Latin and Swing Rhythm Patterns
CHART OF DANCE RHYTHMS
When we dance, we step on the beats that are indicated in the chart below. You can see the steps vary according to which Latin dance you are doing. The "quicks" get one beat each, and the "slows" get two beats in all patterns below.At the end of this page there is a video that shows basic instruction on some 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, and is also popular in Haiti which shares an island with the DR.
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) when you dance Salsa. It is a little more musically challenging to change direction 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 direct 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 on1 and then go on to learn how to dance Salsa on2. But in NY, Salsa on2 is very common so Salseros there often start with on2. Dancing on1 is a little rhythmically simpler because beat one is the accented beat of the musical measure. That makes it the "easiest beat 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. Some folks prefer one of these styles over the other but they are both fun, and great ways to dance Salsa.
It should also be mentioned that there are about four or five (depending on how you count them!) different styles of Salsa dancing. These include NY Salsa, LA Salsa, Colombian Salsa etc. There is more information on these styles at danceintime.com/dancemoves/2017/3/22/types-of-salsa and in the book, Salsa & Rueda de Casino Guidebook.
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 move right, stepping right, left, right, and tap on the left foot. There are steps that alter and play with the above pattern, but that 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 is 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 very similar dances.
Cha-Cha
Step Step cha, cha, cha Step Step cha, cha, cha
What happens if you replace the "slow" in Mambo with "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 cha chas in place 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. Thus, Mambo or Salsa moves can generally 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 stepping to the right and closing the left to the right foot. Then leaders step back on the right, step to the left, and close the right foot to the left foot.
Swing
a. Single Swing: Slow Slow Quick Quick
b. Triple Swing: Triple Step Triple Step Quick Quick (Note: “Triple Step” refers to three steps.)
c. West Coast Swing: Quick Quick Triple Step Triple Step or…
Quick Quick Triple Step Quick Quick Triple Step
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, such as the song “Lady Marmalade.”
Note that the Swing and the dances listed above it—which are all Latin dances—are musically "related" through their connection to Jazz.
Watch Danceintime’s Hispanic Heritage Month program for Florida Southern College. The rhythms of Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata were shown and demonstrated. Differences in the sound of the music for these dances were also explained. For example, Merengue music generally pounds a very steady beat.
For Dancers: Tips on Rhythm
Understanding rhythms is the key to understanding Latin music. It’s also the key to both enjoying and dancing to that music. I have had a great interest in rhythm since I was young. It is no accident that my dance company is named “DanceInTime.”
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. In most styles of Salsa, within an 8-beat phrase of music, dancers step on beats 1, 2, 3 and 5, 6, and 7. They do not step on beat 4 or 8, although they continue moving slowly through those beats.
Sometimes dance teachers say “pause” on beats 4 and 8, but I don’t care for that wording. What the teachers mean is not to take a step. But it can make the dancer think they are supposed to stop and then start moving again on the next beat. On the contrary, Salseros are generally advised to move fluidly and continuously rather than coming to a complete stop and then starting to move again. There is more detail on this in the chart below, under “Salsa.”
If you want to dance or play music and have difficulty recognizing the beat, attend a dance class and do your best. In class, try to watch others and keep pace with them as you are executing moves. In any case, 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 requires practice. Then, even if the timing isn’t completely perfect, people improve and get closer to the beat. For information on classes in the DC/MD/VA area, visit danceintime.com/classes. For those in other locations, contact Barb@danceintime.com to arrange a class or workshop over Zoom, or ask Google about dance classes in your area.
To help dancers with timing, a 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. And note, rhythm-related information is explained further in Salsa & Rueda de Casino Guidebook.
If this subject of rhythm is still confusing, you can contact me about rhythm workshops