LATIN AND SWING BASIC STEP RHYTHM PATTERNS
Understanding rhythms is the key to understanding Latin music. It’s also the key to both enjoying and dancing to that music. If any readers are interested in arranging a workshop or training program on Clave or other Latin dance rhythms, contact: Barb@danceintime.com A program aimed at understanding/improving skills in this area and can be done online, in person, or through zoom, so location is never an issue.
I have had a great interest in rhythm since I was young. It is no accident that my dance company is named “DanceInTime.” Similarly, to appreciate or dance to Latin music, it’s important to grasp the underlying rhythms. It’s no accident that the simplest percussion instrument in a Latin band is called a “clave” which is the Spanish word for “key.” Salsa bands key off the clave’s rhythm, and therefore Salsa dancers do, too. For more detail on this, read the section under the Salsa rhythm in the chart below.
When we dance, we step on the beats that are indicated in the chart below. They vary with which Latin dance you are doing.
If you are confused about how to step to the music’s beat, know that practice of some kind is crucial. So if you want to dance or play music and have difficulty recognizing the beat, attend a class and do your best. If you go to a dance class, try to watch others and keep pace with them as you are executing moves.
Something that commonly happens over time with practice is that a dancer’s body gets accustomed to the typical range of beats per minute for the dance they are doing. That is, people develop muscle memory in the common range of tempos they dance to—but this takes practice. Then even if their timing isn’t completely perfect, they improve—-getting closer to the beat. This enables their partners to have fun dancing with them so the dance is enjoyable for all.
So sign up for a class and pay attention not only to your own steps, but to the pace of how others are moving. See the “classes” page of this website if you are in the DC/MD/VA area for times and locations of classes.
Also, as a tool to help people practice their timing, the Rhythm and Timing CD that Barb produced is now on this website. It has two dance instructors voicing the quick and slow steps over music. This enables people to practice with guidance which is also helpful. (But nothing beats a workshop or class!)
CHART OF DANCE RHYTHMS:
Merengue: Quick Quick Quick Quick Quick Quick Quick Quick
This dance is very basic both rhythmically and in terms of the steps. It is often the favorite of beginning dancers for that reason. The music has a steady, repetitive quality. Dancing Merengue is like walking to music, stepping on every beat. Then you can do any moves such as turns, that the leader leads. This dance is also the National Dance of the Dominican Republic.
Salsa: Quick Quick Slow Quick Quick Slow Quick Quick Slow
You can change direction on the first quick (beat one), or the second quick (beat two) in Salsa. It is a little more musically challenging to change direction, which creates an emphasis, on the second beat. The beat on which dancers change direction is the beat on which they are said to be dancing. So Salseros can either “dance on 1” or “dance on 2.” Dancing on 2 has a more directi relationship to the clave beat so it’s also sometimes referred to as “dancing on the clave.” The clave is a simple percussion instrument of two pieces of wood that are hit together. It’s most often hit on beats 1, 2 and a half, 4, 6 and 7. This is called the 3-2 clave because you are hitting 3 different beats in the first musical measure of 4 beats, and then hitting on 2 beats in the second musical measure. But the two measures can be reversed so that the clave is hit twice in the first measure (on beats 2 and 3) and then 3 times in the second measure (on beats 5, 6 and a half, and 8). Many dancers first learn to dance on one and this is somewhat easier because beat one is the accented beat of the musical measure. That makes the one beat "easiest to find." But emphasizing the second beat by changing direction on that beat gives the dance a deeply rhythmic feeling. Most Rueda de Casino (Cuban Salsa) is danced with the direction change on beat one.
Bachata: Quick Quick Quick Tap Quick Quick Quick Tap
This dance became very popular since the early 2000’s. Dancers step on the first three beats of a four beat musical measure and they mark the fourth beat by touching the floor but not putting weight onto the step which is called a “tap”. Then they begin the next step on the same foot they tapped on. So for example, leaders move to the left to start the dance by stepping left, right, left and then tapping on the right. Then they step right, left, right and tap on the left foot, and then the pattern repeats. There are steps that alter and play with the above pattern but this is the basic step rhythm.
Mambo: Quick Quick Slow Quick Quick Slow Quick Quick Slow
This rhythm pattern is identical to Salsa. However, Mambo is always begun on the second beat of the measure. Technically, Salsa in considered a "street dance" with a flavorful, expressive style while Mambo is a ballroom dance with more emphasis on technique. Salsa can be danced on one or two (the beat when dancers change direction) but Mambo is always danced on two. But these are not huge differences, and Salsa and Mambo are essentially the same dance. a
Cha-Cha: One Two cha, cha, cha One Two cha, cha, cha One Two cha, cha, cha
What happens if you replace the "slow" in Mambo with the "cha, cha, cha?" The answer is that you get the Cha Cha rhythm. Cha Cha is done to slower music than Mambo, so there is time to fit in those three cha chas instead of the one "slow." So Cha Cha and Mambo are very closely related dances. Furthermore, like Mambo, Cha Cha begins on the second beat of the musical measure. That said, many Latin club dancers who don't have ballroom training, dance Cha Cha like a slowed version of Salsa. So they start on beat 1 and as with Mambo, they replace the Slow step with "Cha cha cha." Essentially, Cha Cha is a dance generated by slowing down Mambo or Salsa and inserting 3 steps instead of one slow step. All the Mambo or Salsa moves can be done in Cha Cha with the appropriate rhythm variation!
Rumba: Slow Quick Quick Slow Quick Quick Slow Quick Quick
Rumba is a ballroom dance that is the slowest of all the Latin Dances listed here. It is sometimes referred to as the dance of love due to the somewhat romantic character of both the steps and the music. Leaders do a “box step” for the basic step pattern, going forward on the left, then to the right and closing the left to the right foot. Then leaders step back on the right, go to the left and close the right foot to the left foot.
Single Swing: Slow Slow Quick Quick
Triple Swing: Triple time (3 steps) Triple time Quick Quick
West Coast Swing: Quick Quick Triple time Triple time or…
Quick Quick Triple time Quick Quick Triple time
There are many forms of swing dancing. Single Swing is done to fast music, such as "Rock Around the Clock." Triple Swing is done to medium tempo music. Finally, West Coast Swing is done to the slowest swing music which has a "bluesy" sound. Swing and the other dances listed here (which are Latin dances) are all "related" through their connection to Jazz.
Note: The "quicks" get one beat each and the "slows" get two beats in all patterns above.
Also: At this link https://youtu.be/c2zXnvWdUFE you can see segments of a Hispanic Heritage Month program done for Florida Southern College by DanceInTime. The rhythms of Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata were shown and demonstrated. Differences in the sound of the music for these dances was also explained. (For example, Merengue music generally pounds out a steady beat.) The program concluded with some dance instruction. This DanceInTime program is a nice way to honor Latin culture.
To read about issues in finding the beat, check this out: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/323710682 and https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/cant-feel-rhythm-you-may-be-beat-deaf-1C6437334
If this subject of rhythm is still confusing, you can contact Barb@DanceInTime.com to inquire about rhythm workshops.