In How to Identify Dance Music,  Part 1,  I covered some timing definitions and how to identify music for smooth dance styles.   Now I will finish this series with latin and swing styles.

Tango

Timing:  4/4 Time (usually)
Tempo:  approximately 120  beats per minute
Beat Representation:  tap tap tap tap drum-roll that leads into repeat pattern
count:  sometimes taught vocalizing the steps with the letters T, A, N, G, O

Tango music has a distinctive style and is probably one of the most easily identifiable.   It is most often defined by the staccato nature of steps and the unique instrument (bandoneon  similar to accordion) played.

The dance itself is dramatic and danced to a count of : slow slow quick quick slow.  Each slow is danced on one beat of music and each quick on half a beat.

I will note that the issue of timing in Tango music is not as cut and dried as most other dances and I am intentionally avoiding a discussion of Tango in 2/4 and 4/8 timing.  For the purposes of this article,  saying Tango is 4/4 time should be more than sufficient to enable you to identify the style.

Examples:

Hernando’s Hideaway by Tango Orchester Alfred Hause
Tango Del Amor by Carioca Band  (Listen to the drumroll)

Note:  This does not cover Argentine Tango as that would take an article of its own.   Don’t worry, it’s on the to do  list.

Cha Cha

Timing:  4/4 Time
Tempo:  approximately 112 to 128  beats per minute
Beat Representation: Boom, tic,  tic,  tic
count:  1,2,3,4 & 1,2,3,4

Cha Cha music has its own distinctive sound that can be identified by distinct percussion instruments giving it a unique staccato sound but has the same tempo as Hustle, West Coast Swing.  As a result, it is not uncommon to see people dancing swing or hustle to some Cha Cha music.   five steps are taken to four beats of music with the break step on the 2 beat and is danced slow, slow, slow, quick, quick.   The emphasis is on the 1 beat.

Examples:
Tea for Two by Warren Covington And The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
A Bailar Calypso by Elli Medeiros
Pata Pata by Thalia

Swing/Jive

Timing:  4/4 Time
Tempo:  East Coast Swing:  approximately 140 bpm,  Jive :  180 bpm
Beat Representation: Boom, tic,  Boom,  tic
count:  1,2,3,4 & 1,2,3,4

Swing and Jive have an exciting up beat feel, usually danced to swing style jump blues music.  East Coast Swing can be danced to a variety of contemporary music styles.

East Coast Swing is counted quick, quick slow(triple step), quick quick slow(triple step), slow slow(rock step)

ECS
All Shook Up by Elvis Presley
In The Mood by Glenn Miller Orchestra

Jive
Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant
Roll Over Beethoven by Chuck Berry

West Coast Swing

Timing:  4/4 Time
Tempo:  ranges from approximately 100 – 135 bpm
Beat Representation: Boom, tic,  Boom,  tic  (Swing Count is:  Boom, ta tic, Boom, ta tic)
count:  1,2,3,4, 1,2,3,4

Although traditionally dance to slower bluesy Swing style,   West Coast Swing (WCS) can be danced to a wide variety of music including many contemporary songs with the right tempo and 4/4 timing.

Traditional WCS music has a “Swing” Beat that is identifiable by the slight delay in the half note  before the even note.  If you listen to the percussion in the following songs, you will not hear the basic 1,2,3,4 or boom, tic, boom tic.  What you will actually hear is more closely represented as boom, ta tic, boom, ta tic.  Boom is the down or odd beat, ta is a half note that is played closer to the two (Musically, it’s called a swung Eighth)  and tic is the two and so on. Another way to represent this might be 1, ta 2, 3, ta 4.

So on each even beat you hear two percussion beats pressed together.  the half note before the 2 beat and the 4 beat is played not in the half timing but somewhere close to 1/3.   This give it the rolling ta da sound that is the distinctive swing beat.  You will hear this same beat in many East Coast Swing songs as well, only at faster tempo.

Listen to the rolling swing beat in Honey Drippin Baby by Johnny Nicholas.
Now listen to Family Affair by Mary J. Blige. A good WCS but no rolling swing beat.

The basic Push Break (used to be called Sugar Push) consists of eight steps in six beats of music  counted 1(walk),2(walk), 3&4,5&6 or slow slow, quick quick slow(triple step), quick quick slow(triple step).

