1) During several long and overnight training sessions, we defined the overall structure of the playlist: how long do we dance for, how often do we schedule breaks and how long should they be.

2) We tried out every available song to experience what it feels like when you are still awake, when you are tired and hungry and exhausted.

3) We prepared each individual song. We trimmed intros and outros which don’t have a beat to keep the movement going.
Afterwards, we noted how long each song is (now).

4) We ranked each song, judging three criteria:
a) What is the song’s intensity level (low, medium, high, too much)?
b) How much do we like the song? (combining student and instructor perspectives)
c) Which are the happy songs – songs which always make you happy, even if you are tired and the song is intense?

5) All these rankings are used to build randomized playlists with a length of 60 minutes each:
– begin with a low intensity song
– build an intensity arc throughout the hour
– finish with a dynamic stretch to prevent cramping
– include at least four happy songs per hour
– include at most one happy song per hour
– better liked songs are included more often than less liked songs

6) Avoid repetitions!
Songs are not allowed to repeat within three hours.
Songs by the same artist must be separated by at least two other songs.
Songs with very similar movements must be separated by at least two different songs.

7) Break songs: we found a really nice way to keep track of the time during breaks: break songs. There will be a progression of songs signalling attendees how far we are into the break and how much time is left.
When you hear the last minute of “Bang, Bang”, it is high time to grab a final bite to eat and return to your spot, because we are about to get moving again!