Musicology

I am often asked what is this song or what can I dance to this? There are specific styles of music that lend themselves to particular dances and yes, there are "undance-able" tunes. Some music is for the mind not the body, it was designed for the imagination and creative mind not necessarily dancing. When selecting songs for special events and specifically for wedding receptions; music for the first dance, father/daughter dance, mother/son dance many questions arise and the most common is "what can we dance to this______________ song?"
The general rule is slow love songs (ballads) are a Foxy (also Foxxy) or slow dance. The music is a slow steady beat of 4 counts and is a favorite for first dances. At Last by Etta James is a perfect example of a slow dance/Foxy. Other love songs are a little more complicated with their time signature being 3 strong beats and those are waltzes. There is a general misunderstanding that if it's slow and pretty it must be a waltz, that is untrue. Moreover, waltz has a distinctive sound to it but it may take some practice to hear the strong down beat (boom) and the following beats (chick, chick). Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's is an example of a waltz. Very fast to moderate tempo waltzes are Viennese Waltz, which are rather complicated but are gorgeous to watch. An excellent contemporary song is You and Me by Lifehouse. Rumba is another dance that lends itself nicely to slower songs that are romantic. Everything by Michael Buble and Sway by anyone who recorded it, are great examples of rhythmic Rumba. Fox Trot (or Foxtrot) is a faster slow dance, one of my personal favorites, artists like Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble produced many great Foxtrot songs.
There are many, many other dances- cha cha, salsa, merengue, quickstep, night club swing, east coast swing (single double triple), west coast swing, tango, argentine tango, bolero, bachata, polka, county dances, line dances, traditional dances, the list literally goes on and on. That's where your dance professional is indispensable! Learning the song genre and how to dance to it is when the fun begins.