



indeed you're so right D &P. My fifties ramble was music, not musicals, but there are still some decent musicals besides West Side Story:Elvis films, yes, South Pacific, (Nothing like a Dame" sounds like it would fit in tonight's show) Brigadoon, Oklahoma, Annie get your Gun, Seven Brides, Student Prince, Desert Song, Carousel, Half a Sixpence etc, etc. Problem is, many of todays audiences won't have heard of most of them. I'm old fashioned, I love the moonlight and.....oh, sit down Tango, the usherette's coming round with the ice creams and Jusoda.

We are in agreement again. All of the musicals you mention come before West Side Story (apart from Half a Sixpence, whihc inevitably I don't like). It's the musicalsthat come after1960 that I can't be doing with (with the notable exceptions I mention above). Meet Me In St Louis, On the Town, Singing in the Rain, High Society, All of the 1930s Fred and Ginger series, Bandwagon, American in Paris and of course, White Christmas... Basically the golden age of Musicals was about 1935 to 1960 - that 25 years was a glorious era for musicals, and the film companies - mainly MGM, but not exclusively - knew how to make them literally sing on film.

I have decided that when I am in Strictly with Giovanni I shall have all my gowns modelled on the ones in White Christmas, and we shall certainly be doing an American Smooth (Foxtrot-based) to 'The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing':

Love that clip Diamonds. Danny Kaye was such a talented man. Grew up watching him in the Red Shoes and Hans Christian Anderson

I absolutely love that clip too!! One of my favourite films to watch at Christmas - if it is showing on some obscure channel I will find it every year..........

It would be fantastic for that to be featured on Strictly - either in Films or Musicals week and I would love the pros to tackle Bandwagon. I disagree with the fact that the younger generation are not interested in the old classic musical films - I just think that they need to see and have exposure to them because the classic n umbers are timeless and I that's why I always find Strictly's choices for these theme nights somewhat frustrating as there are so many classic dance n umbers out there that they could bring to GBP that they don't and there is certainly no need to re-hash n umbers which they also do (including this year!)

I think this would have made a reasonable V.Waltz if Karen & Jamie still wanted that musical.
https://youtu.be/zP7N-nKZSFc

B4p not heard of this song before but yes it would be a great choice for SCD.
The problem for me re Musical Week they want instant gratification for the audience..Rigging up a Chimney Sweep & Mary Poppins under an old Gaslight with brushes ,Dancing Yoda and Storm Trooper in a Charleston you got instant comedy gold & everyone loves Star Wars! * Oh no I didn't from me*

Im not a big fan of Musicals thou took a while I enjoyed Les Miserables .
SCD could work with a 50's theme Week,
Big Band Week,
Top 20 Songs,Themes from Musicals voted by fans pre SCD launch.

saxonsiren wrote:
Top 20 Songs,Themes from Musicals voted by fans pre SCD launch.

That's a brilliant idea Sax!! You should submit it to Strictly Towers - don't know why it hasn't been done before.

mauveangel09 wrote:

That's a brilliant idea Sax!!  You should submit it to Strictly Towers - don't know why it hasn't been done before.

Somehow, ( and I just speak purely personally of course) the term "fans", as in T.V voters, and "musicals" don't quite jell for an old Student Prince and Oklahoma buff like me if "Everybody's talking about Jamie" etc, is an example. The I-Phone Fusiliers would have a field day.

Then again, back in 1940 ( when "Shampoo" meant Vosene and Amami from the chemists) Nelson Eddy sang "Give me some men who are stout hearted men who will fight for the cause they adore..., Just give me ten who are stout hearted men and I'll soon give you ten thousand more" from the musical New Moon. He really couldn't have had any idea what he was starting.

Week 8 Dances & Songs


Bill and Oti:
Tango to Enter Sandman by Metallica
https://youtu.be/CD-E-LDc384

Charleston to (Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey by Ottilie Patterson with Chris Barber
https://youtu.be/sB6_h6L3zqo


HRVY and Janette:
Rumba to Only You by Kylie Minogue and James Corden
https://youtu.be/107C8PMY8cM

Charleston to Another Day of Sun by La La Land Cast
https://youtu.be/CWnYIb2lqpo


Jamie and Karen:
Quickstep to Thank God I'm a Country Boy by John Denver
https://youtu.be/QRuCPS_-_IA

Salsa to Last Dance by Donna Summer
https://youtu.be/vqZY8P42pLo


Maisie and Gorka:
Viennese Waltz to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
https://youtu.be/rtOvBOTyX00

Couple's Choice: Street/Commercial to Gettin' Jiggy Wit It by Will Smith
https://youtu.be/3JcmQONgXJM


Ranvir and Giovanni: 
Waltz to Un Giorni Per Noi by Josh Groban
https://youtu.be/H_kj93aqzMg

Jive to Candyman by Christina Aguilera
https://youtu.be/-ScjucUV8v0

Love, love A Thousand Years song.. Love the Youtube Moms & Children with a Thousand Years re One extra Chromosome.