Bachata music has four beats per measure. Three steps are taken to four beats of music. As with salsa, the step timing is three steps and then a one-beat pause.The basic footwork pattern is three steps in one direction (side-close-side) and then a hip motion. Repeat going in the other direction. Some people call out the timing as "one, two, three, touch; one, two, three, touch." Some teachers call out the timing as, "one, two, three, lift; one, two, three, lift," while others call out the timing as, "one, two, three, bump; one, two, three, bump." The basic step is easy. As with all Latin dances, the hard part is getting the body action. Without the hip and body action, you are not dancing the bachata. Bend your knees and practice that hip bump!
Although we all talk about dancing On 1, one can find many styles of salsa On 1 being taught, be it Puerto Rican style, LA Style, Central American style, Cuban style. One thing these styles share is, in all these dance style the leader is breaking forward On 1.The On 1 dancer, is able to count the 8 beats of the music and the leaders consistently break forward on that first beat. The "1" dancer never swaps beats. In Music terms; Musically, the melody is emphasized on beat 1. The "1" dancer is hearing and dancing to this musical emphasis. The On 1 dancer can use similar turn patterns as the New York (On 2) salsero. However, the dancer On 1 is hearing the music very differently. The On 1 dancer dances to the melody emphasis whilst the New York On 2dancer dances to the drum/percussion beat which has an emphasis on 2nd beat. Basically It is about how the dancer hears the music. In simple terms, the melody of our music is on 1, but the drumbeat/percussion beat has an accent on 2. When you dance On 2, you are dancing with the conga drum.
Dancing on 2 does not just mean breaking forward on the second beat. It is about how the dancer hears the music. In simple terms, the melody of our music is on 1, but the drumbeat/percussion beat has an accent on 2. When you dance on 2, you are dancing with the conga drum. The 2 dancer breaks forward on the conga's "slap" stroke, ie. the drum's accent. All You Need to Know to Dance On 2 The dancer needs to be able to do the following:
1. Count the 8 beats of the music.
2. Hear and dance to the Conga "slap" stroke...the drum's accent
During the 1950's a dance called Rueda de Casino, or simply Rueda became popular in Cuba. It started in El Casino Deportivo, a Havana social club. The name Casino, which comes from the social club in which the dance began, refers to the style of dancing. It refers to the kinds of turns and steps you would normally do in ordinary salsa dancing, but which make Casino Rueda unique in that the dancing is done in a circle or wheel, as a group. In Rueda the followers are passed around in the circle, with the leaders rapidly exchanging of partners, and numerous complicated moves are done in synchronisation, all done to the beat of Salsa music. Each move has a name and many have hand signals, and are called by the leader of the Rueda. Moves, which are also known as "calls", are sometimes called in extremely quick succession, creating a very dynamic and exciting atmosphere for everyone involved. The hand signals are designed people to be able to dance a Rueda in a loud club setting. In addition, Rueda allows many to take part in the action! As few as two couples can dance Casino Rueda, but also as large as a space can hold! Sometimes as many as fifty couples dance the Rueda, even in circles within circles!! A wonderful new group dynamic occurs when dancing Casino Rueda. There is a unique level of awareness, unmatched in other dances, required by the group for the dance to look stylish, flow smoothly, and above all, to keep it entertaining and fun for those dancing and even for those watching! Dancers learn to open their sphere of awareness, their peripheral vision, beyond the normal restricted space of solo or partner dancing. In this way, dancers coordinate and adjust their individual feel, timing and style so as to make the Rueda work. It is very exciting when the entire Rueda is moving smoothly and on beat! A unique group atmosphere develops as you feel the whole Rueda flow. It is simply an exciting dance which is fun to do and a pleasure to watch.
The cha-cha-cha, or simply cha-cha, is the name of a dance of Cuban origin. It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953. This rhythm was developed from the danzón by a syncopation of the fourth beat. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rhythm of the güiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet. The modern style of dancing the cha-cha-chá comes from studies made by dance teacher Monsieur Pierre (Pierre Zurcher-Margolle), who partnered Doris Lavelle. Pierre, then from London,visited Cuba in 1952 to find out how and what Cubans were dancing at the time. He noted that this new dance had a split fourth beat, and to dance it one started on the second beat, not the first. He brought this dance idea to England and eventually created what is now known as ballroom cha-cha-cha. The validity of his analysis is well established for that time, and some forms of evidence exist today. First, there is in existence film of Orquesta Jorrin playing to a cha-cha-cha dance contest in Cuba; second, the rhythm of the Benny More classic Santa Isabel de las Lajas written and recorded at about the same time is quite clearly syncopated on the fourth beat. Also, note that the slower bolero-son ("rumba") was always danced on the second beat.
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