Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with dance

Like Chuck E. Cheese for twentysomethings.

Help, I can't stop talking! — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:43:16 -0800

Where can I throw a pizza dance party in NYC? My boyfriend's birthday is a month away. I want to throw him a party. When I asked him what he'd like, he said, "a pizza dance party, though I don't know where we could make that happen." If possible, I'd like to surprise him with exactly such an event.

Basically, I'm looking for a place in New York with a dance floor (and dance music) that will also serve us pizza. Or, barring that, a place with a dance floor that wouldn't mind if we had pizza delivered. Ideally, it wouldn't be hugely crowded, and it would be gay friendly. I'm on a budget, so I'd prefer to just show up somewhere rather than rent a room or a section of a bar or something.

Any ideas?

Help me learn to dance

eightball — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:37:19 -0800

I met a girl. She LOVES to dance. I don't. Help. So, I met a girl and I really like her. She loves to dance, and she is great at it. The kind of dancing that makes people watch. She can dance to anything and she looks great on the dance floor. Its pretty amazing.

I on the other hand, do not dance. I have always avoided it. Mainly because I am incredibly self conscious. The 1 or 2 times I have danced, I have been so drunk that I don't know where the hell I am.

I like dive bars, she likes places where she can dance.

I'm thinking I need to get over this fear. What do I do? How do I learn to suck it up and dance? I just want to be able to put a few "moves" together to be able to get on the dance floor without embarrassing myself.

HELP!

Footwear that will keep me light on my feet

notjustfoxybrown — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:21:18 -0800

I need recs for a lightweight shoe for my dance class. The (free!) weekly West African dance class given in my neighborhood is unfortunately held in the same gymnasium where a bunch of filthy sneakers run about playing basketball all week.
African dance is supposed to be done barefoot but the floors in the gym are simply too dirty.
Any Mefites know of something I can wear on my feet during my class so I won't have to get a weekly tetanus shot?

Teach me to breakdance!

Zeker — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:30:50 -0800

BBOYZ! Teach me how to dance, specifically popping, locking, and breakdancing. Any tips you can give will be appreciated. I want to learn to breakdance. Any websites or video tutorials or advice will be readily accepted. Anything from moves (air flairs, glides, windmills) to technique on popping and locking, to ideal shoes, to diet and exercise to turn me into a b-boy. Anything that helped you get better and simplified the learning curve, let me know.

About me: I listen to quite a bit of freestyle music, and I find it ideal to break with. Specifically, anything you can find in this CD collection.

I'm a little overweight (like 10 lbs or so) and know very little basics. I'm just perfecting my arm waves and glides haha.

I live in the middle of nowhere, so there is no place that offers breakdancing classes, or even dance classes in general. I'm open to learning a wide variety of dances, but breakdancing is what caught my interest.

Thanks in advance!

Recommend a hip hop dance instructional dvd.

roaring beast — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:02:19 -0800

I'm looking for an instructional DVD for hip hop/urban dance. Not looking for stuff about breaking or bboying. Not trying to figure out how to dance in clubs. Not trying to perform or anything (like developing routines). Just getting a better feel for the basic coordination of expressing myself through hip hop dance for someone who doesn't have much experience dancing.

Similar song to Christina Aguilera's Candyman

artifarce — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:51:50 -0800

Similar-in-style songs to Christina Aguilera's Candyman? I'm helping plan a wedding dance list, and this modern boogie is a lot of fun, but I don't want to be the one that drops "he makes my cherry pop" into this particular dance hall. In other words, it should be clean too. I've searched the "neoboogie" tag a bit on last.fm, but there's a lot of boring songs there to wade through. I want something hip, fast, and that would make both the old and young generations stand up for a little swing dancing. I'm not explicitly looking through music from the last 10 years, but it'd be preferable. Good covers are great too.

What is the best studio in Manhattan and/or Brooklyn for learning Swing/Lindyhop and WC Swing?

wildrain2008 — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:23:22 -0800

What is the best studio in Manhattan and/or Brooklyn for learning Swing/Lindyhop and WC Swing? Also what are the best boards where I can find a partner if I choose to later compete? I used to take ballroom lessons back in HS but had to stop when college started. Would love to get back into it concentrating on Swing/Lindyhop and WC Swing. I recently visited a gem in the city called Swing 46 and it just put me over the edge! So now I’m seriously looking to learn Swing! The music is also amazing - Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddies as well as the plethora of fantastic Rockabilly music ranging from Elvis to modern!

Names of dance moves in Something Good '08 video

dmo — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:12:38 -0800

Besides "running man" and "hammer dance", do you know the names of the dance moves in the video for Something Good '08 by Utah Saints?

Strip Clubs in Mississauga, Ontario.

LiquidKarma — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:57:51 -0800

Does anyone know of any good strip clubs in the Misissauga, Ontario area? (preferably with male dancers). I'm planning a bachelorette and need some help. I need some help! Also some suggestions on some good night clubs would be great. I don't get down to Mississauga often so I have no idea where to start.

