Category: Feel The Music

Part Six

How do I “get in Sync” with the beat of God’s heart

•  Tell the Lord of your desire to be in sync with the rhythm of His heart
•  Tell Him that you need Him – that you can’t do life on your own
•  Admit you have made mistakes in your life that are not pleasing to Him – sin
• Confess that you believe Jesus made  the perfect sacrifice for your sins by dying on the cross and that His resurrection from the dead proves that He is the Son of God, and through faith in Him, your sins are forgiven
• Ask the Lord to help you in your decision to follow after Him

God loves us so much, that He wants to be a part of our lives.  Being in sync with God’s heart will change your life forever. 

Won’t you take the invitation? 

God’s Word-John 3:16-17   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Part 5

Trying to do life without God is like trying to dance without music.  

Flesh gives birth to flesh, which only produces fleshly things.  This ends up being “Me focused”, which is deadly in a marriage. 

God’s Word-Galatians 5:19-21   Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

This is not how I want my marriage to look. But…

Spirit gives birth to Spirit, which produces spiritual things.  “It’s not about me.”

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

For us to walk or should I say dance in the spirit, we will need God’s help.  It is impossible without God. 

East Coast Swing 

Triple Step, Triple Step, Rock Step

The steps are small and light

Oldies, Country, and Big Band

• Love Can Move Mountains-Celine Dion
• Why Don’t We Just Dance-Josh Turner
• Somebody Like you-Keith Urban
• I Run to You-Lady Antebellum
• Operator-Manhattan Transfer
• Why Wait-Rascall Flatts

Part Four

How do you make your marriage flow like the music in a dance?  The Holy Spirit can take your marriage from walking to dancing.  The Holy Spirit should play the role in our lives much like the role music plays for the ballroom dance couple.  It dictates what we do, day-to-day. 

When we surrender our lives to our creator God, and His Son Jesus, the Holy Spirit resides within us.  This will guide us through the ups and downs of life.  We don’t ever have to do life alone.  

If Dan and I are listening to different “music”, we will not be in sync together as a couple.  We will not flow together. It will be much more difficult to keep our marriage close. 

Each of us has to choose what “music” to listen to. Will it be earthly or heavenly?  

If you let God guide you in your marriage, you will no longer be walking, but dancing!

Swing

Count:  slow-slow-quick-quick 

Keep Knees relaxed.

Think:  1950’s rock and roll 

• In the Mood by Glen Miller – a traditional song from the swing era

• Rock & Roll Music by Chuck Berry – 50s rock & roll
• (Let me Be Your) Teddy Bear & All Shook Up By Elvis – 50s rock & roll
• Little Deuce Coupe or Runaround Sue by the Beach Boys –  50s rock & roll
• Take Me as I Am-Faith Hill
• Hello Dolly-Louis Armstrong
• L-O-V-E –Nat King Cole
• Stuck Like Glue-Sugarland
• Come Dance With Me-Frank Sinatra
• The Twist-Chubby Checker
• It’s Only a Paper Moon-Benny Goodman and His Orchestra
• Hallelujah, I Love Her So-Ray Charles
• Happy (from Despicable Me 2”) Pharrell Williams
• Rockin’ Robin-Bobby Day
• Powder Your Face with Sunshine-Dino

God’s Word-Ephesians 4:30  Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for Himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

Part Three

It’s a dance, not a walk.  This is a phrase Dan and I heard from our instructors as we began ballroom dancing together.  When you begin taking ballroom dance lessons you will look a bit stiff at first.  Your steps will look very mechanical.   You will be concentrating on what step to do next.  You are trying so hard not to step on your partner’s toes.  There is so much to think about.  The music takes you to a new level with your dance.    

The music will make your dance flow.  The music has to “get into your soul.” The music will take you from walking to dancing. 

Feel the music, let it get inside you.  The music will take you down the dance floor and put a flow to your step.  

It’s a dance, not a walk. 

