My sister, who is studying urban planning, uses ArcGIS, i think it's called.

Well, in the old days we would all do the Conga line for "Shout". I'll consult with Christine for a more current dance inducer, but with a few cocktails and our wonderful family I'm sure we will have a true dance fest.

I am more the sentimental type. I actually have three songs:

Because you loved me - Shania Twain

Wind beneath my wings - Bette Midler

From this moment on - Celine Dion

Good luck and see you on Easter Sunday!

no woman no cry by bob marley because despite the lyrics, it oozes goodness.

what's going on by marvin gaye because we're experiencing a war right now. and because the song similarily oozes goodness.

turn the lights down low by bob marley and lauryn hill because it's sweet and romantic.

there is a light that never goes out by the smiths because "if a double decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly place to die. . " is a lyric that everyone ought to be humming along to at a wedding.

Music:

Prince - Sexy Dancer

Bobby or Ella - Mack the Knife
Paul Anka - It's My Life (Bon Jovi Cover)
Cab Calloway - Are you Hep to the Jive

Are you looking to create stills or an animation of change over time? If you would like an animation I would be happy to work with you on one. Just let me know!

Etta James At Last or I'll Take Care of You

Somehow, I'm In Love With a Stripper needs to be incorporated into our musical lineup. How, I am not sure.

Actually, I was thinking of incorporating "I'm in love with a stripper" into the vows somehow...

I love Somewhere over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. The stripper song is quite poignant too thought. Just 'cause she dances go-go, that don't make her a ho, no. Sniff-sniff.

I have to second "Shout"...you know, "a little bit louder now, a little bit louder now". I hate dancing -- but i always dance to that song.

I might seem a bit tacky but "Give me forever (I do)" by James Ingram...

If any of your wedding guests are, ahem, of a certain age (like, say, >50), "Old Time Rock & Roll" by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band is guaranteed to get them up and dancing. It happens to me everytime it comes up in iTunes, even when I'm at work, and I know for a fact it has gotten me and my hate-to-dance husband onto the floor at more than one wedding party.

Izzy's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" mentioned above is a stunningly beautiful rendition. Too bad you can't get him to sing it live...

I forgot to say, cats like to sit on anything. I used to have a 16-pound neutered tom who thought he was still a 16-ouncve kitten who could fit into a hat on the table, onto a neckerchief flung on the floor, or a tiny basket. If it's different than the surface it's resting on, a cat will want to sit/lie/curl up on it. Backpacks are just another bed.

I like the older dance songs like Abba's Dancing Queen and Barry White's-My first My Last My Everything. But like your mom said after a few cocktails we'll dance to anything the DJ's playing!!

I second the comment about Arc GIS - I have used it to overlay historical data from the 1830's over present-day maps. For a wedding reception, I love "Can't Take My Eyes of You" by the Supremes (I think).

Well, to update, I think you should incorporate all the suggestions into a dance marathon.
Somewhere over the rainbow, just because she dances a go-go, that don't make her a ho, no.
What's going on, What's going on.
You know you make me wanna shout!!!
Oh the shark has something teeth, babe and he shows them pearly white. No woman, no cry...
At last, my true love has come along,
You know you make me wanna shout, raise your hands, your the wind beneath my wings...a little bit louder now...she's the dancing queen, just because she dances a go-go...Shout!!!!

Too bad Sean is in Japan - that live rendition of Twist and Shout he performed before he left would be sure to do it.

Oooh. Maybe we need a karaoke element...

What about hip hop-- any suggestions? It's really weird to type out the word hip hop.

The thing is you CANNOT predict the moment all the guests decide it is time to dance. At our wedding, we played all our best stuff, but the one song that finally hit the tipping point? "Come on Eileen." It was all of a sudden everyone's favorite song EVER! Later in the evening, everyone really liked "Hey Ya." You have to pick songs you love for early on, then songs you love to dance to when you (ie your guests) are a little drunk for later.

Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and "Hava Negilah."

For hip hip, how about:

Rapper's Delight- Sugar Hill Gang
Stay Fly- 3 6 Mafia
Big Pimpin'- Jay Z
What a Man- Salt N Peppa
Feel Good- Gorillaz

ska-
Simmer Down- Skatellites is really fun

Well at my wedding:
"Sad But True" by Metallica was a crowd pleaser, but nowadays I think I would mellow out with some Liknin Park or "Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed :o ............rock on !!!!!!!!!!

Yup - ArcGIS is the program that does exactly what you want, but it's expensive and complicated to use. I would suggest you make friends with someone at in Columbia's Planning program and have them show you how to do it.

If that doesn't work, I think I have an older version of the program that I copied from school 5 years ago, that you may be able to use.

And for the music, while I love that version of "somewhere over the rainbow" I gotta go with Al Green's "Love and Happiness"

It depends on if you mean the song you want as your firstt dance, or the song you want everyone to dance to. For first dances, I love "Blue Skies" the way Willie Nelson sings it or "Sea of Love". For a crowd dance, you can't go wrong with "Apache" by the Sugarhill Gang. For hip hop, I love dancing to Ciara, Missy Elliot, and "Yeah" by Usher.

oh, this probably won't help you for this project, but you can get a free 60-day trial of ArcGIS if you go on ESRI's website (www.esri.com) - it does rock - and i have a learning manual you could thumb through from the class i took on gis last year. and i'm sure Columbia has at least one GIS class - highly recommend taking one, especially when you start your masters, but regardless, you'll love it.

I have always secretly wanted to dance to Firehouse's Love of a Lifetime for my first wedding dance. Soooooo lame and cheesy, but at the same time evoking all of the lust of an 8th grade dance.

If you pick it, let me know how it works out.

The songs that stuck out from my wedding were:

"bust-a-move"
and
"sexual healing" (the shaggy version)
and
"home for a rest" by Spirit of the West

100% guaranteed to get your guests dancing (and you too)