Search - Various Artists :: Strictly Dancing

Social Dancing

Dexter Wang | Massachusetts | 10/16/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"A decent collection of strict timing dance music at a good price. Music is unglamorous but clean. Not good for show dancing, more for quiet social dancing. Fox Trot CD is mostly fast, better for Quick Step. Rhumbas are slow, more like Bolero."

Almost two and a half stars

J. Wakefield | SLC, Utah | 04/15/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Here are the details broken down BY DISC. Please see my individual review of each disc (and more than fifty others) if you need more information.



Disc One: Three stars. Decent Paso Doble for practice.

Surprisingly good for a few dollars. None of these will really grip you and make you have to dance. But they will help educate you about the range of music included in paso doble. All tracks are played by the Manuelo Montez Orchestra. These are not "strict tempo." They range in tempo from 55 -64 beats per measure. (This is only available in this boxed set.)



Disc Two: One Star. Synthesized mambo and poorly done.

Enrico Domingo and his big band? Ouch! It sounds like a cheap keyboard to me. There isn't a single big band track on this entire disk. And there really isn't a single useful track either.



Disc Three: Two Stars. A poor choice for practicing cha cha.

El Gato's Rhythm Orchestra is very hit and miss. Some of this is fun. Except for the first track, I like much of this as music. But this is NOT a good disc for most dancers, and a terrible disc for beginners. Many of the tracks have radical tempo changes in the middle of the song. Tracks 9-12 are faster than competition tempos, and so better as slow mambos for beginners.



Disc Four: Three stars. Okay foxtrots for the money.

Bertone's Ballroom Orchestra is pretty decent. This disc is better for listening than for dancing. Current competition standards encourage a range of about 28-33 bpm for foxtrot, and none of this falls into a useful practice range.

If you have a big floor, and people don't mind a faster tempo, this could be fun for parties. The ninth track is a fast and very danceable recording of "Its delovely."



Disc Five: Three Stars. Decent rumbas for the money

These have a clearly heard bass line, and so they are good for beginners as they struggle to hear the "slow, quick, quick" beat of the rumba. The last two tracks are too fast according to current competition standards.

All tracks are played by the Peres Blanca Band. Judged for musicality, these rate two and a half to three stars, with the exception of the second track. This is a very danceable recording of "Strangers in Paradise."



For the money, I would suggest the Solid Gold Collection: Strictly Ballroom Dancing (2005). This has 41 well played instrumental tracks, and it is only $12. Hmmm. Something to think about."