Tag Archives: medley

Pixie Hollow unveiled

After months of rehearsal, Pixie Hollow, a dance routine choreographed by Lesley Lambert featuring a music creation of mine has finally premiered at competition. Pixie Hollow started with a concept by Lesley for a character dance centered around the theme of Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. She then searched out several songs on the theme, including Fly To Your Heart and Magic by Selena Gomez and Never Never Land by Jane Monheit, which I mixed along with other music and audio elements to form the soundtrack for the piece.

Here’s the music for Pixie Hollow, along with a couple of glimpses of the costumes backstage:

Pixie Hollow has been performed at three regional competitions to date: Headliners in Lowell MA, Star Systems in Worcester MA, and Onstage New York in Springfield MA. Each performance was great, and the dancers continue to improve and refine their techniques. At its premier at Headliners, it won a High Silver and was invited to go on to the US Dance Team Finals at their Nationals; at Star Systems it won a High Gold; and at Onstage New York it won a Gold and 6th place overall in its age group. Not bad for a group of 8-11 year olds!

If you’d like to hear another Squirrel Trench Remix, check out my remix of Incubus’ Drive. If you’re interested in a having a custom remix created for your studio or your dancers, feel free to contact me; I’d love to create something just as unique for you!

World Premier of Pixie Hollow

The world premier of my song remix titled Pixie Hollow will happen tomorrow afternoon at Lowell Auditorium at the Headliners Regional Competition. Lesley Lambert, Assistant Director at nationally recognized dance studio, is leading her group of mini’s in a character dance. The Pixie Hollow medley features several parts, including spoken voice, light & airy synthesizers, and a couple of rocking Selena Gomez tracks. The effect should be magical! I’m extremely excited to see this debut tomorrow.

Update:  You can now hear Pixie Hollow and get a few glimpses backstage at the costumes here: Pixie Hollow unveiled

Selecting songs for dance competition

Looking for a fantastic song for your next dance routine? You’ve come to the right place. Check out our listings of great songs for dance routines in the styles of:  Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, Contemporary, Musical Theater, and Kid-Friendly Hip Hop. You can also browse our Legitmix catalog below. If you have a song that needs to be edited for dance competition or recital, Squirrel Trench Audio is ready to get it done for you. Click here for a custom remix order form.

What makes a good song choice for dance competitions?

• a great beat
• appropriate tempo
• fits the dance student
• fits the style of dance
• the teacher enjoys it too (since he/she is going to hear it 500 times during rehearsals!)
• it’s not overused in dance competitions and recitals

How can you find songs that are off the beaten path? Here are several ways:

• Check out the Song Selections for various dance styles on this site
• Go to iTunes or iTunes radio, and find songs you like. Browse other songs and artists that iTunes suggests are similar
• Go to Spotify or Pandora.com and start a new “channel” with a song you like, and see what songs it puts into the playlist of that channel
• Go to dance.net and check out song ideas offered by other dance teachers, or dancemom.com

You can also find songs and unique remixes with cleaned lyrics, already edited (cut) to routine length in Squirrel Trench’s Legitmix catalog:

Get more Squirrel Trench remixes at Legitmix

Happy dancing!

Incubus – Drive Remix

Here’s our latest remix, designed specifically for you to choreograph your next contemporary dance routine bound for competition. It combines three different versions of Incubus’ song Drive, including one by Vitamin String Quartet. Check it out! The only thing that’s missing is your choreography! If you like what you hear, email me.

For another sample of my remix work, check out Pixie Hollow, a remix for a character dance.