Counts Commonly Used in Salsa

Counts Commonly Used in Salsa.

A explanation of the most common counts used in salsa classes and a discussion of their pros and cons. I've also included my preferences and recommendations.

What is counting for?

Counting serves several main purposes:

• To connect us to the rhythm within the music, thereby synchronising the foot work sequence FWS to the speed of the music. This is achieved through identifying the pulses or beats within the music and vocalising them with a word. Our actions, including the FWS can be timed to those words.
• Counts are used to synchronise the start of the FWS with the desired beat of the bar (usually the first) i.e. dancing in time.
• Some counts may inform the dancer which foot they should be using at any time. This can either be in real time e.g. “left” is instantly comprehensible as your left foot, or as a debugging tool for when something has gone wrong e.g. “seven” in the 8-count will mean leaders right foot. (With practise this can become instant)

What’s wrong with counting?

The downside of counting is that the nuance of the music is often lost if the count is allowed to dominate your thoughts. Then you’re dancing only to the count and not the music. This prevents you from interpreting the music, or noticing if you are still synchronised to it i.e. dancing out of time.

Counts should be used as a temporary tool, to be discarded as soon as unnecessary. They should be viewed as a way to connect to the music not a replacement.

Worst case you find yourself out of time, with your mouth silently mouthing the words of a count. Beware it’s hard to loose a bad habit!

There are many counts commonly used in dance classes. There is no correct or official count, although some are more popular than others. The important thing is to understand their limitations and benefits and select the best tool for you at any particular time and not to use them when they are unnecessary.

Counts:

Pulse:

Any noise is used to mark the the beat of the music. I’ve used the word ‘Tak’ as this is a popular word used to mark the pulse in mainland Europe.

e.g. Tak Tak Tak ___ Tak Tak Tak ___

Pros:

It makes the beats stand out from the music and allows the dancer to connect to them.

Cons:

It doesn’t inform the dancer which foot they should be used next.

____________

4-Count A.K.A  'The musician’s count':

e.g.  1234 1234

1 Bar = 4 beats or 1 measure (USA)

Pros:

This is a global musical convention used by musicians all over the world. It is also used in almost all school music curriculum's and is clearly defined.

Salsa music is always notated as four beats to a bar i.e. 4:4 time. The length of a bar is not optional if you wish to remain within the musical convention*.

We can choose not to honour the convention but it may cause confusion and even sound ignorant if musical convention terms are used e.g. beats and bars, when we are deliberately not within the convention. I think best practise should be to avoid the phase ‘beat five’ as there is no beat five within the musical convention. Better to say ‘step five’ or ‘foot five’ to lessen the confusion. It may seem just semantics but I’ve seen many incorrect assumption presented in classes e.g. “The musical count spans the same period as the 8-count but is half the speed” THIS IS NOT CORRECT! The correct definition in terms of the musical convention, is that the FWS spans two bars of music.

The 4-Count allows for turnarounds in the music. (see below)

Cons:

This count does not describe which foot is being stepped into. i.e. ‘One’ may refer to a left or right foot.

Left Right Left Pause Right Left Right Pause

1     2      3     4       1       2     3      4

*I took the opportunity to discuss this fully with the head of conducting at The Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the head of percussion at The Royal College of Music, both are two of the world's leading conservatoires of music.

____________ 

8-count A.K.A.'The footwork count':

e.g. 123_567_

Spanning two bars, the footwork is clearly described, each step has it’s own number. Usually One is leader’s left foot and follower’s right, two is leader’s right and follower’s left etc.  The fourth and eighth beats are silent as no step is taken.

Pros:

• Referencing the feet allows an instructor to say an action happens on beat five and the whole class understands which foot is required.
• It’s a very popular count used by many teachers.
• Eight beats is a near ideal length for remembering movement. I once found some scientific research on this but have since lost the reference. 
• It’s excellent for conveying a series of moves or combos to groups who have already mastered their FWS.

