DJing at Dancebreak - DJ Guidelines

Why is this important?

At Dancebreak, our goal is to support the flourishing of the Stanford social dance community and create a welcoming space for all dancers. We love to see both veterans and newbies expressing themselves, improving their dance, and having fun! In order to promote that growth and connection, we all need to work together to provide some stable foundations, and DJs are a huge part of that mission.

The DJ is the heart of the Dancebreak event. As the most visible leader of the night, they curate the music that attendees will dance to, guide the vibes of the social, and generally keep the whole event moving smoothly.

Our principal goals are to welcome newcomers to social dance and create dancers who are fun to dance with.

Expectations for DJs

BEFORE THE SET

• Find a DJ partner. All sets are required to have at least one experienced DJ. DJ teams reduce the workload and responsibility for both DJs! The admin team can help you find a partner if you don’t have one in mind.
  • If this is your first or second time DJing at Dancebreak, please pair up with a veteran DJ.
• Prepare a setlist. Follow the guidelines set forth later in this document.
  • Use this template to help organize your music and check compliance with the guidelines. The admin team will email you a copy of this two weeks before your set.
• Send the admin team your setlist and a promotional blurb at least a week before your set, including any potential edits. This way, we can review and give feedback before the set.
  • Your songs should fit within the guidelines below. All of the required song guidelines are included in the template, and many of them are checked automatically.
  • To make certain songs more danceable, you may need to edit them, but we emphasize that you can craft an excellent setlist without any song edits by adjusting your selection.
  • Dancebreak admin has pre-approved some DJs to bypass the review process, with the caveat that the more experienced DJ will perform our review. Dancebreak admin will inform you if your DJ partner qualifies for this alternative review process.
• Download your setlist to your computer so it can be played without Wi-Fi. Stanford Wi-Fi is notoriously unreliable, especially in Roble 113, and it sucks when the music cuts out.

DURING THE SET

• Bring your own computer to play the set. If you expect to need a specific dongle/converter, make sure to bring it with you as well.
• Display the setlist. The TV in Roble only accepts input from MacBooks, you can either display on the TV, use the “Printed Setlist” page in the workbook, or create your own.
• Make relevant announcements. For example:
  • “Please no street shoes on the dancefloor. Dance shoes or socks are fine.” (Repeat as necessary)
  • “There is pizza in the lounge.”
  • “Be sure to sign in on the piano”
  • “The next song is a [dance style].” (Before/at the beginning of each song)
    • “This is today’s ‘dance with a stranger.’ Partner with someone new for this song!”
    • “This is the last [WCS/Lindy/Cross-step/Rotary] of the night.”
• Provide a 5-10 second pause between songs. This gives you time to announce the upcoming dance style and allows dancers to find partners. Feel free to use this song on Spotify if you’re using a Spotify playlist.
• Facilitate the jam. At Dancebreak, we love to celebrate everyone’s achievements! A jam is an open, celebratory dance moment where one or multiple people are “in the spotlight,” and others join to dance with them. In our context, jams are done to cross-step waltzes, and are similar in feel to the Birthday Waltz at FNW/Jammix or Lindy Hop Jams at SSD.

  1. Announce the Jam:

     Say something like: “Next is a jam! If you have something to celebrate (for example: a birthday, good score on an exam, new job, new relationship, or a breakup), come to the middle.”

  2. Introduce each Jamee:

     Ask each person:

     • Their name
     • What they are celebrating
     • Whether they Lead, Follow, or Switch

  3. Leis for Identification:

     Give each jamee a colored lei to indicate their role:

     • Purple = Follow
     • Orange = Lead
     • White = Switch (can dance either role)

  4. Explain How the Jam Works:

     • Other dancers can come into the circle and dance with the jamee.
     • Dancers can “steal” the jamee from someone else.

  5. Optional Snowball Jam Variation:

     • Once someone dances with the jamee, they can take someone else from the outside and start dancing. This continues until eventually everyone is dancing.
     • This must be explained when announcing the jam.
• Teach mixers and uncommon line dances. For mixers, you may need a few buddies to help demonstrate.
• Monitor audio levels. Make sure that the music and mic are audible but not painfully loud. Adjust these throughout your set.
• Stay near the DJ booth. There should always be at least one DJ available to make sure people are signing in, answer questions, handle technical glitches, and watch the floor to ensure safety. This is one of the major reasons we require DJ partners: so you can still dance!
• End on time. Between logistics, the jam, and pauses between songs, you may have to skip songs to stay within the 2-hour limit. Though this can be a bummer for DJs, our attendees appreciate the timeliness.
  • Depending on space availability and attendee interest, you might be able to play extra songs after the end of the set, but this “after-party” is non-Dancebreak-sanctioned, and the main event must have a clear ending and cleaned up before this. Please put these on the “Extra Songs” page of the spreadsheet.