Note: This is not intended to be an actual description of technique for WCS, but merely a timing representation.   I am intentionally leaving out discussions of Anchor steps, coaster steps, etc and only referencing the actual timing.    Read more about Anchor VS Coaster here .

Other Examples
I’m the Only One by Melissa Etheridge
No More Doggin by Colin James

Contemporary
All Summer Long by Kid Rock
Buttons by The Pussycat Dolls

Mambo/ Salsa

Timing:  4/4 Time
Tempo:  Approximately 200 beats per minute
Beat Representation: Boom, tic,  Boom,  tic (Clave Bell usually on the one and three)
count:  1,2,3,4 & 1,2,3,4

Mambo and Salsa music are very similar and are often interchanged.  Mambo is danced to upbeat latin music, usually filled with horns and Clave bells and the first beat is accented.

The primary difference between the two is when the break step occurs.  In Mambo, the break step is on the two beat.  In Salsa, the break step is on the one beat.
Mambo and Salsa both follow a step pattern of :  step step step pause repeat and to a step timing of  quick quick quick slow or hold

Examples:
Papa Loves Mambo by Perry Como
Mambo Number 5 by Lou Bega

Rumba

Timing:  4/4 Time
Tempo:  Approximately 130 bpm, International: 106 bpm
Beat Representation: boom tic tic tic
count:  1,2,3,4 & 1,2,3,4

Traditionally danced to rhythmic latin music which include some distinctive percussion instruments.  Rumba is a very slow, serious, romantic dance with flirtation between the partners.   Rumba is danced three steps within four beats of music as quick quick slow or slow quick quick for international style.  Accent is one the 1 beat.

Rumba is often said to be a good nightclub dance as it can fit into many 4/4 time songs.

Examples:

Frenesi by Oscar De Leon
Quando Quando Quando by Michael Buble

Samba

Timing:  4/4 Time
Tempo:  Approximately 105 to 130 bpm
Beat Representation:boom tada da
count:  1,2,3,4 & 1,2,3,4 (One eh two, two eh two)

Samba is a  complex and distinctive dance from Brazil.  Although, the music is only around 100 beats per minute,  dancing three steps in two beats of music makes the dance feel much faster.

The straight 1,2,3,4 time of the music has similarities to hustle.  Even though the emphasis is on the 1 beat, Samba music gets an added emphasis between the 1 and 2 beat as well as between the 3 and 4 beat.   This emphasis is usually a percussion and played closer to the second of the two beats so it has a rolling feel.

Unlike other dances where you have a slow quick quick count and the quick steps are evenly divided between the single beat,  Samba compresses the middle step closer to the second beat resulting in something closer to slow, eh, quick.   To further explain, the foot is placed on the 1 beat, the second step is placed around three quarters of the the 2 beat then the third step on the 2 beat.

Examples:

Oyeme by Enrique Iglasias
Aint it Funnyby Jennifer Lopez

I have covered the majority of the popular dance styles and there are so many more, but to be completely honest I’ve simply run out of steam.

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Is This a Waltz or Foxtrot

While at a dance this week, I was engaged in a discussion about dance styles and music.  The lady I was talking with said she never knew what dance she was supposed to do until either the style was announced or she could see what others were doing.

I told her it would take some time to begin to hear the underlying rhythm pattens but it would happen.  Looking back, I wish I had put more thought into my answer so I’m going to try to give a better answer to her question here.

New dancers  new face the challenge of learning how to tell the difference between the various different music styles.  There are at least 10 different rhythm patterns making up the most popular ballroom, latin and swing dance styles.

To understand what makes a particular song right for a given dance style requires listening  to and analyzing the underlying rhythm pattern.   This pattern is not the  melody but the  underlying percussion pattern.    This pattern can come from a number of different instruments including drums and piano.

Understanding Timing

Timing is a basic way to measure and identify music. But first some definitions that will help us to understand timing.

Tempo:  Italian for time.  Usually represented as Beats Per Minute (BPM). Tempo is simply the speed of the music.

Beat.  Beat is the unit of measurement in a measure.  A recurring pulse in the music usually represented by a drum.

Measure: Simply a segment of time.  A measure’s length will vary from song to song.  A measure will consist of a number of beats which is used to identify the timing.  A measure with three beats and the first beat is the strong beat is considered 3/4 time.  To avoid confusion,  let me explain that 3/4 time is stated as three four time, not three quarter time.

