I was scouring the intertubes to see what is already out there for information about techniques for editing music for dance routines destined for competition. I came across an excellent PDF by a dance dad in Oregon named Jim Lambertson, aimed at other dance moms and dads, but really, it’s great for dance studio owners and dance teachers as well.
Here’s the page where you can download this 3-page PDF called Music for Dance Competitions. It’s a good read, and quick too. Here’s an excerpt:
Music Quality
Music quality isn’t scored at competitions because it isn’t considered to be a creative element of a dancer’s performance. This outlook is somewhat ironic because, as you will discover in this article, a great deal of creativity is needed to produce high quality dance music.Why Quality is Important
If music quality isn’t judged at competitions, why should dancers be concerned about the quality of their dance music? Music quality is important because the dance music is part of a dancer’s overall presentation, and every dancer’s goal is to put forth the best possible presentation.
Although music is not explicitly judged, it can definitely influence scoring. Pops and clicks, muffled music and poor splices all serve to distract the judges and give the impression that a performance is somehow less than professional. In fact, the better the music quality, the more attention the dancer, rather than the music, will receive from the judges and audience.