Dancing in time - Finding the beat.

[Franck]

If the problem is simply moving to a beat, then why not take the music out of the equation. When I've really had to work on timing, I've even danced to a metronome. If that's going too far, then I'd pick music with a really obvious beat and as little else going on in the track as possible. This means that they have to do less to try and find the beat and can focus on moving to the music.

If the problem is hearing a beat in music, then it might be easier to not try and move. Counting, snapping fingers, tapping feet, or clapping all help find the beat - without the messy complication of having to remember where your feet are meant to be at the same time. From there, you can progress to moving.

All good ideas, and I have used a metronome in a few workshops on musicality, though I think the problem is more to do with finding a beat in the music. As for clapping, counting etc., I have got people to close their eyes and mark the beat with by pointing their hand; once you remove the group aspect, it was interesting to note that about a third of dancers would, as Andy pointed out, mark the 2 & 4, rather than the 1 & 3 in the music, possibly explaining why some dancers struggle with the beat, but find other dancers who 'get them'.

[daveb9000]

... about a third of dancers would, as Andy pointed out, mark the 2 & 4, rather than the 1 & 3 in the music, possibly explaining why some dancers struggle with the beat, but find other dancers who 'get them'.

Good point

[Dave Ellis]

The most useful exercise I've found, by a long way, is teaching people how to conduct 4/4 music. It's slower starting than clapping/stomping around the room, but I find that after a couple of weeks most of the students can anticipate the start of the bar by instinct alone, and move accordingly.

[Prian]

This is probably very simplistic but I just used to watch the teacher and try to keep in step with them. I assumed they were in time. After a while it just seemed to come naturally.

[straycat]

If you get them clapping you need to make sure they clap on every beat.

Why?

Many people clap on the 2 & 4.

Guilty as charged.

[Andy McGregor]

Why?

Because we are talking about ways to get people to find the beat. Not just 2 of the beats or every second beat.

I think it's useful for people to find a way to mark the beginning of the bar as well. But we've not been asked that question.

Pedant?

Guilty as charged

[daveb9000]

I think it's useful for people to find a way to mark the beginning of the bar as well. But we've not been asked that question.

Because I can find the bar instinctively, I forget that others can have difficulty finding the beat, never mind the bar.

I would think that a follow who can't find the beat is harder to dance with than a lead. Only having experience of leading in freestyle, I know it can be challenging to have a follow who is dancing to their own beat, however, a good follow should be able to dance with a lead who is off-beat as they should be following his beat rather than the music.

[Franck]

Many people clap on the 2 & 4.

Guilty as charged.

Do you mean that you clap on the 2 & 4, but when dancing MJ, would you emphasise beat 2 & 4 as well, or do you adjust to 1 & 3?

[straycat]

Do you mean that you clap on the 2 & 4, but when dancing MJ, would you emphasise beat 2 & 4 as well, or do you adjust to 1 & 3?

I don't clap on the even beats to emphasise them - if you listen to a lot of classic swing numbers, you'll find that the rhythm section will often slightly emphasise the even beats, but the rest of the musicians will put the emphasis on the 1 & 3. There's lots of theories on why we do it this way - my own feeling is that it goes with the rhythm section and prepares the way for the main beat - but at the end of the day, it simply feels right.

Clapping on the 1 & 3 used to be called the "white man's clap" - and it just feels wrong.

So to answer your question, I clap on the 2 & 4 ( and 6 & 8, but that's a whole other debate) but that's not necessarily indicative of the way I dance. Or perhaps it is - prep is everything...

[Andy McGregor]

prep is everything...

I think the clap on 2 & 4 is because there's a 'prep' on 1 & 3. Me, I'd like to have a cane to bang on the floor to mark the beat like the dance teacher in Fame.

And I'd like to be in Fame having been to Ridell High in Grease and take an annual holiday to the Dirty Dancing holiday camp.

To really answer the question about helping students find the beat, we first have to understand their problem. I think there are at least two problems. The first is not listening at all and probably not caring - let them go their merry way in the music and help them when they give a damn. The second is much more difficult and, I think, caused by the student listening to something different in the music. Find a track with a strong beat and very little else in it and the dancer will be less distracted. For beginners I find that Addicted to Love works very well.

http://youtu.be/0Skg0Ebo8Dc

[straycat]

I think the clap on 2 & 4 is because there's a 'prep' on 1 & 3.

Agree to disagree In a musical sense, we clap there there because it accentuates the 1 & 3.
Have a listen to the lyrics Addicted to Love, since you brought it close to hand, so to speak - it's a nice example. Breaking this into eight-counts, rather than musical bars (indulge a lindy-conditioned brain for a moment), all the emphasis comes in on the one and the five hence:

Code: Select all

7      &     8      &      1      &     2      &      3      &      4       &       5       &      6       &    
       The   lights are    [B][color="#0000CD"]on[/color][/B]                                but    you're  not     [B][color="#0000CD"]home[/color][/B]

7      &     8      &      1      &     2      &      3      &      4       &       5       &      6       &    
             Your          [B][color="#0000CD"]mind[/color][/B]                              is     not     your    [B][color="#0000CD"]own[/color][/B]

So "The lights are", "but you're not" etc are accentuating those emphasised key words - on, home and so on. That pattern repeats through the whole song. And clapping on the 2 & 4 accentuates those key points, instead of drowning them out.

And yeah - I suppose I should pay some attention to the question at hand - we have a few ways of teaching this - walking exercises to the beat are one, weight shifting, hand clapping - but bringing body movement (a bounce or weight shift) in with the hand clapping - most people feel it far more clearly if they get proper body movement into it, rather than only moving their arms. And it's far more fun.

When it comes to starting on time, we teach people not to worry about that too much, but instead teach leaders to be clear about when they start (which is the first trick) one method we use is get them to start moving - weight shifting, using the bounce etc - when the music starts, then count them in on time. That gives them a gradual feel for when to start, without giving them brain ache or anxiety over it.