Timing :A representation of the number of beats in a measure and what beat receives emphasis.  The top or first number contains the number of beats per measure.  The bottom number represents the emphasis or strong beat.  3/4 timing the emphasis is on the quarter not,  3/8 would be on the eighth note,  3/2 timing the emphasis on the half note.  Most dance music is emphasized on the quarter not so you will usually see 3/4 or 4/4 timing for example.

Phrase: A group of measures/beats.  A Phrase can consist of 8 , 16, 24, 32 or more beats.

Mini Phrase: A grouping of two measures usually counted 1-8.  This is the most common phrase discussed when taking dance lessons.  The first beat of a mini-phrase of 8 is slightly accented which is why you will often hear an instructor start counting 5,6,7,8 in classes.

Basic Phrase: A group of eight measures consisting of a total of 32 beats.  This is sometimes called basic phrase.  This is very commonly used in choreography.

This is not a actually a rule, but eight and thirty two beat phrases are what you will usually find in music used for dance.   Some Blues music is phrased in 16 or 24 beats and some music will go as high as 40.

When representing different aspects of the rhythm I will use the following conventions;

Boom - emphasis or strong beat.  most likely a base drum or heavy beat.

tic - regular beat, possibly a snare drum or light cymbal.

tap - tango beat.

tada - samba quick ,  sounds like two beats pushed together.

So let’s get started…….

Foxtrot

Timing:  4/4 Time

Tempo:  approximately 120 bpm (beats per minute)

Beat Representation:  Boom tic Boom tic

count:  1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4

Foxtrot is typically dance to Big Band /Swing music and usually danced slow slow quick quick with each slow consisting of two beats and  each quick of one beat.  As you can see, the basic requires 6 beats so to end on a measure requires two basics in the same manner as east coast swing.

Below are some songs for Foxtrot.  See if you can hear the boom tic boom tic beat.

All Of Meby Graham Dalby And The Grahamophones

It’s Cool to Be Coolby Sarah Moule (Boom is emphasized by piano through portions of this song).

Too Marvelous For Wordsby Frank Sanatra

QuickStep

Timing:  4/4 Time

Tempo:  approximately 200 bpm

Beat Representation:  Boom tic Boom tic

count:  1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4

QuickStep is very Fast  and lively Tempo Big Band Swing style music.  Some music may also be suitable for lindy hop or fast swing. Quickstep is danced slow quick quick, slow, quick, quick.

Foxtrot and quickstep are very similar in the musical style as both are danced to big band  4/4 time music.  The main difference is the tempo.  Where Foxtrot is around 120 bpm,  quick step is much faster being closer to 200 bpm.  So as you can see, identifying quickstep is the same as identifying foxtrot only at a much faster tempo.

Here are a couple of examples:

It Don’t mean a Thing by Count Basie Orchestra

Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman And His Orchestra

Waltz

Timing:  3/4 Time

Tempo:  approximately 90 – 100 bpm

Beat Representation:  Boom tic tic

count:  1,2,3,1,2,3

Waltz is danced to graceful and elegant music.  The timing is quite different from most other styles.  3/4 time means each measure has three beats and the first beat will be the strong or emphasized beat.   If the music is emphasized every fourth beat then it is not 3/4 time and not waltz music.

examples

Open Arms by Journey

Fascination by Nat King Cole

Vienese Waltz

Timing:  3/4 Time

Tempo:  approximately 190 bpm

Beat Representation:  Boom tic tic

count:  1,2,3,1,2,3

Similar to waltz, viennese has a tempo that is almost twice as fast as waltz.  As in waltz, the first beat is emphasized.   Another major difference is in the timing of the beat.   In waltz, the three beats are evenly spaced, but in viennese, the two and three beat are closer together.   This give the music it’s rolling slow, quick, quick feel.   One thing to note is that occasionally you might find it difficult to distinguish a viennese waltz from a regular waltz so listen carefully.  You will definitely figure it out when you try to dance regular waltz to this kind of music.

Examples:

Danube Waves Waltzby Alfred Hause Orchester

After The Ball Is Over by Nat King Cole

In Part two, I will continue with a discussion of latin and swing dance styles.

