Artist: Nouvelle Vague

Song: “Just Can’t Get Enough”

While Kat Wildish, ballet teacher at The Ailey Extension, is fortunate enough to work with a classical pianist for her classes, she loves it when he changes things up and plays The Beatles or Edith Piaf. “I find using popular tunes in ballet class makes it so much more fun,” she says. But, an accompanist isn’t always readily available, so Wildish has songs like this one as backup.

“This is a bossa nova cover of the Depeche Mode classic,” she says. “It is great for an interesting pirouette combo or even a petite allegro. It’s light and lifts students into their turns and jumps in an unusual way. I find that it also helps transport dancers into a different atmosphere of dance.”

To learn more about Kat Wildish and her out-of-the-box music choices for ballet class, read “Beyond Ballet Basics.”