A few questions related to Trance Music.

wildrain2008 — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:03:08 -0800

A few questions related to Trance Music. 1) What are the best clubs in NYC to listen to Trance, Progressive House and or Goa/Trance? Webster Hall used to have a rave room but that's dead..

2) I'm diving into the world of creating dance music myself, I got a few applications like Ableton Live and Floops, now I need a good starter keyboard. What's a good model that won't eat my wallet?

3) What is the biggest and the most up to date source for raves, and similar Trance music related events online today? Most of the stuff I find is from like 2005 and going back.

Lawyer referral needed!

anastasiav — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 07:28:39 -0800

Recommendations needed for an attorney who could assist a small dance troupe with some questions related to the use of music by a choreographer for public performance. I'm in Maine, but the attorney could be anywhere. We would prefer a couple of hours of pro-bono time, but could pay a reasonable fee. I'm on the Board of a very small, local dance company. We do pay an annual ASCAP license for music. One of our choreographers has been working on a wonderful show of dances which uses a single, complete classic rock album as its soundtrack. We have gotten permission from the record label (EMI) to use the recording (and their letter indicates that they actually consulted the artist before giving approval). However, the publisher replied to our request to use the music with a form email, and we've never heard another word from them. We then went back to EMI, who was able to give us a specific person to contact, but even with that info we've been unable to make contact with any real human at the publishing company. Multiple phone messages left, emails, postal mail - all gone unanswered since this form email.

At this point, we are hunting for an attorney who could assist us, either by reviewing our ASCAP license and the permissions we already have from EMI and giving us a formal opinion that we are within our rights to show this piece without the approval of the publisher, or who would somehow shake the publisher's tree and get them to respond, but we haven't been able to identify anyone locally (Portland, Maine) who knows enough about music licensing to be of assistance.

Typically, our ASCAP license would cover the use of individual songs, but our reading of the ASCAP fine print is that because we are using an album in its entirety as the background of a "dramatic work" that the terms of our ASCAP agreement may not cover that. We would also like to be able to promote the show as being set to [album name] as the soundtrack, rather than just saying "using the music of [band name]" and hoping everyone makes the connection between the title of the show and this band's most famous album.

FWIW, we're a very small dance company, all volunteer (no paid staff or dancers), and a registered 501(c)(3).

Any assistance, recommendation, or pointers to resources would be appreciated.

Best software for newbie DJ

wildrain2008 — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:52:35 -0800

Best software to start mxing and creating my own dance tracks? I've always been a fan of music especially downtempo/triophop/chill/trance and progressive house. I have some extra cash in my "hobbies" account and would love to start creating and mixing my own dance music and who knows where that will lead..

What is the best software/website/guide to start off with? The only stuff I've played around of the years was acid pro to fix mp3s that sounded a bit off.

All advice is welcome.

PS. one f my favorite dtemp hubs is www.somafm.com "fat free"

Help us dance at our wedding!

CrazyLemonade — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:43:28 -0800

My fiancé and I need some help with our first dance at our wedding. We're getting married soon (in a few days!) and we're both worried about the first dance (we chose "Just the way you are" by Billy Joel) because we don't really know how to dance and we can't find any place in town that gives *this* type of dancing lessons (just salsa and the like)...does anyone know about any online resources we could look at? Maybe some dancing tutorials on Youtube? A website with some instructions and tips?

Please help us avoid looking lame in front of our guests!

Dance Music By People Who Hate Dance Music

murphy slaw — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:02:14 -0800

I recently rediscovered the song "Man, It's So Loud In Here" by They Might Be Giants, and the delicious juxtaposition of the New Order/Pet Shop Boys pastiche of the music and the sardonic treatment of club culture in the lyrics leads me to my question: What are some other songs that sound like typical dance music but which have lyrics that are critical of dance music or club culture in general?

Where are the night dancers?

davebush — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:11:10 -0800

A few years ago, I saw a series of videos online, all featuring odd robotic time-shifted dancing within urban environments at night. I can't track them down. I recall a convenience store and a gas station. I'm also pretty sure the dancers were Asian. I really liked the atmosphere, colors and lighting of these pieces and want to see them again. Anyone know where I can find them? Bonus points for links to things with similar qualities.

How do I best submit my short film to as many festivals as possible?

Elle Vator — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:45:27 -0800

A comprehensive short-film festival submission calender: Does such a thing exist? I am in post production on a non-verbal short film. It could be considered a dance film (it involves dancers), an experimental film (in involves a woman going through a series of effect-driven physical transformations, breaking apart into many people and then coming back, whole and powerful) or a music video (it is the length of a song and the song is amazing) but I consider it to be a non-verbal dramatic narrative short about becoming who you are. It could be considered to be the story of any immigrant, anyone who has gone through adolescence or experienced a spiritual/physical transformation.

It is the best thing I have ever made in terms of production values and I want to submit it to all the festivals I can. It is the type of film that may garner awards in the right forums. Is there a resource - a website, perhaps - that lists all the festivals looking for short content and their deadlines?

I would also be interested if anyone has any tips as to how I could seek out international distribution. The lyrics of the song are not in English or French (Portuguese, in fact), though the production is based in Canada. You don't need to understand the words in order to get the meaning of the piece. What that means to me is that this film has global distribution potential.