Cons:

• For beginners quoting numbers does not have any instant meaning compared to quoting left and right so there is not error prevention only debugging. In fairness to the 8-count, dancers quickly gain mastery of ‘one’ and ‘five’ and it’s almost as instant as ‘left’ and right’.

• It addictive! So many dancers keep counting when they no longer need to, often moving their lips which looks idiotic. Vocalising numbers seems far more addictive than other words. The cure for count addiction is simple. Don’t count or ditch it ASAP!

• Often the dancer is not dancing to the music but to the count in their head, which prevents them from interpreting the music.

• The ‘One’ and ‘five’ is over emphasised leading to a stronger step on the ‘One’ or ‘five’ where there is no emphasis desired or in the the music.

• The main benefit i.e. referencing the feet is often undermined in classes where the  follower’s One is their right foot when dancing with a partner, and their left foot when dancing in a line-up. This can be confusing.

• Turnaround: In salsa music there are phrases and sections, like sentences and paragraphs, that form verses and choruses etc. These phrases often end with a distinctive ‘break’ that is easy to hear. In the genre of salsa sections are mainly an even number of bars in length but quite often there’s a ‘Turnaround’ where an extra bar is included. The Turnaround deliberately changes it’s feel of the following section’s rhythmic structure.

Dancers who use an eight count often fall into the trap of assuming the first beat at the

start of a section to always be a ‘One’. After a turnaround it may be a ‘Five’ which make them believe they have made a mistake. I have worked with teachers who have outlawed dancing on ‘Five’ or elevated it to an ‘Advanced Only’ technique. I believe this is not best practice. There is nothing wrong with dancing on ‘five.’  Get used to it. It may feel different and unfamiliar but that’s what learning something new is all about. It will also provoke a different repertoire of moves for the leaders. Listen out for tracks with turnarounds, there’s lots of them.

There is nothing wrong or unusual about dancing on five, but if you don’t want to you’ll need to find ways of flipping your FWS and your partners. I recommend Freezes, Transition Steps and eight beat moves, or just wait for another turnaround.

Without turnaround:

123 567 123 567 123 567 123 567 break 123 567 123 567

note the the first beat after the break is a one.

With turnaround:

123 567 123 567 123 567 123 567 123 break  567 123 567 123

note the the first beat after the break is now a five.   

____________

Beats 'n Bars:  
1234 2234 3234 4234 (underlined indicates which bar, the remainder which beat)

I believe this is a Ballroom/Latin count.

Pros: Great for long choreography

Cons: Choreography is the bane of freestyle salsa.

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Quick Quick Slow:
The quicks last one beat and the slow lasts two beats.

Another popular Ballroom/Latin count.

Interestingly the words are used to convey the period in between the pulses rather than the pulses as in ‘Tak Tak Tak’. This is actually more accurate as a beat is a period of time rather than a point in time.

Quick Quick Slooooooow

1       2       3       4

Pros:

Can be effective in emphasising a fluid transition from one bar to the next.

Cons:

Very limited apart from above use. The words have no connection to the FWP.

I wonder if ‘Medium’ would mean one and a half beats!

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Position to Position:

Unusual and rare but effective for getting the shape of the move.

Position 1 -(no fixed amount of time)- Position 2 -(no fixed amount of time) -Position 3

I’m not sure if this counts as a count, but it uses numbers so I’ve put it in. I once went to a class that used this count and it was confusing as hell at first. Later I enjoyed the way that it assumes you already have mastered FWS and timing.

Pros: It makes the dancer think about certain positions, how they look and the transitions to get there.

Cons: It has no connection with the music at all at!

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Left Right Left Pause Right Left Right Pause      

  

My personal favourite for use with beginners and anyone who has asked the question which foot am I on?

I recommended its use whenever under stress i.e. the move is new or flawed.

Pros:

Many hesitation mistakes are avoided as it’s very clear which foot is next.

