What is it about trying to engage young people. They have a huge audience of ballroom dancing fans, just play to that! Who cares if the 'young' people don't like the music - contrary to popular media hype, young people are NOT the centre of the universe!

Can you imagine a programme on angling or water colour painting with White Snake belting out in the background? Nope... so why do we have to have completely inappropriate choices for Strictly.

It really annoys me as this used to be my aged parents programme to look forward to each week, but now they're being alienated and are really upset that they've lost a show they loved.

And another thing - if they REALLY want to get the younger ones viewing they'll have to get rid of Bruce cos I don't know a single person under 30 who thinks he's funny.


*steps down off soap box*

Craig, Bruno and probably Darcey have an excuse for keeping quiet on this controversial subject because none of them has a sound background in ballroom and latin dancing. That's why you'll never see Craig and Bruno doing an elegant Slow Foxtrot.

Len Goodman has no excuse for condoning this rubbish music and one can only conclude that he has sold ballroom dancing down the river for his own self-aggrandisement!

Sad really because the programme could be so much better!

No no the worst ever musical choice by a clear mile IMHO was this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DtNZq7mmwk

The band couldn't sing it as they aren't wailing banshees and it just didn't match any dance form other than shaking one's ass drunkenly at 2am. Poor Mark.....

Totally agree with you about Bruce - but speaking as a 50+ who hasn't got a musical note in her body I like the use of "pop" tunes I recognise - whether they be a year or 40 years' old (and so does my mother!) Quite frankly if all they used were "proper" paso, tango etc music - it wouldn't just be the younger generation switching off.

Obviously the Beeb make a few mistakes - but on the whole I like the music!

great post. I, too, find the music choices baffling. Okay, of course the show needs a good balance of music that will have all-age appeal, but surely the primary criteria should be 'can you dance to it?' Ride my bicycle was a joke. And I honestly can't imagine that the 'yoof' market whom the BBC spends it's life chasing are going to tune in because they've heard a rumour that Dave Arch is going to murder White Snake!

People on here probably know my views on Dave Arch and his band of wailers - not that it is his fault; I expect he plays what he's told to.
I'm from the old school of dancing that requires the music to reflect the dance being danced, as this complements or can enhance that dance routine.
Most of SCD's music is totally unsuited to the routines and when watching I find it totally detracts from the dance idiom and in fact looks and sounds ridiculous. The wailing only adds to this, I'm afraid to say. However, I expect the kiddywinks and popsicles forming the majority of the viewing audience probably enjoy it. Not meant for old fogies like myself.

Do they? Has anyone done done an analysis of the viewing audience in terms of age? I find it hard to believe that youngsters of today watch this show.

The dancing on your video clip may have been not up to much but a good Samba dancer could dance to that music without too much of a problem. Which is more than can be said for Brendon's Paso Doble 'danced' to the most unsuitable music ever!

Loads of youngsters of today watch Strictly Come Dancing its one of the few shows today that gets the whole familly around the TV.

Oh don't get me wrong I don't mind the pop stuff as long as its relevant to the dance, or at least carries a hint of the atmosphere and nuances of the dance. It seems that now they're picking the music and then thinking of how they can get someone to dance to it. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when Brendan was being given his music for his Paso....

It feels like they're still trying to think of ways to sell the programme to a new market without satisfying their existing customers. A bit like those offers for 'new customers only', the rest of us can go to hell on a hand cart!

Exactly!

I think there is a disproportionate emphasis on modern tunes, the balance is all wrong given not so much the age of the core audience but the suitability of some modern tunes for ballroom dancing. If the BBC want to "engage" a younger audience, give 'em their own shows on BBC3,
Hang on a minute ! They've got 'em!

I could pick so many classic tunes that could be used.
I'd put money on the fact that a lot of the younger generation will never have heard them and may be surprised that they actually enjoy them, as they aren't played on any other TV programme, or on radio shows that young people would know about.

