Meter

Most Western music is organized in a simple structure that can be easily understood without getting too technical. Typically a "beat" refers to a drum beat. A group of beats is a "bar" or "measure". Finally a group of bars is a "phrase". Meter is the way the beats are grouped in the bars - usually by 2's, 3's or 4's. Different dances have different meters.

All of the dances in our program have a meter of either 2, 3 or 4 beats per bar.

• Tango: 2 beats per bar
• Waltz: 3 beats per bar
• Foxtrot: 4 beats per bar
• Rumba: 4 beats per bar
• Cha Cha: 4 beats per bar
• Swing: 4 beats per bar
• Salsa: 4 beats per bar

Note: Practically speaking it can be difficult to tell the difference between 2 and 4 beats per bar, because of the even numbers of beats. However, it is much easier to recognize a Waltz because of its distinct 3 beat rhythm. If you hear a strong 3 beat rhythm, then the song is definitely a Waltz. If you hear even numbers of beats, you will also need to consider the tempo and character of the music, before you decide on your dance.

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Counting

Each dance has its own "rhythm" within the musical timing. In order to marry this dance rhythm to the music, we typically count our steps in "Slows" (S) and "Quicks" (Q), where slow is worth 2 beats and quick is worth just 1 beat. Different dances are counted differently:

Tango -- SSQQS
Theoretically, because it has 2 beats per bar, Tango should be counted 2 beats at a time. This can be confusing however, and it is far more practical to count a phrase of 4 or even 8 beats of music at a time. All of our steps are 8 counts long, and so we will always count in groups of 8. The basic rhythm we use, which applies to almost all of our steps is: SSQQS.

Fox Trot -- SSQQ
Although Foxtrot music has 4 beats per bar, the basic dance rhythm is 6 counts long: SSQQ. This means that a basic step takes 1½ bars of music (just like Swing). 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. 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.

Waltz -- 123
Waltz is not difficult to count to because both the steps and the music are grouped in even counts of three. Remember though, that because there are an odd number of counts, you will start dancing each new bar on a different foot. Because of this, it is sometimes helpful to count two bars at a time (123 - 456), to give a sense of completion to each step.

Rumba -- SQQ
Rumba feels great to dance to because, like the Waltz, the timed dance steps fit evenly into 4 beat bars of music. A full Rumba basic takes 2 bars of music. It is sometimes helpful to count 12345678.

Cha Cha -- 1234&
Cha Cha music can feel fast because there are 5 steps to make in 4 beats of music. The extra step happens on the 4th beat, which means that the 4th beat is split in 2. We count "&" on this ½ beat. A full basic step takes place over 8 beats.

Swing -- SSQQ
Swing music has 4 beats per bar, but the basic dance rhythm is 6 counts long: SSQQ. This means that a basic step takes 1½ bars of music (just like Foxtrot). Again, the beginning and end of the steps don't always match the beginning and end of the bars.

Swing can also be danced with a triple rhythm that has 8 steps in the basic pattern. The triple rhythm is counted: Q&Q Q&Q QQ.

Triple rhythm Swing will often feel more comfortable for Swing music that is slower, while single rhythm works better for faster songs.

Salsa -- QQS
There are a few different ways of using the 4 beats of Salsa music to make a dance rhythm. And while some people have very strong convictions about the 'rightness' of their way of counting, the bottom line is that you can have a great time dancing either rhythm. In our syllabus we count QQS and dance the first Quick on the 1st beat of music. This is probably the easier rhythm to dance, because it starts on the '1' beat of the music, which is natural for most people. Alternatively, some dancers hold the first beat of music and start dancing 'on 2'. Dancing this count, you start on the 2nd beat and count 2 3 4 hold. (Notice that this is just QQS starting on the 2nd beat). This is often thought of as Mambo rhythm, but it can be danced to any Salsa music.

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Tempo

Simply stated, tempo is how fast or slow the music is played. You could take any song, and play it faster or slower to change the song's tempo.

You may have had the experience of trying to dance to music that is impossibly fast or excruciatingly slow. It is important that music be within a certain range of tempo or it won't feel comfortable to dance to. In competitive dancing there are strict guidelines about the tempo of music that can be played, so that the dances can remain true to character. In social dancing the tempo can be very flexible. However, while the best dancers are able to adapt their dancing to almost any music, there are certainly points where musical tempo makes it impossible to dance certain steps.

Tempo is counted in "bars per minute".