We’ve usually learnt left and right and numbers by around six years old but numbers are never used to describe direction, so in a moment of hesitation, the dancers vocalising left or right will generally take the correct step without having to think. The dancer counting will have to work out which foot it should be.

As a debugging tool. To identify and fix an error quoting the FWS lets the dancer know exactly where the error is before it’s been practised.

It does not linger i.e. it's  not addictive. In fact you'll drop it to soon.

cons:

It's difficult to use at first and requires a little practise to become fluent saying the phrase: left right left pause, right left right pause.

It feels mechanical which is fine if you're debugging something or attempting it for the time. Because of this mechanical feel it doesn’t feel cool.

About 5% of the population have convinced themselves that they are rubbish at left and right, and these people feel a great resistance to the tool. This is sad because it may in fact help them with left and right.

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Tick Tock:

Quote Tick or Tock on alternate first beats of the bar.

Tick         Tock          Tick         Tock            

1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4

This is my prefered tool which is surprisingly useful and easy to adopt.

It’s best used when not under great stress (see Left Right Left Pause)

I recommend it for when things are working but still require a little help regarding which foot you're on.

Pros:

• Easy to teach and adopt.

• Non addictive.

• These plenty of silence to hear and connect to the music leading to interpretation.

• The secret is to be very light as is the words touch the beat like a butterfly landing for a moment. This seems to lift the dancer from a dogmatic mechanical mode into a lighter conversational mode.

Cons: Not as useful as 8-count in conveying choreography, and has no sense of cool about it.

____________ 

Conclusion:

People often confuse the style of teaching with the resulting salsa style. Counts are just tools to be used and discarded when no longer necessary. Understanding where the pros and cons of each are enable you to get on with the business of dancing and having fun.

My Salsa Rapido method's approach to counts used when teaching is to use ‘Left Right Left Pause’ for the high concentration mechanics. ‘Tick and Tock’ for to practise up a combo and the 8-count for conveying moves to those who no longer need to count.

No advanced dancer or competent Intermediate counts when they dance freestyle salsa. In other words: It's the music that counts not the dancer!

One final tip: Avoid ANY track or app that puts a count over the music. If they count for you, you’ll be slow to find your timing. 

That's it my number's up :-)

Salsa Rapido method- Fast, Fun & Progressive

Salsa Rapido® - is not just another brand name but an alternative salsa teaching method that gets you dancing salsa faster, better and having more fun along the way.

I like dancing with fun, confident, stylish people and so that’s how I teach people. Call it progressive or just common sense.

Salsa classes reflect the values of the teacher. So who am I and what do I believe:

My name is Alastair Sadler I'm English and have been dancing salsa since 1992.  I created the Salsa Rapido® method in 1995 as a reaction to the traditional ‘dance class.’ It’s evolved into the fastest, most fun and progressive way into salsa.

In 2003 I created the world’s first 1-Day Intensive Salsa Course in London which has proved the longest running and most successful course of its kind anywhere in the world.

I’m still passionate about teaching social dance and the positive effects it has on those who get involved.

Why I believe Salsa Rapido should be fast and fun:

Fast! I work on the assumption that you don’t want to be a beginner for long. You want to walk onto that dance floor with the confidence of James Bond, knowing you can dance.

So learning is just a phase to go through. The shorter that phase is, the sooner you'll be out there dancing.

Can you get out there and salsa? Once you do, you'll discover that learning was worth all the effort. Don’t stop until you can dance. Once there, the chances are that you'll stay in salsa.

Surprisingly, learning quickly produces better dancers with less bad habits and misconceptions.

Fun! Classes should be fun and an entertainment in their own right. If you're having fun you're relaxed and spoiler alert.... you'll learn faster. Associating salsa with fun will draw you back to salsa again for more fun where you’ll meet others who also like having fun.

