Par SPARKE PHILIP. Dating from the first decades of the 20th century and originating in vaudeville and the music hall, the soft-shoe shuffle was danced by tap dancers, wearing soft-shoes instead of their normal tap shoes. In this usually comic dance, the shoes were rubbed on the surface of the stage producing a characteristic ‘swish’. Soft-shoe Shuffle can be made into a percussion feature by brin…

Par HANNICKEL MIKE. History! Introduce a bit of good old early-Americana to your audiences this year. GEORGE WASHINGTON SUITE is made up of three tunes known to have been composed for (or about) George and Martha Washington in their own time. Probably the best known of the three is the first movement, WASHINGTON’S GRAND MARCH, which is believed to have been written by Francis Hopkinson. He was one…

The tango originated in late 19th century Buenos Aires, and has become popular around the world due to its driving rhythms, distinctive sound, and the passionate dance steps it inspires. This piece allows even young bands to experience the style and attitude of this wonderful musical genre. (2:45) / Concert Band

Arr. Lorenzo Bocci. Par MC COY VAN. In 1975, a new dance form took the Latin-Amercan areas of the Bronx by storm. After observing the frenzy of the dancers in that area, Van McCoy composed a melody that successfully took its basis from Latin and R&B. The Hustle was an instant success and made a large contribution to the evolution of disco music in the 1970's. Your band will not be able to resist t…

Arr. Wil Van Der Beek. Par DVORAK ANTONIN. The year 2004 marked the 100th anniversary ofthe death of Antonin Dvorák. In 1879 Dvorákwrote this Polonaise as a commission for thecommittee organising the festivities for theirfamous national dance festival. Many famousCzech composers wrote dances specially for thisevent. This Polonaise in three movements, with itsfine melody lines, deserves to be more …

Par SPARKE PHILIP. Dances and Alleluias was commissioned by the British Federation of Brass Bands for the inaugural English National Brass Band Championships, held in the Lyric Theatre at The Lowry, Salford Quays, on July 1st 2006. In this fantastic work the composer mixes wonderful slow music, vocal in nature and ecstatic in mood, along with faster dances to create a challenging piece, which will…