Tag Archives: song edit

Music for gymnastics floor routines

Just got done mixing my first song for a gymnastics floor routine. While I have years of experience with editing music for dance, there are some unique challenges posed by the requirements of gymnastic floor routines. Music can be no longer than 1:30, and at some levels, 1:10 or 1:00 is required. The other major consideration is that the music must be an instrumental with no voice or vocals on the track.

My client requested a version of my Drive Remix specifically for her gymnastic student’s floor routine, and I was only too happy to deliver a final mix within hours of her order.

Dance competition length songs

Today, this site received several hits from people searching for “dance competition length songs.” So perhaps a bit of explanation is needed if you are new to the world of dance competitions.

Most dance competitions have a time limit for routines. For most studios and competitions, the maximum length is three minutes exactly. However, other studios or competitions might have a 2:30-minute time maximum, and some recitals have a two-minute duration maximum.

So how do you find great dance songs for competition if most songs are 3:30 or longer? How is it that Lady Gaga’s Pokerface is 3:57, yet this song has been used by countless competition dancers?

The answer is in editing. A skillful music editor can cut parts out of a song, and make it seamless to the listener by using a few professional skills. A good music editor can do this by understanding and analyzing song structure, making edits at zero-crossing points, using crossfades, and adding reverb where necessary. Sometimes a verse and/or chorus can be cut out, other times a long intro can be shortened. In still other cases, repeated sections can be cut out. Sometimes all of these things need to be performed in order to make the song optimal for a dance routine. Knowing EXACTLY where and when to cut out parts of a song is a skill that takes years of music knowledge and experience to do well.

So the next time you hear a song that would be fantastic for your next competition routine, but find out that the song is four minutes long, don’t despair! Just let me know what song you want, and I will edit it down to competition length for you! Check out my services here.

If you limit your song choices to only songs that are less than three minutes long, you are limiting yourself to a tiny fraction of the great songs that can be used for dance! So don’t make your choice based on the length of the song. Choose the song you want, and then have a professional edit it to the right length for the dance routine.

Free song edit winners announced!

Congratulations to the winners of the FREE song edit from Squirrel Trench Audio, given away during Dance Advantage’s Spring Fever Giveaway week!

The three winners have been selected. They are: Jennifer Berg from Song and Dance Studio in Wesley Chapel, Florida; Vivette Ashen-Brenner of Vivette’s Dance Studio in Salina, Kansas; and Meghan Seaman of On Stage Dance Studio in Stratford, Ontario, in Canada. All three winners will be utilizing their free music edits for songs to be used in the upcoming 2011-2012 dance season.