Pick Me:

The Social Dance Discography of Alec Benjamin

In this exhibit, you’ll find a curated collection of the best social dance songs by Alec Benjamin.

These songs are organized by dance, starting with Alec’s most common tempos and rhythms. Within each playlist, the songs are roughly organized by curator’s preference for danceability.

If you want to learn more about a particular dance,
I’ve provided links to additional resources for each one.

Nightclub Two Step

As a modern ballad singer, it’s unsurprising that Nightclub Two Step is Alec’s most common rhythm.

Note: Depending on your tempo preferences, some of the songs in this playlist can also work for West Coast Swing (see below).

Additional Note: The content of the last two songs (Stan and Boy in the Bubble) might be a bit intense for your average social dance event.

For more Nightclub Two Step music, click here.

For Nightclub Two Step demo videos, click here.

For Nightclub Two Step teaching videos, click here.

West Coast Swing

Turn the tempo up just a bit, and we have some great songs for West Coast Swing.

For more West Coast Swing music, click here.

For West Coast Swing demo videos, click here.

For West Coast Swing teaching videos, click here.

Street Swing

Turn up the tempo once more, and we get to the quicker walking tempo songs. While there are a variety of dance options in this tempo range, the easiest and often the most satisfying is Street Swing.

Note: Depending on your tempo preferences, some of the songs in this playlist can also work for West Coast Swing (see above).

Additional Note: The content of the last song (If I Killed Someone for You) might be a bit intense for your average social dance event.

For more Street Swing music, click here.

For Street Swing demo videos, click here.

For Street Swing teaching videos, click here.

Polka

Add a lilting quality to a song in the walking tempo range, and you get a Polka. While some of the later songs in this list as a bit light for Polka-ing in a noisy room, Polka rhythm is still one of Alec’s favorites.

For more Polka music, click here.

For Polka demo videos, click here.

Hesitation Waltz

When Alec writes in 3/4, he usually prefers a faster tempo. While the tempo of these songs is too fast for most dancers to comfortably dance a whole song too, Hesitation Waltz is a great option, allowing you to adapt nearly any social dance you know to fast waltz timing.

Note: The Spring 2025 UT Social Dance CA Performance was set to the first song in this list, Devil Doesn’t Bargain.

For more Hesitation Waltz music, click here.

For Hesitation Waltz teaching videos, click here.

Rotary Waltz

While Hesitation Waltz is his preferred waltz tempo, Alec does have a few songs that work for Rotary Waltz as well.

For more Rotary Waltz music, click here.

For Rotary Waltz demo videos, click here.

For Rotary Waltz teaching videos, click here.

Kizomba

While Alec obviously isn’t a traditional Kizomba artist, several of his songs feature the characteristic “slow-and-quick-quick” habanera rhythm of Kizomba.

For more Kizomba music, click here.

For Kizomba demo videos, click here.

East Coast Swing

Obviously, none of Alec’s songs are authentic Swing Era swing tunes, but he does have some songs that support a poppy take on Swing, if that’s your kind of thing.

For more East Coast Swing music, click here.

For East Coast Swing demo videos, click here.

For East Coast Swing teaching videos, click here.

Tango

While totally non-traditional, Different Kind of Beautiful makes for a fun neo-Tango.

For more Tango music, click here.

For Tango demo videos, click here.

For Tango teaching videos, click here.

Salsa

Also not traditional, but the jazzy percussion of this track makes for a fun neo-Salsa.

For more Salsa music, click here.

For Salsa demo videos, click here.

For Salsa teaching videos, click here.

Updated: May 2025
First Displayed: May 2025