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Having the best music for dance competitions, as well as the best dance moves, gives you a great chance of winning. However, putting together a music mix can be hard regardless of whether you’re a street or jazz dancer. This is why you need to keep your eye on the most popular dance songs and also know what the most danceable songs are.
How do you win a solo dance competition?
Winning a dance competition relies on plenty of preparation, especially if it’s your first. Your talent, technique and ability to meet the judge’s criteria are also very important. However, the music you choose could be the biggest difference in your attempt to be a champion.
You need to have a good understanding of the music guidelines for the competition that you are entering. Whilst some competitions may be fine with a single song for a solo performance, others may require a music mix.
Dance competition music mixes
Music mixes are an important feature of a dance competition. This is when multiple songs are put together in one track. You will be dancing to snippets of songs as opposed to a complete track so you will be able to switch up your dance routine.
A great dance mix can be the difference in helping you win the competition. It can allow you to be more creative with your choreography and engage with different audiences. However, it can be challenging putting together the right songs and knowing how long to play each one.
Dance competition mix songs
It is good to have a theme that you can work with for your choreography and your music. This will help you choose songs that fit with your theme and it will help you create a story or narrative.
Storytelling is a massive part of both dance and music and the songs you choose will help you tell your story. Think about the lyrics used in songs and the mood that the music conveys. By mixing different moods and highlighting specific lyrics, you can emphasise the meaning of your dance moves and deliver a bigger impact.
Using contrasting songs can be really effective in making your performance stand out. For example, Diversity’s Britain’s Got Talent audition starts high tempo with lots of energy. They then changed the music to a really slow breakdown to give the audience a breather. This then went back into more energetic music and made it more effective because of the contrast.
What are the most popular dance songs right now?
The best place to find the most popular dance songs is on Billboard’s dance charts. We’ve included a playlist below of the most recent chart compilations from Billboard’s own YouTube channel. It includes both Hot Dance/Electronic/EDM songs and Dance Club songs so it should give you plenty to work with. Have a look at some of these Spotify playlists for more dance songs.
What’s the best song to dance to?
It’s hard to define exactly what the best dance song of. Everyone will have a different opinion and different people enjoy dancing to different kins of music. Therefore, we’ve put together a list of some of the greatest dance songs over the years.
Best dance songs of all time
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Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
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Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
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I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
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Yeah! – Usher feat. Lil John & Ludacris
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Le Freak – Chic
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Unforgettable – French Montana
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Gangnam Style – Psy
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Despacito – Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber
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Stayin Alive – Bee Gees
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Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
Street dance competition music
Street dance is often associated with urban culture. This also includes the music street dancers will choose for their mixes. Expect to hear a lot more hip-hop and R&B music, heavy bass and moves
Best street dance songs
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Gold Digger – Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx
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Boom Boom Pow – Black Eyed Peas
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The Way You Move – Outkast
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Get Ur Freak On – Missy Elliott
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Sicko Mode – Travis Scott feat. Drake
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She Wants to Move – N.E.R.D.
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Family Affair – Mary J Blige
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Low – Flo Rida
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Crank That (Soulja Boy) – Soulja Boy Tell’em
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Stir Fry – Migos
Jazz dance competition music
Jazz dance is often associated with more theatrical forms of entertainment, such as musical theatre. However, it isn’t limited to this and can cover a large scope of dance styles. As a result, there isn’t any specific type of music that goes with jazz dance. In fact, you could probably choose any song you enjoy dancing too for a jazz dance competition.
What is the most danceable song?
It may seem like a question with no real answer but apparently, there is one. A study by two world-leading business schools, Columbia and INSEAD, processed and analysed number 1 hits to determine what made them hits. One of the factors is danceability.
So, according to this study, the most danceable song is Timbaland’s Give It To Me feat. Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake. Check out the other top dance songs here , as well as a more in-depth analysis of the study here .