Standard songs for ballroom dancing. Popular and well-known tracks.
When people hear “ballroom dance,” many tend to imagine something formal and a bit intimidating.
In reality, there aren’t many occasions in everyday life where you’d encounter a chance to show off ballroom dancing.
That said, there are surely people who enjoy it as a hobby, as well as those planning to take on ballroom dance for events or as entertainment.
So this time, we’ve put together a wide-ranging selection of popular songs frequently used for ballroom dance, spanning genres and eras.
For some tracks, we’ve also included videos showing them actually used for dancing.
Please enjoy a repertoire that adds popular music like pop to the classic standards—waltz, tango, and Latin!
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- For seniors in their 80s: Stay healthy while having fun. Introducing dance songs that make you want to move!
- Recommended songs for wedding reception performance dances: A roundup of popular crowd-pleasers
- Recommended love songs for people in their 90s: A collection of classic Shōwa-era romance songs
- How many dances can you do? Dance numbers recommended for the Yutori generation
Standard songs for ballroom dancing. Popular and well-known tracks (31–40)
TristezaSergio Mendes
Composed by Haroldo Lobo and Niltinho, “Tristeza” is a representative Brazilian samba whose title means “sadness,” but contrary to the name, it’s a lively, rhythmic piece that blows away sorrow and invites a bright future.
It is also a well-known song danced to as a ballroom samba.
CopacabanaBarry Manilow
[Samba] “Copacabana,” sung by Barry Manilow, is a work he released in 1978.
While Copacabana is the name of a beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the song’s lyrics recount events that take place at the Copacabana nightclub in New York.
All I Want For Christmas Is YouMariah Carey
“All I Want for Christmas Is You,” one of Mariah Carey’s signature songs released in 1994 and famous as a Christmas song, is bright and up-tempo, making it very easy to dance to.
As a result, it’s a popular choice often used as a Jitterbug number at parties during the winter season.
Mas que nadaBellini
“Mas que nada” enjoys enduring popularity as a song used for ballroom samba performances.
The original was a bossa nova piece composed by Brazilian singer-songwriter Jorge Ben, but when Sergio Mendes released a cover in 1966, it became a worldwide smash hit.
A secret tryst in the night fogKurōdo Chiari
[Rumba] “Yogiri no Shinobi-ai” performed by guitarist Claude Ciari from Nice, France.
The original song is “La Playa” (“The Beach”).
It was used in Japan when the film “Yogiri no Shinobi-ai,” set in a Greek port town, was released.
Standard songs for ballroom dancing. Popular and famous tracks (41–50)
Careless WhisperGeorge Michael
Careless Whisper, the masterpiece with a beautiful melody tinged with sorrow and wistfulness—written and composed by British singer-songwriter George Michael and released in July 1984, becoming a worldwide hit—is also popular as a ballroom dance blues number.
pearl necklaceKinguzu Obu Suwingu
[Slow Foxtrot] This is the Glenn Miller Orchestra’s hit song, “A String of Pearls,” composed by Jerry Gray and Eddie DeLange.
The performance at Hamarikyu Asahi Hall is by Kings of Swing — Japan’s top jazz musicians.