Tag Archives: Squirrel Trench

Welcome Dance Studio Life readers

I am pleased to welcome readers of Rhee Gold’s fabulous magazine Dance Studio Life. If you opened up to the inside back page (the Dance bag) section, you may have seen Squirrel Trench’s very first print ad, reproduced here.

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to find this web site! Squirrel Trench Audio has been serving dance studios in North America and worldwide since 2011. (more background here.) We create lyrically cleaned-edits and edits crafted specifically for choreography, of your favorite songs, as well as custom mixes for dance studios, pom teams, gymnasts, figure skaters, fitness competitors, pole athletes, and vocal competitors.

We have an archive of more than 1,000 song edits and remixes, of which 400 are listed here: Squirrel Trench Archives.

We also take custom edit and mix requests; however, due to popularity, we currently have a large backlog of music work. Requests from the archives are fulfilled immediately however. For more information, please email me: morriss@squirreltrenchaudio.com.

 

Squirrel Appreciation Day!

squirrel-jazz-hands-iconGuess what day it is? GUESS. WHAT. DAY. IT. IS! It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day! (No, I have never heard of that before either, but I guess it’s really a thing.)

In honor of Squirrel Appreciation Day, it is our turn to appreciate YOU, our fabulous clients who keep Squirrel Trench Audio busy with all of your custom music editing and remixing requests! And to show our appreciation to you, we are giving away a FREE edit of Colbie Caillat’s beautiful song “Try”, which is perfect for a lyrical dance. Get your FREE copy of Try right here on Legitmix:

Get more Squirrel Trench remixes at Legitmix

Congrats to Joleen’s Starz of the South

Starz of the SouthA huge congratulations to Joleen’s Starz of the South studio who took home some serious hardware from the NYLA Dance Nationals in Biloxi Mississippi from June 12-15. “Music of the Night” featured a five-minute-plus Squirrel Trench-mixed soundtrack for this production number. In addition to Music of the Night, Starz of the South won in many other categories with routines featuring Squirrel Trench edited and mixed music, including Oceans, a Baseball-themed mix, My Flawz, Egyptian Style, Dirty Laundry, and Crazy in Love. Three additional special numbers were: a remix of Lady Gaga’s Applause, a moving 9-11 tribute, and a NYC street drumming scene. Here are the complete results from Starz of the South’s Nationals.

Here’s what studio owner Joleen had to say:

“We absolutely loved all of our music you created for us. 🙂 Music of the Night won an overall highest scoring group/production and 1st place at Nationals. All of our music sounded amazing and we received great judges comments on all of our mixes and cuts. Thanks again!”

– Joleen Sanders, studio owner
Starz of the South, Vancleave MS,
July 5, 2014

Clean your dance, clean your music

clean_music_by_fatihakgungorCompetition season for dancers is here in earnest. This past weekend featured two studios utilizing Squirrel Trench music for their routines at the same competition (27 routines!). We’re thrilled to report a slew of 1st Places, Platinum, High Golds and Overalls were garned by these dedicated and hardworking dancers and choreographers.

Now that we’re in the competition phase of the year, don’t forget to clean your music at the same time you’re cleaning your routines and costumes. If there is a hiccup, jump, skip, mis-matched beat in your music, or section of music that is too soft, or not punchy enough, too fast or too slow, it’s not too late to get it fixed in time for the next regionals competition.

Already, Squirrel Trench Audio has helped dance teachers and studio owners get higher scores for their routines in a number of ways. For one tap number, the dancers were rushing too fast for the music. Solution? Speed up the music. For another studio, the routine was receiving deductions for inappropriate language. Solution? Inappropriate language obscured through clever remixing by Squirrel Trench. For another studio, the music they were using was too soft compared to all the other music being used. Solution? Brought up to current loudness levels by Squirrel Trench through a process known as mastering.

We know that many dance teachers and studios cut their own music. One of the potential pitfalls to self-cut music is that in the course of rehearsing the number five hundred times, any mistakes or hiccups eventually sound normal, just because you become used to hearing it that way. Of course, the judges will be hearing it for the first time, and if there is a hiccup, skip, jump or any other strangeness in the audio, it detracts from the polish you’ve worked so hard to achieve with your students.

So find a friend who can listen to your competition music with fresh ears. If they hear something that doesn’t sound right, send it my way to get it fixed in time for your next Regionals, so that you’ve got it the best it can be in time for Nationals. If you have something that needs fixing, use this Online Request Form, or email me at: morriss@squirreltrenchaudio.com

Related articles: Time to Fix Things UpPump Up The VolumeFix Your Music in Time for Nationals

Rhythm Dance Company lights up Worcester

Yesterday I had the treat of seeing four performances by Rhythm Dance Company in the DanceXplosion regional in Worcester, Massachusetts, that used Squirrel Trench Audio original remixes and edits. It was a great pleasure meeting studio owner and choreographer Nicole Newman Kelley in person after working with her via email for the past several months to get her routines’ music produced.

Today’s spectacular RDC group numbers included:

  • Valerie ’68 by Amy Winehouse (small group jazz)
  • Get On the Floor, an original hip hop remix featuring On The Dancefloor with will.i.am (large group hip hop)
  • Glamourous, a rockin medley which starts with a cover of Glamourous Life (large group jazz)
  • Rhythm Nation, an original remix of the Janet Jackson classic (Production Line)

Congratulations to RDC on spectacular performances for these songs and all of the others performed this weekend.

Rhythm Dance Company wins Platinums at StarQuest

Rhythm Dance Company logoMore congratulations are in order for Nicole Newman Kelley and the dancers of Rhythm Dance Company for high gold and platinum-winning performances at the StarQuest regional in Providence, Rhode Island three weeks ago. RDC uses Squirrel Trench Audio original remixes and edits for their group numbers (and a few solos) this season, and highlights from the StarQuest competition include:

Solos:

  • First Time Ever I Saw Your FaceSara Graham – Platinum, 2nd Place Lyrical Age 14 & 6th Overall Select Teen Solo
  • The GivingAllie Davis – High Gold

Groups:

  • Shake Your Tail FeatherPetite Large Group Jazz – Platinum, 1st Overall Classic Petite Large Group
  • Work Me DownJunior Small Group Jazz – Platinum, 2nd Overall Select Junior Small Group, Judges Special Award: Awesome Attack, Choreography Award
  • Valerie ’68Teen Small Group – Platinum
  • Cali LoveJunior Large Group Hip Hop – Gold, Costume Recognition
  • Girls in SpaceJunior Large Group Hip Hop – High Gold, 4th Overall Select Junior Large Group, Petite/Junior Odyssey Award for Entertainment
  • Glamorous LifeTeen Large Group – Platinum
  • Get On The FloorTeen Large Group Hip Hop – High Gold
  • Rhythm NationTeen Line Production – Platinum, 2nd Overall Select Teen Line, Costume Recognition, Choreography Award

Full results can be found here on the RDC site and here on the StarQuest site. Congratulations RDC dancers! Keep up the great work!