How is Salsa Rapido Progressive:

Confidence - I like dancing with confident people. Social dancing is a great opportunity to express our inner confidence. I don’t mean showing off, but the confidence we all express when sitting around a table having a laugh with friends. It’s also the confidence of connecting with other humans and together feeling inspired. It’s not about being the best, it’s about being the most you can be. Allowing the most confident version of you to be seen.  We seldom get the chance to practice confidence as a social skill but salsa is one way we can.

Method - I’ll use any and every trick, tip, wacky analogy and positive psychology I can, to get you dancing. After over two decades of teaching, I’ve quite a bag full!

Simplification - Salsa is easy and yet often it appears complex, something that will take forever to learn. Salsa Rapido® offers a simple conceptual framework. Parameters or rules within which to operate. Simple classification of types of moves, so once you get one example you’ve pretty much got them all in that category.

De-mystification - Understand the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ becomes easy. Keep the ‘why’ hidden and it becomes mysterious and complex and difficult.

Experience - Showing you what to do is easy. Identifying precisely what went wrong and how to fix it takes experience. Constructing a curriculum that avoids most of the problems and bad habits before they form takes a lot of experience.

Divergent thinking.

Divergent thinking is the approach where there are many correct and creative solutions  fanning out in front of you. This is opposed to Convergent thinking when you seek a single perfect way of doing something. Most social dance is traditionally presented convergently.  I teach divergently giving you many ways of looking good being creative within the parameters of what works across the world. More about that another time...

Travelling steps

 

Travelling Steps:

When you boil it down there’s only a few things you can do on a dance floor. Stay static, rotate, go somewhere and a few miscellaneous bits and pieces.
Travelling is part of the ‘going somewhere’ group.
To move across the dance floor we can either take small or big ones. I call small steps shuffling, and the big ones travelling steps.

Definition of Travelling:
A large step across the floor on any beat in any direction, but they must follow the rule of travelling.
Because travelling steps are numerous and used in every regional style, it's useful to identify and master the mechanical properties so we can easily master new moves that have similar properties.

Well Known Moves that include a travelling steps:

Cross Body Lead (f5), Dil’ Que No. (f5) Open Break (f1), Copa (f3 f5), Gupea (f2 f3 f6 f7),
Around the world (f2 f3 f6 f7), Paseala (f2 f 6)
[ The f before the number refers to the eight count as started on the leaders left foot e.g. f5 = Right foot of the leader and left of the follower. ]

The Rule of Travelling Steps:
When a follower travels across or around the leader, the travelling step  must be the follower's leg nearest the leader.
If this rule is broken, during the travelling step, the follower swings in towards the leader, which in terms of body language is overtly sexual. When tested on followers who have no dance experience, they consistently say this felt ‘wrong’ and following the rule felt ‘right’.
I know of no travelling moves that break this rule.

The Travelling Event:
A travelling step may be in any direction and on any beat as long as it also conforms with the rules of Footwork Sequence* and Travelling.
During the beat that the Travelling step takes place, the leaders communicates that a travelling step is to take place, in what direction and how far. The follower needs to receive this information and react accordingly.
The leaders communication i.e. his lead has to be at the very beginning of the beat so the follower can complete it within the beat.

There is always the temptation to start the lead before the beat that the travelling step is on. Often this has no consequence but will often provoke the follower to travel on the earlier beat which may break the rule of travelling and feel uncomfortable.

Preparation:
For travelling steps there is no prepstep or hint that a travelling step is about to happen.
It is necessary to ‘connect’ i.e. gain the full attention of your follower before the sequence starts. Without this connection the lead becomes an ambush and is uncomfortable and hard to follow.

The Lead:
To lead a travelling step simply push or pull the follower in the direction of travel.
It’s almost the same as if you are sliding a cardboard box so that across the floor.
The important difference is that the travelling step is led with connection and consideration. The leader accelerates the follower working with her body movement. The follower will find it intuitive and easy to follow. This allows for a wide range of variations and interpretation of the move.