AFTER THE SET

• Help us clean up. We are really lucky to use our amazing dance spaces on campus, and we need to leave them clean to continue doing so!
  • Make sure the lights/fans are turned off, and the doors are closed.

Song Selection

A 2-hour social typically includes ~30-35 songs, including time for a jam. Of the first 5 songs in the set, at least 2 should be of the style taught in the lesson. Here is the breakdown of a 2-hour set, depending on the accompanying lesson:

Songs at the beginning of the set (the first 10 songs) should be less than 3.5 minutes long with a strong downbeat. Songs in the rest of the set should be less than 4.5 minutes.

Song Tempo

A song’s tempo should match the appropriate range for beginner-intermediate dancers in its style:

Other styles: For styles not in this table (e.g., Latin dances), songs should follow the typical tempo range for a beginner-intermediate dancer. Feel free to reference this guide from Lucas Garron for additional BPM ranges.

Tempo exceptions: A small number of songs in each set (0-6) may violate the tempo and length guidelines for that particular dance style; however, these cannot be consecutive to each other.

Matching tempo to vibe: For all styles, songs with tempos below the sweet range should be more mellow/smooth, while songs above the sweet range should be energetic and have a strong downbeat.

Final Sequence

To close out with our Dancebreak core styles, all sets must end with the following sequence of dances:

1. Last West Coast Swing
2. Last Lindy Hop
3. Last Cross-Step Waltz
4. Last Rotary Waltz

For consistency, the final song of the main set must always be a rotary waltz, but the order of the other 3 core styles may be rearranged.

Dancers respond especially well to last dances that are about saying goodbye and/or have a drawn-out ending. Feel free to reference our list of preapproved Last Waltzes at the end of this document.

After the final rotary waltz, an additional “closing” dance, such as the Mama’s Stew (from SSD) or Big Apple (from Jammix), can optionally be added at the end of a set. This should be a solo jazz routine.

Editing Songs

As a DJ, you are expected to play songs that are beginner-friendly and danceable. If you want to play a song that does not align with our guidelines, please edit it. For example, you may want to adjust the tempo, cut the length, or adjust sections without a strong downbeat.

You are welcome to use whatever tool you prefer, such as Audacity, Cakewalk, GarageBand, or anything else.

• Audacity has a built-in speed plug-in that works well for tempo changes of less than 10%.
• Amazing Slow Downer (paid) works well for tempo changes beyond that.

Pre-approved Songs

If you are looking for more song ideas, here are a bunch of pre-approved songs that are great for Dancebreak (including some pre-edits). We are always expanding our catalog, so please reach out if you would like to suggest an addition to this list.

Cross-Step Waltzes: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yhE1yIr8og4fAhs3WOxx1

Rotary Waltzes: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3jXeLJj4I4vsO3ITcJjQLl

West Coast Swings: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3tLyLIetButHdRgLo8R2Z8

Lindy Hops: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Bzafe1hEMEx9SzlpqytWu

Last Waltzes (Spotify Playlist Coming Soon): https://www.notion.so/266fe184d678801ca898c60209604042

Fusions: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3NKobkyW6ZNKwTT009uW6K

Bachatas: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TWVORtUAI2m8qzcpc8tjk

Salsas: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CjUyBG13Fq246QZEv7T5Y

Tangos: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/659cVbAVuQ6nPBjXit1d6G

Pre-edited Songs (multiple styles): https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1llLqmxZBG-UO81-YMlp3e9UkOT0sTS4C

Additional Tips

• Co-DJing: If you do not frequently dance all of the styles at Dancebreak, it is a good idea to pair up with someone who knows the styles you don’t, so that you can pick music that all dancers will enjoy.
• Watch this video from Richard Powers about how to DJ: https://youtu.be/u7k_4HdbfIA
  • Richard has a lot of other great DJ tips on his website, and many of our guidelines are adapted from his. He was also kind enough to teach a more detailed lesson at Dancebreak:

• Ensure a balance of new songs and old songs. There are some Dancebreak classics that people love to hear again, but your set can also be a great way to introduce us all to new music. The DJ’s unique taste and creative flair is what makes each Dancebreak so unique and special!