Endangered Species

 I was thinking the other day about the dances we enjoy and what the future holds for them.   Looking back through history, many dances come and go.  Some last for centuries while others are gone after a few short years.   

 Let me say that I’m not making any predictions.  I’m just speculating on what the future  could hold for some classic dance styles.

I am a great lover of music.  I can listen to many different genres of music from big band to country to contemporary and I love them all.  I wonder though, as music ages and generations come and go.  What will happen to  the dances we associate with that style of music?

Of course, we all know that dances are based on timing and not the music style, but I believe it’s safe to say  that in most cases, the two are closely related.

What will happen to the waltz and quickstep in another thirty or forty years?  Will we still be listening to the music from the big band era?  Will it become more and more difficult to find contemporary music with the timing for these dances.  Waltz maybe, but how often do you find contemporary Quickstep?   Will Foxtrot someday become  as rare as the polka?

What influences the popularity or decline of a particular dance?  One thing that technology has given us is the ability to record and preserve music.  This very well could be one possible reason why dances like Waltz and Quickstep have survived.  

Prior to recorded music,  dance styles were strictly driven by the popularity of music and what was performed live by orchestras or bands.   I believe this could have greatly influenced the life of many dance styles.

I know much effort has gone into preserving the current ballroom and latin dances.  The competitive organizations, local clubs and dance studios have standardized the dances to teach and hopefully we will see these dances continue in popularity  for many generations to come.

What do you think the future holds for these favorite dance styles?

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 What makes Argentine Tango unique among all styles of dance?  Is it the unique movements or could it be something else?

http://singletango.com/347/argentine-tango-musicality/

 Tango dancers often think that the great divide in tango dancing is in the styles, but it may be in the musicality. Good musicality connects the dancers and even connects dancers to the onlookers. No matter your tango taste, whether open embrace, closed embrace, tango nuevo or other styles, good musicality is important.  Regardless of the style, dancers become connected by interpreting and enjoying the tango music in that moment.

How does musicality impact your Tango?

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Dance tempi in measures per minute as recommended by the National Dance Council of America, Inc. The Standard Ballroom Dances are those dances which have not only survived the test of time but have been danced continuously since their inception. A dancer who understands the similarities as well as the differences of all the social dances can readily recognize and adapt as new dances appear on the scene. Frequently, people are not aware of the gradual but continuous change that takes place in all the standard dances.

 
Read More Standard Ballroom Dance Tempi

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This is my personal list of favorite songs for Foxtrot.   I am constantly looking for new songs and this list changes often.   Click the play button to listen to the tracks.

What are some of your favorites?

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We Dance Swing and Cha Cha to his music every week.  No one artist in recent history has had as much impact on the music industry as Michael Jackson.  Love him or hate him,  his music has influenced countless artists and performers, defined a decade and left a legacy for the music industry. 

From Unprescedented success and superstar status to controversy and scandal,  his music transcended all barriers to make him The King of Pop.

These are some of the songs that dancers will always love to hear when on the dance floor long after his passing.

Playlist Tracks and Dance Style

• Rockin Robin – East Coast Swing
• P.Y.T – East Coast Swing
• Billie Jean -  Cha Cha
• The Way You Make me Feel – East or West Coast Swing
• Black or White – East Coast Swing/ Cha Cha
• Remember the Time – East or West Coast Swing
• Say Say Say – East Coast Swing
• Who Is It – West Coast Swing
• Blood on the Dance Floor – West Coast Swing

 Are there any Michael Jackson songs you love for  dancing?  Leave a Comment.

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For those who are passionate about Argentine Tango but just beginning, this article is a great help in finding composers and music for this inspiring dance.

Exerpt…. Tango music is something even the most unschooled among us recognize  when we hear it. Even if we don’t know what a bandoneon is, we know that concertina-like sound,

Bandoneon

blending with violins and perhaps some piano music. We recognize the beat, technically called “two-by-four,” even if we know nothing about music. And above all, we know the emotions of the tango sound, the varying mix of lament, woe, romance, passion, and every nuance in-between

        Read the Complete Article here…..

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This is my personal list of favorite songs for Rumba.   I am constantly looking for new songs and this list changes often.   Click the play button to listen to the tracks.

What are some of your favorites?

This is my personal list of favorite songs for Waltz.   I am constantly looking for new songs and this list changes often.   Click the play button to listen to the tracks.

What are some of your favorites?

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