Thoughts?

Identify the legend: How Shiva tricked the human soul to jump into a body.

andreinla — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:13:17 -0800

I am trying to identify/verify the existence of a legend told to me by a friend. Goes something like this: Human soul, free of body for some reason.

Shiva to soul: Go back into body!

Human soul: No way, I am not going back to this trap of suffering and pain and ignorance! I want to be freeeeeee!

Shiva: Go!

Soul: No!

Shiva starts playing flute.

Soul wants to dance but has no body!

Soul: Damn it!, Jumps into the body so it can dance.

Shiva: Who's your daddy now, bizatchi!

Soul in body, dancing: Ai ai ai ai ai!

The End.

Identify legend, please! Could be another god, we all know Indians have lots of them!

We Can't Dance If We Want To (Yet)

blapst — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:03:14 -0800

WeddingDance Filter: Need recommendations for a place to take dance lessons in NYC. Bonus points if it's close or convenient to Park Slope. The lady and I are getting married. I like dancing, and can fake my way through ballroom and swing stuff. She's not a big dancer, and is very hard to lead (she always tried to guess where she'll be lead, and invariably guesses wrong). We need a good place to learn social ballroom basics. And as much as I'd love to learn salsa, mambo, or merengue, I guarantee our first song won't be in one of those styles, so no places that teach exclusively Latin dances.

Anyone have a good and long reggae playlist that will have people up and dancing all night?

turkishLola — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:36:05 -0800

Anyone have a good and long reggae playlist that will have people up and dancing all night?

Pole dancing class in New York City

mylittlehipster — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 11:15:44 -0800

I'm looking for a good pole dancing class in New York City. I'm not interested in "cardio striptease" or any other aerobics class with a sexy name. I want to learn how to do cool tricks on a stripper pole, and I'd like to start learning those tricks in the very first class. Any suggestions?

Crazy legs filter

roofus — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 07:34:24 -0800

How difficult would it be to learn to windmill and headspin like a breaker? Context: I'm 6'0", 185lbs, moderately unfit, reasonably good at balance sports, but with no experience of break dancing or gymnastics.

I'm curious as to whether this might take 10-100 hours of practice, or more like 100-1000 hours, and whether the learning process could be speeded up by going to a class.

Saxy Miami Dance Song

i love cheese — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:40:03 -0800

What was the dance song I heard this week on Miami radio that had a few sax notes in the chorus? I was driving around Florida this week, and in the Miami area (but not near Tampa or Orlando), I kept hearing a catchy dance song on the radio. The female singer was singing with either an island accent or in Spanish, and during the chorus there were a few sax notes. What was it?

Where are all the cool dancers?

sully75 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 08:51:55 -0800

Where are all the interesting dancers? I'm working on a photography project. It's pretty simple. I go to a place where a dance is happening, set up a backdrop and shoot portraits of the dancers in the back of the hall. I did a proof of concept kind of thing at a contra dance here in Maine and it went pretty well.

I'm looking to do this in other locations with other styles of dance. My interest is generally in couples dancing and how dance builds community.

I need to find more cool dances and dance halls to photograph in.

Plus points for
1) Being within reasonable driving distance of Maine (but not necessarilly, I may travel)
2) Locations in NY (I may try to spend some time there getting to as many dances as I can)
3) Other locations where I might catch more than one kind of dancing by travelling there
4) stuff I have never heard/have heard of but don't know anything about...like...I don't know...a migrant laborer dance hall? Or a weird hall in the middle of nowhere that does polkas. Whatever you got (or have heard of)

I'd take any and all suggestions for this. I'm looking to broaden my mind on the subject. If something seems to obvious, please don't hesitate to let me know anyway.

Help me give the gift of dance

Zaximus — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:06:33 -0800

My girlfriend has made it pretty clear she wants dancing lessons for Christmas. Any recommendations for the San Jose, CA area? Google lists plenty of places where we can learn how to dance, but I'd like to make sure that the place I pick is of high quality and was hoping that some Mefi members living near the bay could help me out with some top picks. There is no way I can go visit each place beforehand to check it out, and I'd still like to retain some of the surprise so I can't have her check it out either. Some additional info:

* Any kind of partner dance would be ok, but I think we are shooting for Dancing with the Stars-ish ballroom.

* I live in Fremont, she lives in Santa Clara. Since it is her present and my working hours can go a lot later than hers, I'd like to pick a spot closer to her so that if I have to bail she can still go by herself.

* Small-ish group lessons are ideal - see above.

Thanks for your help!

Help me find my daughter's perfect dance dress...

jwhowa — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:39:42 -0800

I am looking for a particular kind of skirt to give my daughter for Christmas. She's a dancer, and she's looking for a particular black dress with a ragged hemline (angular, or slanted, I'm not sure what to call it). We have seen them all over the place on other girls, but never FOUND one on the web or in stores. Picture inside.

This is the style and fabric she's wanting, but instead of a whole dress, she wants just a skirt, and instead of purple, she wants black.

Can you help me hive mind? Buying online is the ideal solution if I could find such a beast. Any help greatly appreciated!