There’s this one piece of music that Smirnoff plays every now and then, for the fondus at the barre, that I always think is going to be an instrumental version of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters.
Every time.
The opening notes play and I’m all No Effing Way, Metallica????!?!??!!!
And then the next few notes play and I’m like, Oh, no, just the fondu music.
It’s the minor key or something.
Gets me every time.
So anyway, I did a little googling the other day and found this, a series of little piano covers of pop songs arranged for ballet class.
Looking at the description I was all like, Oh lord, it’s gonna be like tiresome versions of Tainted Love, homage to the eighties, and show tunes, but let’s have a look anyway, and then Bam! It is hilarious and actually fairly contemporary.
My favorite is the frappés set to Single Ladies.
I have totally purchased it and will be burning a cd for Smirnoff. Because he has never figured out his iPod. Grumble grumble.
If he actually likes and uses any if this music in class, I will die of laughing.
Gentle Reader, do you use this music or similar in class? Is it hilarious every time? Or will I grow to regret introducing Smirnoff to Katy Perry? (Oh who am I kidding, they probably meet for vodka shots every third Tuesday)
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Dont know what Smirnoff will say, but I like them! My ballet teacher is a bit unconventional – we rarely have piano music. I love the mixed styles of music he uses: evergreens, pop, alternative music, hip hop,… Every exercise is different and more exiting!
I totally just had to google evergreens
What a fun CD! I actually have a teacher who sometimes uses a CD with the “Do, Re, Mi”-song from “Sound of Music” or “Strangers in the NIght” – these songs always make me want to sing along…
We get all sorts of everything in my classes – but provided by pianists, so generally variations on stuff. Last night’s class, as well as some incredibly beautiful pure classical stuff, included Twinkle Twinkle Little Star during barre & the Brahms Wiegenlied for reverence…
That’s funny! We’ve sometimes had twinkle twinkle little star for reverence! Somehow feels Very Solemn and Very Silly at the same time.
What never fails to amaze me is the number of my classmates who either do not find it hilarious or genuinely fail to hear it when one of our pianists plays something like Variations On A Teddy Bear’s Picnic. Pianist in question fears that I may be the only one who actually notices…
I wonder if that’s a fun game for the pianist, to see who perks up their ears in recognition.
I fear it’s a blend of fun & incredibly distressing-depressing… Our pianist played “Mad World” for adage on Tuesday. Out of nowhere. Literally, he just felt suddenly inspired. Which might be a comment on the standard of the class, I guess ;)
Wow, that’s quite an adage.
Buggeryblast, posted before I meant to: my first ballet teacher liked to do battements en cloche to “Oom Pa Pa” from “Oliver!” – and expected us to sing as we did it. I was at a distinct advantage what with actually knowing ALL the words. Or a disadvantage, because solo verses = not so much fun…
Awesome! Thank you for sharing! I am so excited to check this out and maybe bring to my ballet class on Monday! Weekend project for me woo hoo! Too bad Smirnoff never mastered the iPod lol ;)
I know right? Poor old dude.
I’ve had Britney Spears, like string acoustic toxic song once in a ballet class… It was a little- okay it was laughable to be doing tombe pdb etc etc. to. I don’t hate it it it mind it. But I do enjoy my classic show tunes, cabaret musical music, and classic ballet barre music repertoire. Very slowed down variation music too. Ahh, can’t wait to hear it again.
Toxic! Hilarious!
I actually find ballet versions of songs I know to be really distracting in class! I get totally lost and forget what I am supposed to be doing because I keep thinking about the lyrics. I really can’t do more than one thing at a time without frying my poor brain.
Ha! Yeah, I’m a little worried about possible brain overloads.
I just returned to ballet after a 10+ year absence- the pain! But last week we totally did double frappes to Firework lol. Also I LOVE your blog!
No way!!!!
And thank you!
My ballet teacher used that exact CD last week! It was mostly good, it’s like having a pop quiz running at the same time as class, surprisingly hard to guess some of them. (I’ve heard that Gotye song SO MANY TIMES now it makes me crazy though). I did have to stop myself singing along to F@ck You in my head in case he thought I was mouthing bad words at him. And he skipped Single Ladies, I’ll have to have a word to him about that…
After the class, one of the ‘older’ ladies (she’s about 60 I think) said to me ‘wasn’t that lovely music today?’. I don’t think she recognised a single one of the songs, hehehehehe.
Skipped Single Ladies?! Unacceptable!
Haha this is awesome!!
Before the summer break we had instrumental Disney songs in our barre exercises :-P It was pretty hilarious because I knew all the lyrics.. (which is also pretty, well.. you know, sad.)
It’s ok, those songs are engineered to stick in your head.
Haha I guess so..!
OMG, that’s amazing. As a new parent, are you familiar with all those lullaby covers of pop songs? I am endlessly amused by Green Day on the xylophone… but I never thought of applying that to ballet! *mind blown*
So far we’ve managed to avoid the kid music genre all together, but Green Day on xylophone does sound like a hilarious idea.
Love that album! We get quite a few show tunes – Supercalifragilistic for battements tendu sticks in my mind.
Worst was doing port de bras to Danny Boy, which brought out the overblown romanticist in everyone. Lots of anguished Eyes…
Haha! Oh no Danny Boy.
My teacher used to be a Trey McIntyre dancer, so we did grande battements to Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” No joke. It was a first for me
Ha! I love the idea of Tom Petty at the barre!
Update: the Lambeth Walk for pose turns en dehors (RAD lame ducks). Made me smile, which was good because nothing else about them does…
Pingback: New Music Monday: Ballet Goes Pop | The Dance Buzz
Just wanted to report: it’s been a few classes now and we have not heard anything from this cd. DISAPPOINTED.
Apocalyptica does an all-cello version of Nothing Else Matters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-n6nPLwjho that we do adagio to in class. And Australian Bebop Ragas are excellent for centre tendus and turns across the floor. Gotta get creative if you don’t have a live pianist in the corner.
(Last class Madame was flicking irritably through her CD library saying ‘I am BORED with all of these’, so I have totally just used the last of my Christmas Amazon vouchers to buy and burn this for her. I’ll keep you posted.)
Ooh, excited!