Theoretically, because it has 2 beats per bar, Tango should be counted 2 beats at a time. Starting on a “3”, for instance will put you out of sync with the music. You do, however need to start each action on an even numbered beat. Because the musical phrasing is a little bit off from the rhythm of the steps, it’s best not to worry too much about always starting on the “1” in the music, or always starting a new pattern there. The timing for box steps and twinkles are S,Q,Q. More experienced Foxtrot dancers often use steps with alternative rhythms like the box step and chasses, to match the dancing to the music when it feels good to do so. You can see below that although the beginning and end of the steps don’t always match the beginning and end of the bars, they do match up every 3 bars. This means that a basic step takes 1½ bars of music (just like Swing). until you get the alternating footwork sorted out.Īlthough Foxtrot music has 4 beats per bar, the basic dance rhythm is 6 counts long: S,S,Q,Q (remember “Slows” are worth 2 beats of music). This would go : “left, right, left, right, left, right…” etc. If the alternation of steps really throws you off, you can also “count” the foot alternation along with the rhythm as well. Because of this, it is sometimes helpful to count two bars at a time (1,2,3 – 4,5,6), to give a sense of completion to each step. Remember though, that because there are an odd number of counts, you will start dancing each new bar on a different foot. Waltz is not difficult to count to because both the steps and the music are grouped in even counts of three. Each of the primary ballroom dances have different counts: Cha Cha and Swing are good examples of this. When we have a long series of “Quicks”, we often count the dance numerically, in order to differentiate where we are in the rhythm. In order to marry this dance rhythm to the music, we usually quantify our movements in terms of “Slows” (S) and “Quicks” (Q), where “Slow” is worth 2 beats and “Quick” is worth just 1 beat. Each of us has experienced this before when tapping your foot to the beat, or clapping your hands with the song. This cadence isn’t unlike sounding out phonetics in language. Of all the skills you must posses to become a dancer, this one is definitely the most difficult thing to quantify, and also sometimes, to teach.įirst of all, what are we counting, exactly? Each dance has its own “rhythm”, or cadence within the musical timing. Some dance students find this “counting” confusing, pointless, or frustrating- especially in the beginning. Why does your instructor always count to you during your lesson? One reason is of course to try and get you on the beat of the music, but another reason is that they are trying to teach you how to count time for yourself.
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