Is someone in a position to tell me if the music is given to the professional or do they choose from a selection?
I understand that there's is a lot of recycling....I mean the BBC will not pay extra royalties if they don't have to but if judges are going to mark partially on music choices then I would like to think it's a level playing field.
X

I don't know but think much of the music is pretty bad, in that it doesn't often really go with the dance. I wish they'd have something with a definite Cha Cha beat for a Cha Cha for example. The music for Artem and Holly's foxtrot was a poor choice

Difference in opinion.

Years back someone on here quoted from an early SCD annual that the music was the producer's choice.

The BBC's line is that it's the professional and celebrities' choice.
I've always suggested it's a "choice" from a short list provided by the producer, in an attempt to achieve a balance.
But some are so awful that no pro would choose them, so I guess the last word is from the producer.

In contrast, I reckon the music for the Swingathon was Dave Arch's choice, the best dance music of the evening.

A while back (like years ago, not weeks or months) there was a behind the scenes thing that explained the song selection. Basically it said the professional and celebrity submitted their song choices for whatever dance it was. Then a decision is made by the producer, then they are provided with a song - it could be one of their choices or it could be one the producer has chosen instead.

This one year quite a number of the professional dancers had submitted a certain chart song and they said it was a way of monitoring who used what and to best effect. I can't remember what song it was (I think it may have been Lady Gaga) but I imagine that happens every year to be honest.

Totally agree, it was lovely to hear wonderful music used appropriately. The music this series has been such a big disappointment for me as I think to do a truly great dance, the music has to be fabulous too. The worst culprit for me so far has been Harry & Aliona's salsa to I'm Still Standing!! I mean, seriously, what was they thinking???

Holly and Artem's choice tonight was abysmal

Music? There was music? I must've missed it. Damn.

The pros definitely can put their own suggestions forward, but I don't think it is always possible for them to be used. I think if they haven't got anything specific in mind though they get one picked for them.

Flavia asks on Twitter for song suggestions etc, and it was my suggestion they used for Halloween week ...'Better the Devil You Know'

I think they probably picked most of their own songs as Russell loves music so they had a pretty clear idea of what songs they liked and hoped to use.

I thought the majority of last week's choices were pretty abysmal (Come On Eileen and Let Me Entertain You spring to mind in particular).

I totally agree, and think it may have affected the way their dance was received! I think the choice of music was pretty abysmal all round tonight, to be honest (apart from the Charlestons which were traditional) . We often have to turn it down, then up for the comments!!
Would really like to see a quickstep done to traditional music too- and I'm not Len!

I think the poor music choices will continue until the end of this series, the ratings are good, so the BBC will take the attitude "if it ain't broke why fix it?"

I think the Charleston music choices have been good and I loved the music to Chelsee's AT. I like a lot of the music that's been chosen, but I don't necessarily think they suit the dance they're chosen for.

No, it was worse than that. Completely inappropriate music, far too powerful for a gentle dance that they somehow managed to do very well. The music ruined the impact of their performance and could even cost them their place in the competition if htey lose public support.

Thanks all for your comments xx
It has left me wondering though that if it is the Pro's choice then why choose music that has already been used? I'm thinking Aliona's choice of I'm still standing for a salsa????? Especially when it holds a special place in the SCD hall of fame. I also wonder why when dancing a really beat reliant dance like the Cha Cha or Samba that they don't choose something that would help their Sleb 'get into it' a bit more.
Sorry didn't want to pick on Aliona there but it was the obvious example to choose, I am loving Harry

Ironically, they often have much better songs on the cringeworthy VTs! It was great last night to hear Grace Jones's disco-dynamite 'I Need A Man', during Chelsea and Pasha's obligatorily embarrassing charade. Didn't think I'd ever hear that in public again!

The choice of music has spoilt SCD for me this year. Truly abysmal! I yearn for traditional music to return.

but it wasn't broke before and they still decided to fix it. Which they have - good and proper. Ruined it.

The music choices have been poor this year... and the re-using of songs from iconic dances (I'm still standing - Jill and Darren's jive music) and from such recent series' (Jason's Charleston Music was Anton and Laila's from 2 series ago) is, as Len would say, getting on my wick! I get that eventually they'll have to reuse songs but they shouldn't use them again so soon as in Jason's case, or as in Harry's case, where the music was from something so memorable.

Hope I've articulated that well...

You've articulated very well.

But anyone with a knowledge of the classic "standards" would tell you that there's never a need to repeat any tune, there are so many of them.

For example Susannah McCorkle a singer (I guess known to only a few on here, if any), in the style of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan etc.,and the forties big bands, was reputed to have a repertoire of over 3,000 songs. She wouldn't have been on her own.

There's no problem obtaining the sheet music of tunes written in the last seventy-odd years, it can be downloaded from music publishers internet sites in an instance for a pittance these days.

Here's an example, I picked at random, of Susannah singing "proper dance music."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_LF-g7-FPA

Few of what I call the classic dance band tunes are ever chosen.
The swingathon was the exception when I think it was three "big band" tunes were played, for me the best music of the night.
This is a programme for those who are entertained by ballroom dancing, the BBC are trying to make it like the X-Factor.

There really isn't any need to repeat songs. There are plenty of songs out there for them to use!

Also, repeating of songs really isn't common. I've noticed it done a few times over the years, it's just that Darren and Jill's jive is a piece of SCD history so everybody was rather agog when the music kicked in!

Brendan said on Zoe's Radio 2 show some weeks ago that sometimes they pick their own, hear songs throughout the year etc and think oh that will be good for something, and other times its the producers, it depends on themes and what the show is after i guess

It was so bad I couldnt concentrate on the dancing! all I could hear was SCREECH SCREECH it sounded like two tomcats fighting their way out of a sack. Please dont ever do that to me again Dave Arch. Thank you x

..... what he said

Having watched DTWS semi final last week, I have to say that, however cheesy it was, the music used for Rob's CCC and Ricki's Samba in particular, made a real statement of the dance.... something we should perhaps steal from our American friends rather than the crappy VTs and vague choreography we've had to endure this series of SCD

The song in question was Duffy's 'Mercy' - a few of them submitted it, and in the end it was approved for Ola's catsuit chacha with Andrew Castle.

Alesha used to post about choosing songs on facebook. She chose 'Heaven' for her foxtrot, IIRC. And we all know Artem chose the Swan Lake score for his AS with Holly.

Kristina was in The Mail on Saturday yesterday and she said that the pro dancers choose their own music for each dance. So that appears to be that !