I'll leave you with Richard Rodgers, Plenty more like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_Yc4XCl6gs

I couldn't agree more with most of the above sentiments. I find it extraordinary that a show such as this can be ruined by ill chosen music just to appease a pop culture audience or age group who are supposedly watching.
When, on the odd occasion, a conventional tune has been played, it makes a world of difference to the routine and the dancers and music become as on, so to speak.
Most noticeable, is the ill chosen music selected for the Viennese waltzes and the Paso Dobles. The less we say about the Rumba the better, as since my dancing days, this dance has become unrecognisable to me, being just a procession of poses.

Two great posts. I cannot understand the disproportionate importance placed on a minority 'yoof' audience who are actually being patronised by the assumption that they cannot udnerstand, appreciate or enjoy music that suits the dance.

Your comments hit the nail on the head and should be compulsory reading for the producers and judges of this programme who, through fear or ignorance, are alienating the real world of ballroom and latin dance.

As for the music for the Viennese Waltz - utterly laughable!
Apart from being totally unsuitable it's much too slow. The tempo should be 60bpm. It's a bright, quick, revolving waltz and should not be danced to music suitable for a crematorium.

And three cheers for Doghouse Riley - he should be appointed director of music. Better music equals better dancing - and better dancing equals better viewing. It's not rocket science!

I'm not a fan at all, but I don't think anyone else could have done that much better with the music she was given. They could have been technically better. However it's literally impossible to convey passion/intensity with a song like that. Victoria did well to manage a frown.

Absolutely. It is hard to think of a tune more difficult to perform any dance to.

Not to mention the ridiculous long sleeved string vest Mark was wearing. Blokes should be dressed in clothes that they would be prepared to go to a wedding or a party in.

If it just about ratings, then follow the ratings on

http://www.alexa.com/topsites

Many of the top sites are porn. OK maybe they have.done just that and lightened it a bit.

There has to be a happy medium between only trad music being used (which I'm sorry would get a tad boring) and music which was is in the wrong rhythm for the dance - maybe it needs to left to the pros or have someone who knocks a damn site more than the producers do about what a dance can be danced to. Non trad music does work - Goldeneye - When Doves Cry - Sweet Dreams - Smiley Faces - Maneater - Seven Nation Army - Cry Me a River - Songbird - You Do Something to Me - Live and Let Die - I'm Still Standing - add others to the list at will as pop songs that have worked beautifully with the dance they were danced to.

I don't think Len knows what self-aggrandisement means. Will it increase the size of his walnuts?

I loved Alesha's showdance to Bonnie Tyler, I still get goosebumps when I see that.

I also love the viennese waltz that's on YouTube, to December from the film Anastasia.

Edited to add: This one is the most beautiful viennese waltz ever as far as I'm concerned http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQzc7...eature=related.


They don't have to be traditional and classic, they've just got to have the right beat and be appropriate. Is that really too much to ask?

I love opera but IMHO there hasn't been a decent opera for 100 years. Also much of the best music for the dances on SCD was written before I was born.

So nothing to do with the age of the viewer. Just choose the appropriate music.

Oh and there is plenty of current salsa music that can be played to the salsa. And not the samba - there is current samba music as well.

Most pop music has a different beat to salsa and samba. It just does not fit.

If they want dancing to pop music - well they've been doing that for years. So why ruin a good genre with unsuitable music?

Just watched it - ten on the goose bump scale. And how lovely not to have an audience whooping and hollering. Fab, thank-you.

That made me a bit teary Very beautiful indeed. Did you see the speed of those heel turns at 2mins into the video? Blimey! And two super fast fleckerls just before that as well! When the music started with the 'likkle girl' voice I nearly stopped watching but so pleased I carried on because as we've been saying - it was right for the dance, even though nowhere near traditional.

Just popped in to say Dancing with the Stars have made a feature out of 'the wrong music' this week.

A bangra danced to Knightrider theme tume, a surfing 'flamenco' (more of a paso), a jazz circus theme and many others. It was, as you'd expect, very different. But they were making a point about how the music and the dance style have to match to make it 'work'...