Let's take a minute to pay tribute to the dance that started the Swing craze to begin with. Much like Herman's Habit, this montage has all the brassy, orchestral features you'd expect from an energetic romp on the dance floor at a jazz club. What follows is a lovely slow-tempo Viennese Waltz, a slower Waltz interlude starting at the 1:44 mark, slower still at the 1:52 mark, and a rousing return to Viennese Waltz at the 2:27 mark. The first minute of this song creates a theatrical buildup. This song plays like an animated sequence for your ears from the first second it begins. There are classic sequences in Disney films (like Mary Poppins) where the live action characters interacted with animated counterparts. Utilizing the graceful, sweeping movement of Waltz, combined with a slower version of traditional Foxtrot music, it's a gorgeous achievement that every social Foxtrot dancer can aspire to. Slow Foxtrot is a more refined and challenging version of that dance. Social Foxtrot is the foundation to any great social dancer's repertoire. It's as important to the telling of this tale as a lightsaber is to Star Wars. The piano riff, the whistling, and the light sandpaper rasp of Ryan Gosling's voice seem to act as the constant thread through this movie's narrative. The triple is for slow to medium tempos and should not be attempted on this track.
The single, also known as Jitterbug, is designed for faster music, like Herman's Habit. It's jazz - straight, no chaser.Įast Coast Swing is served in two popular varieties: Single step and Triple step. This isn't jazzy, jazz-like, or jazz-inspired. Press play and you're immediately whisked away into a swingin' jazz club. While the choreography in the film is more jazz inspired, that shouldn't stop you from re-creating the mood and movements from this scene. The Foxtrot gets a fine feature in this iconic moment in the movie. It changes tempo at the 1:27 mark, the 2:27 mark, and the 3:21 mark. It's a bluff, where each character is trying their best to convince the other that this "meet-cute" is a waste of time.Īs the scene and dynamics between the couple begin to evolve, the music does too. The lyrics of this song are like a dating poker game. While this may not have the heavy "Boom-tick-tick" sounds of a two hundred year old Gilded Age Waltz, it certainly is elegant, beautiful, and en trend for the modern sophisticated dancer. If you didn't know already, a great Waltz is difficult to come by.
A perfect soundtrack to movie connection. Peabody - if you'd like to take it easy, Quickstep - if you want to go for it.Ī gorgeous piano. Just like the bright colors of the dresses, there are a variety of dance options for this energetic song.
Fun Fact: Take a close look at the colorful dresses in the scene - they were designed by LeNique. Like a friend that won't take no for an answer, this song hits you with a burst of positive energy. While there are plenty of uptempo dance directions you could take, let's start with There may never be another movie with a complete offramp shutdown dance scene.Īside from the visual masterpiece, this is a perfect way to charge your batteries if you're dreading anything about your day. If you haven't seen the movie yet, by all means, follow this link to better understand why some people regard this film as the best musical since Singin' in the Rain.įorget about it. In case you missed it, the Arthur Murray Live team performed to several of the songs from this soundtrack, and it is still a fond topic of conversation with our staff and students. Let's take a look at the La La Land soundtrack and mine it for great social dance ideas. Sure, this may be a few years old but watch the first 3 minutes of the movie and just try to fight the urge to dance.