Generally accepted tempi are as follows:

• Foxtrot: 28-32 bpm
• Tango: 30-33 bpm
• Waltz: 28-30 bpm
• Cha Cha: 28-32 bpm
• Rumba: 26-32 bpm
• Swing: 36-44 bpm
• Salsa: 47-48 bpm

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Character

The character of the music is another important factor that contributes to the dance. You may notice that different dance music can have the same number of beats per bar, and even the same tempo, but can still be clearly differentiated by character. Musical character refers to the mood and feeling of the music in general and is really inseparable from the dance itself, as the dance is an expression of the music. The descriptions below therefore, characterize both the music and the dance. Some things that influence musical and dance character are speed, instruments, style, loudness and flow.

Foxtrot
Foxtrot can be danced to a variety of music, but is most naturally danced to the smooth jazz sounds of the 1920's-1940's. The music can be romantic, mysterious, swingy or jazzy, but there is usually an underlying feeling of sophistication and ease about a good Foxtrot. Foxtrot music is particularly popular at weddings because of its timeless syrupy romance.

Descriptive words
smooth, jazzy, smoky, easy-going, without a care, 1920's, American, Sinatra

Popular Foxtrots
It Had to be You -- Harry Connick Jr.
The Way You Look Tonight -- Frank Sinatra
Sweet Caroline -- Neil Diamond

Waltz
Classic Slow Waltz music is highly romantic and sentimental music in ¾ time. It is usually kind of dreamy and seems to look back longingly to a time of innocence, when people wrote things like "Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine, I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine." (Was this really a time of innocence?) Although waltz music is traditionally romantic, it can also be jazzy, playful or even mysterious.

Descriptive Words
elegant, classic, sentimental, classy, sweeping, high romance, 123, English

Popular Waltzes
Moon River
Could I Have This Dance -- Anne Murray
Open Arms -- Journey

Rumba
The best Rumba music is slow, heavy with rhythm and very sexy. Rumba is the Latin dance of love, (that can develop into a dance of lust quite quickly!) and the slow, heavy rhythm is perfect for a lady to seduce and tease her man, but deny him when he gets too close!

Descriptive words
sensual, catlike, slow, sexy, Cuba, beach, hot romance, steamy

Popular Rumbas
Follow Me -- Uncle Kracker
Kokomo -- Beach Boys
Girl from Ipanema -- Frank Sinatra

Cha Cha
Classic Cha Cha music evolved from a variety of Cuban rhythms and has a fun, infectious feel about it. Real Cuban Cha Cha's have a strong identity based on their instruments (Guiro, Piano, Timbale and Bongos) and rhythm. On the other hand Cha Cha can be danced to almost any music that has 'a good beat', including most club music. Basically if the music makes you want to move, you can probably dance a Cha Cha.

Descriptive words
flirtatious, cheeky, fun, saucy, Cuban

Popular Cha Chas
Sway
Oye Como Va
Billie Jean -- Michael Jackson

Swing
There is a very broad range of style and character in swing music and dancing, reflecting the many different places and time periods that Swing has been popular. The original swing music grew as part of Jazz, and was popularized in the 20's and 30's as 'big band' music. The wailing horns and swinging feel of songs like "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" and "Swing Swing Swing" gave that music an exciting, energetic feel. As Jazz and Blues evolved into Rock n' roll, they brought swing dancing with it, and the early rock n' roll of the 1950's became the new swing music. Really you can think of almost all American music as Swing music - from Jazz, to Blues, to Rock and Roll, to Country. And although we usually think of Swing music as being fast, it can also be slow, bluesy and very laid back.

Descriptive words
fun, energetic, innocent, swingy, Harlem, rooted, American, 1950's, poodle skirts, rock n' roll

Popular Swings
Runaround Sue -- Dion & the Belmonts
Hey Ya -- Outkast
Mustang Sally

Salsa
Salsa and Mambo music are highly percussive, Cuban based rhythms that make you want to dance! The music is based on a 2 bar clave rhythm that repeats throughout the song. Bongos, Congos , Bells and Timbales are other featured percussive elements, with horns and vocals layered on top. To the average new listener the music usually sounds like a jungle of percussion overlaid with horns. Although Salsa and Mambo are usually thought of as fast exciting dances, they can have a slower more romantic feel as well.

Descriptive words
spicy, fun, exciting, clubby, sweaty, Cuban, sexy

Popular Salsas
La Bomba -- Ricky Martin
Mambo #5

Tango
Although there are many styles of Tango music, the Tango is usually one of the easiest dances to recognize because of its sharp, staccato, moody patterns of sound. The origins of the music and dance are Argentinian, and the music is alive with the passion and intensity of those people. The characteristic Tango sound also relies on its instruments. The bandoneon, (similar to an accordion) for example, is featured in a great deal of Tango music. Similarly the violin, bass and piano are all characteristic instruments of the Tango. When you hear them all together, flitting darting and passionate, you know it is time to get close.

Descriptive words
passionate, dramatic, intense, pathos, red, black, Argentina

Popular Tangos
La Cumparsita
Roxanne
Carmen

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