Before Lady Gaga Came to Town: A World Dance Music List*

Music and dance go hand-in-hand. Everyone has her/his song list. Here's a sample set of world dance music before Lady Gaga became famous.

There's natural symbiosis between music and dance. 

Image courtesy of infoblitz.co.nz

With or without words, music always captures human emotions. It also shows human ingenuity. It can influence one's moods, dreams, and choices in life. And yes, it is music that can lead one to move. As Mark Changizi (2010) writes: "Music is evocative because it sounds like human behaviors, many which are expressive in their nature. Music gets us dancing because we social apes are prone to mimic the movements of others."

There are plenty of dance music around that can just make you either nod or head bang, snap your fingers or stomp your feet, sway your hips or lift your arms to touch the air, or make your body feel its tempo or lyrics of the song - and just dance.

Sans some contemporary dance tunes like those of Lady Gaga's, here's a global bunch of music that one can dance to and can use to escape reality, or to forget inhibitions, or to reflect.

Reminiscing Filipino 90s music

The late Francis Magalona was a league of his own when he penned and performed most, if not all, of his songs. One can easily sing and move to the groovy Girl Be Mine and reflective Kaleidoscope World. He may not have been as famous as Michael Jackson, but Magalona was also a great artist. 

The Jerks' Sayaw sa Bubog (Dance on Broken Glass) and Reklamo ng Reklamo (Endless Whining) depict Philippine socio-cultural and political realities.

Pinikpikan's Kalipay (Happiness) and Una Kaya (First You Can) are indigenously crafted.

Reggae defines Tropical Depression's Bilog na Naman ang Buwan (It's Full Moon Again), Ala-Ala (Memories), and Kapayapaan (Peace).

Eraserheads' daydreaming travelogue Overdrive is a feast to youthful ears.

A mixed collection of Western music

Karl Jenkin's Palladio and Requiem Dies Irae, as well as Rodrigo y Gabriela's Orion and word-laden EmineM's Loose Yourself are done with much passion, inviting a dancer to be as passionate too.

Tunes for interpretative dancing includes Sinead O'Connor's You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart, Black Boys on Mopeds, Last Day of Our Acquaintance, Bono and Gavin Friday's Irish music-inspired In the Name of the Father, Madonna's Rain and Frozen, Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes, Bruce Springsteen's Human Touch, Fire, and Tunnel of Love, and Tears for Fears' Woman in Chains.

The following rock classics, some with cutting-edge and progressive lyrics, are good for head banging, torso swaying, hip shaking, rhythmic clapping, and other forms of freestyle dancing:

• On the Dark Side (Eddie and the Cruisers)

• Bittersweet Symphony (The Verve)

• Lullaby (Rock-a-bye) (Shawn Mullins)

• Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand (Primitive Radio Gods)

• Betterman and Daughter (Pearl Jam)

• 3 AM and Push (Matchbox Twenty)

• Don't You Forget about Me and Alive and Kicking (Simple Minds)

• Beautiful Girl and Disappear (INXS)

• Pride, Angel of Harlem, and All I Want is You (U2)

• Name, Slide, and Iris (Goo Goo Dolls)

The late Michael Jackson leads the pack of pop dance music artists with Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make Me Feel, They Don't Care About Us, Human Nature, and Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’. His sister Janet adds Love Can Never Do Without You, Alright, Together Again, Runaway, and Escapade to the list.

Annie Lennox/Eurythmics hits the same genre with Walking on Broken Glass, There Must Be an Angel, and Here Comes the Rain Again.

One can also dance to woman-friendly No Scrubs and Unpretty by TLC, as well as Ani DiFranco's 32 Flavors. Ditto with Tracy Chapman's Revolution and Give Me One Reason, as well as Arrested Development's thought-provoking Mr. Wendal, spiritual Tennessee, and clashing Everyday People.

Dance is freedom

There are millions of other danceable songs around the globe, including ballroom pieces, Motown hits, and tribal compositions. With various techniques, dance shows how body movements could merge with words and melodies. The art itself creates a space for expression, as well as a source of freedom for anyone who just wants to dance.

Source:

Changizi, Mark. 2010. What Must a Theory of Music Explain? (accessed October 23, 2010).

*This piece was previously published on Suite101. The author credits the artists and musicians in the list, along with their respective record producers and supporters who uploaded videos of their work on YouTube.com.