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Picking jazz music to dance to is a very personal thing. I would like to share a little bit with you about how I do it. I remember growing up in South Jersey, but I would always go to visit my grandfather down in Florida. He was a huge big band man, he was a fan, a big fan. He would play Artie Shaw and Sing, Sing, Sing and just a million things and that driving drum beat just kind of got into my soul a little bit. So a lot of the jazz music that I like to pick has that sort of swinging feel to it. Music that has a nice fluid melody to it, such as, Feeling Good, Feeling Good, just makes me feel good. And it moves your body and your soul in a way that I think is really special. So when you’re picking music, it should be something, as a choreographer that definitely moves you in that way. I’ve recently choreographed a piece at the New York Jazz Choreography Project at the Alvin Ailey and I created an entire Edda James tribute. Some of her music is just so beautiful, you know from, At Last, to Smokestack Mountain, to another song that she sang was This Is a Man’s World. Her voice is filled with soul and filled with power and that’s something that moves me as a choreographer. You know, when I hear passion in someone’s voice, that’s exciting to me when you’re picking music. I think that should be something that you should think about as well. Also music is that’s just, you know, fun and exciting, another song that I just love is, Black Betty, ‘Whoa, Black Betty’ it’s like something that just sort of drives you and you can be excited about. Also, Ella Fitzgerald is just another fave of mine so. You know, listen to it and see what moves you and that’s my advice.
