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Ballroom and Latin Dance Barnstaple
Come Dancing
Bar
Literally means the vertical line in written music that seperates one measure from the next. For dancing purposes, Bar is synonomous with Measure.
Beat
1) A steady and continuous pulse in the music, within which rhythms are formed
2) A single pulse of music. Beats are usually arranged into groups of 2,3 or 4 to form a measure. (The first beat in a measure is usually more pronounced than the others and we often refer to this as the 'heavy' beat during our lessons.)
Beat Value
The number of beats of music for each step (weight change or action).
For example, in Waltz, the count is 123, with a beat value of 1-1-1.
In Foxtrot, the basic count is SSQQ, with a beat value of 2-2-1-1.
Musical Information
Salsa Music
Cha Cha Music
Musical Terms - An Explanation
Count
Also called timing, this allows dancers to keep their dancing in time to the music. Each dance has it's own specific count which helps define it's feel and character. For example, in Waltz the count is 123, and in the Tango the basic count is SSQQS.
Counting in Beats and Bars
A method of keeping track of how many measures (bars) of music are used in a particular figure or amalgamation. Both the beats and bars are counted at the same time. Examples of counting in beats and bars are:
In 4/4 time (used in Quickstep, Foxtrot and Tango) : 1234, 2234, 3234, 4234, etc.
In 3/4 time (used in Waltz and Viennese Waltz) : 123, 223, 323, 423, etc.
Musicality
Used to describe how well a dancer hears, feels and expresses the music in her or his body. Some aspects of musicality are:
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Maintaining the character of the dance
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Matching the mood of the particular piece of music
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Dancing precisely on time with the music
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Hitting accents and breaks in the music
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Taking phrasing into account
Rhythm
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In Music, the regular recurrance of accented beats that give character to music
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In Dancing, when someone has"good rhythm" they are typically relaxed, well-coordinated, precisely on time with the music and physically expressing the subtelties in the music.
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A term used synonomously with Timing or Count
Tempo
The speed of music, determined by the number of measures in one minute of music. A higher number means the music is faster, and a lower number means the music is slower.
Ballroom & Latin Dance music is called ‘Strict Tempo’, which means that the beat of the music remains constant throughout; it is extremely difficult to dance to music that suddenly changes tempo.
If the tempo of the music suddenly varies, even very slightly, dancers can be thrown into all kinds of confusion. Sometimes a wonderful Waltz can be destroyed by a momentary lack of ‘Strict Tempo’ and, rather than the Rumba being the ‘dance of love’, it can instantly turn into a quickie divorce! So don’t always blame your lack of expertise if things go wrong: it could be the actual music, especially if confusion always occurs at the same point of the same piece of music.
Time Signature
Indicates the number of beats in each measure of music.
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4/4 time (used for most dances) : 4 beats in a measure
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3/4 time (used in Waltz & Viennese Waltz) : 3 beats in a measure
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2/4 time (used in Samba, Tango and Paso Doble) : 2 beats in a measure
Syncopation
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In music terminology, upsetting or changing the meter or pulse of a piece of music by the shifting of the accent to a weaker beat, i.e half beat or quarter beat.
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In dancing, to deviate from the basic timing of the dance by dividing a beat of music into two or more parts. For example, the basic timing of the Waltz being 1-2-3 but the Progressive Chasse contains the syncopation 1-2-&-3.
PURCHASING APPROPRIATE MUSIC
Each dance style has its own well-defined tempo range (BPM), as follows:
|
|
*BPM |
**Time |
|
Waltz |
28-30 |
3/4 |
|
Vienesse Waltz |
58-60 |
3/4 |
|
Foxtrot |
28-30 |
4/4 |
|
Quickstep |
50-52 |
4/4 |
|
Tango |
31-33 |
2/4 |
|
Cha Cha Cha |
30-32 |
4/4 |
|
Rumba |
25-27 |
4/4 |
|
Samba |
48-52 |
2/4 |
|
Jive |
42-46 |
4/4 |
|
Paso Doble |
60-62 |
2/4 |
Jive Music
Rumba Music
Samba Music
Ballroom and Latin dance music CD's!
If you are looking for the right music to practise to at home, come and see us at the end of the lesson and we can advise.
See below examples of the different dance rhythms for each dance style.