Your dance show soundtrack, timed to the second
Modern jazz, hip-hop, ballet, contemporary: stitch your routines with millisecond-precise transitions and zero dead air.
Quick overview
A great dance show is, above all, a soundtrack that follows the movement. Whether you're a teacher at a dance school, a choreographer for a gala or an independent artist, MixClap lets you assemble your full playlist into one audio file ready for the booth. Trim each track to keep only the right phrase, time the transition on the final step or the exit, fit the total duration to the slot in the program.
- Dance school year-end gala
- Modern jazz show
- Hip-hop battle
- Ballet variation
- Contemporary piece
- Solo performance
- Couples demo
- Open class
Dance recitals and competitions: lengths and soundtrack rules
A school recital and a competition don't have the same constraints. At a recital, the programme sets the length of each piece and the sound desk runs the order. At a competition, every category has a strict time window and the file is often requested before the event. Example from the 2026 regional rules of ASSEM 17, a French dance competition:
Key figures
- Classical solo, ages 10 to 15
- 1:15 to 1:20
- Jazz or contemporary solo, ages 15-16
- 1:35 to 1:40
- Jazz or contemporary solo, ages 17-19
- 2:00 to 2:10
- Group, ages 12 to 18
- 2:00 to 3:00
- Group, ages 18 to 25
- 2:30 to 4:00
- File required
- MP3 sent with the entry form, plus a copy on the day
- Public show
- In France, declare it to Sacem at least 15 days ahead. Other countries have their own collecting society (PRS for Music in the UK, ASCAP/BMI/SESAC in the US).
Example: preparing the soundtrack of a school recital
- Before
One file per piece
Number them (01_Opening, 02_Juniors…). If one piece runs late, the sound desk launches the next one without searching. Within a piece, chain your songs into a single file.
- Opening
2 to 3 minutes
A song that brings every student together, with a clean ending for the group bow.
- Pieces
2 to 4 minutes each
Each file starts on the first sound, with no leading silence, and stops on the final pose.
- Finale
The bows
Plan bow music that runs longer than needed: the sound desk will fade it out.
Common mistakes
Aiming for the limit
At exactly 1:20 for a 1:15 to 1:20 window, the slightest delay pushes you out. Aim for the middle: 1:17 or 1:18.
Leaving silence at the start
The sound desk hits play, nothing happens for 3 seconds, the dancers hesitate. The file must start on the first sound.
Cutting the ending dead
End on a final chord or a 2 to 3 second fade timed to the final pose.
One file for the whole show
You can't recover from an incident mid-show. One file per piece, on two devices (USB stick and phone).
How to do it, step by step
- Step 1
Upload routines in order
Add the tracks following the show's running order. You can reorder by drag & drop afterwards.
- Step 2
Trim each routine
Set the precise start and end of each track. Precision is millisecond-accurate.
- Step 3
Time the transitions
Crossfade for two routines with similar mood, hard cut for a clear visual scene change.
- Step 4
Export for the booth
Get a 320 kbps MP3 or WAV file to hand to the gala's sound engineer.
Pro tips
Number your routines
Rename each track with its routine number (01_Intro, 02_HipHop, 03_Final…) to keep your bearings.
Breathe between routines
A hard cut or a 1-2 second silence between two routines lets dancers take their place.
Test in real conditions
Run a full dress rehearsal with the exported file to verify durations and transitions.
Have a backup plan
Bring the file on two media: USB drive and phone. The booth is rarely upset by redundancy.
Resources to go further
Frequently asked questions
Can MixClap handle a 1-hour show?
Yes, up to 50 tracks per project, with no strict total-duration limit on paid plans.
Can I include silences?
Yes, using a hard-cut transition with a small gap, or by exporting two consecutive files if the booth needs them.
How do I time the mix on the choreography?
Trim each track so it lands on the final move. The crossfade then starts the next routine right on time.
What if the booth requires a specific format?
MixClap exports 320 kbps MP3 or 16-bit / 44.1 kHz WAV — the two most-requested standards.
Build your dance show now
Upload your tracks, organize the routines, export a file ready for the booth. No install, no subscription.