Rumba

Count:  slow (hold step for 2 counts)-quick-quick (side together),  slow-quick, quick (Latin hip movement.  Hint – it’s all about the knees…)

A spot dance with small steps

Think:  Latin, sassy, romantic

• The Way You Look Tonight by Michael Buble
• Quando, Quando, Quando by Michael Buble
• Wonderful Tonight by (you guessed it, Michael Buble)
• The Way I Am-Ingrid Michaelson (More complex beat)
• Smooth Operator-Sade
• Jardin D ‘himer-Duo Gadjo and their Hot Friends
• Lovesong-Adele
• You’ll Be In My Heart- Vio Friedmann
• Endless Love(rumba)Ballroom Orchestra-Hits for Ballroom Dancing
• Song from a Secret Garden-Ballroom Orchestra and Singers

God’s Word-Psalms 108:1   My heart, O God, is steadfast;  I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Part Two

Can you hear the beat of the music?  The beat of the song is what determines the speed and type of ballroom dance you will be doing.   It will keep you moving together as a couple on the dance floor.

If you can’t hear the beat, you will not be together as dancers.  You will be off rhythm from your partner.  Because you are off-sync, you most likely will step on each other’s toes. 

Dan and I, through our 12 years of teaching Ballroom dance, have seen individuals struggle with hearing the beat.  We feel we can teach someone the dance steps, but to teach someone to hear the beat we have yet to accomplish. 

If the leader of the ballroom dance cannot hear the beat, he is unable to lead his dance partner.  We find they do not continue dancing together as a couple.  

You have to hear the beat to dance together. 

Fox Trot 

Count:  slow-slow-quick-quick

Smooth Dance

Men-Heel- toe, Women toe-heel.

Tips: Travels!  NO BOUNCING

• Come Fly with Me
• A Foggy Day (In London Town)
• For Once in My Life
• I’ve Got the World on a String
• Night and Day-Frank Sinatra
• Nice and Easy-Frank Sinatra
• Beyond the Sea-Bobby Darin
• I only Have eyes for you-Sinatra-Basie
• The Way you Look Tonight-faster tempo-Sinatra
• Cheek to Cheek-Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Armstrong

God’s Word-Psalms 98: 4-6 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;

    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,

    with the lyre and the sound of melody!

6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn

    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

Part One

In Ballroom dancing, music has a major impact on your dancing experience.  Without the music, there would be no dance. 

The Music determines…

• what type of dance you will be doing according to the beat pattern: (Waltz, Swing, Fox Trot, Rumba, etc.)
• when to begin the dance
• tempo (rate of speed) of dance
• length of the dance
• dance ability

When Dan and I begin to teach our class a specific dance, we like to play the music and count out the beat together.   For example, when we teach a waltz we play a waltz-type beat song.  (See below for Waltz music)   Then we count out the beat as a class.  The Waltz has a constant measure of 1-2-3, and 4-5-6.  The tempo is slow.   This helps the students with the beat.  Each specific dance has its specific beat and rhythm.  

Part of learning to dance is hearing a song and knowing what type of dance you will be doing.  This comes with time and practice.  

Music will take you from walking to dancing! 

Waltz

Count: 1-2-3, 4-5-6… constant measure (slight rise on the “2” count)

The woman leans her upper body back slightly into the man’s hand

Relaxed knees

Think:  Smooth, flowing, romantic, graceful

Waltz Music to Download:

• Fascination by Nat King Cole – nice and slow for beginners
• Their Hearts are Dancing by The Forester Sisters-Great Beat
• Could I Have This Dance by Anne Murray
• Husbands and Wives by Neal Diamond –  this has a great 1-2-3 beat,  easy to hear the counts
• Tennessee Waltz by various artists – traditional waltz
• Moon River by various artists – traditional waltz
• A Daisy in December-Serenade-Mike McAuley & Winifred Horan
• Rainbow Connection-Beverly Mahood(faster)
• You light up my life-LeAnn Rimes
• Play Me-Neil Diamond(faster)

God’s Word-Psalms 104:33  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;  I will sing praise to my God while I have being.