Anticipation:
Often the moves using travelling steps are very prone to anticipation.
Please be aware that anticipation of travelling step is probably the greatest cause of injuries in salsa.
When the follower regularly anticipates, the leader loses confidence that the follower will react to variations in length or position. His reaction to this is to usually ‘dumb down’ and avoid complex moves. If followers want the best from their leaders, they must master anti-anticipation.

How far to travel:
Each follower will have a comfortable range of travel based on confidence, gait, floor conditions and shoe type. The leader can work within this range leading either more or less than average to achieve the variation.

Cross Body Lead:
The most common travelling step by far, is the CBL which mechanically is identical to the Cuban Dil’ Que No. They both are first beat travelling steps on the 2nd bar i.e. f5      *2

For leaders- Expanding and varying your repertoire of travelling steps is an very easy way to make a leader's repertoire interesting and dynamic.
For followers- Being able to follow any travelling step in any direction is a mark of excellence. The skill of attention, connection, balance, reaction and dynamic movement all have to be mastered.

Tips:
When leading from partner hold, lead with the hand behind the followers back rather than pulling with the joined hands. The lead is much clearer and the joined hands can correct and var the move.

Followers - I recommend that your travelling step ends with your toe touching the floor before your heal. This prevents twisted ankles when wearing heels and looks elegant.
Imagine you are travelling to a stepping stone. This modifies the travelling step movement and require the follower to control their momentum once arrived, which prevents a large uncontrolled step on the next step.



*1: Rule of Footwork Sequence- Salsa is based on a series of steps and pauses that is continuous and seldom broken. Left Right Left Pause, Right Left Right Pause 

*2: f5 refers to the foot work count, also known as the 8count.

 f5=    123_ (5)67_  

In musical terms f5 is the 1st beat of the 2nd bar.

The Mechanics of Spinning

In this article I will outline the mechanics of spins using the coil-spin method.

It is not a tutorial as video is a better medium, but a discussion of spins within the conceptual framework of event based freestyle leading.

Some of the terms I use may be unfamiliar and may need extra explanation. This is a first draft so please point out errors or ask questions.

• What is a spin?
• Spins vs Turns.
• The Rule of Spins.
• Powering the spin.
• The Coil-Spin method.
• Is the coil necessary?
• Other methods of spinning.

• Leading a spin.
• Before the spin sequence starts.
• Posture.
• Spotting.
• The coil.
• The lead of a spin.
• Leading from above the followers head.
• What beat is the spin on?
• Making it easy to remember.
• Prep-Steps.
• Tips.

Definition:

What is a spin?

I define a spin event as a large amount of rotation on a specific beat. Because of the large amount of rotation a spin will nearly always involve swivelling the ball of the foot on the floor as the foot cannot rotate a full circle. Because of their speed, spins can look fast and dynamic.

Spins vs Turns:

I define a turn as a series of incremental rotational movements that when added together to form the required amount of rotation. Turns are generally slow compared to spins, as it can take several steps to achieve the same amount of rotation as a spin. Because turns use smaller amounts of rotation they can start on any beat in any direction. Turns are led with a constant subtle push or pull.

The Rule of Spins:

‘Spins are in the direction of the foot being stepped onto’.

If you step onto your left foot it feels more comfortable to spin to your left (anticlockwise) than to your right (clockwise). This is because of the shape and configuration of human hips and legs. It is possible to spin counter to this rule but given the major influence on style of ‘consideration’ to one’s partner, the vast majority of spins follow this rule.

 

Mechanics:

Powering the spin:

The power for the spin comes from the core muscles around the hips, legs and waist of the person spinning. It is very rare for the leader to power the follower and usually unnecessary. It’s important for leaders to remember that to lead a spin successfully, it’s best to focus on communication rather than power.

The Coil-Spin method:

The most common and natural way of powering a spin is to coil the core muscles to store energy, in one direction, then rapidly launch the spin in the other. Think of throwing a frisbee. Your arm coils up in the opposite direction to the direction of flight, storing energy. Then the power is rapidly released to launch the frisbee. We naturally coil ourselves without thinking but leading this “Coil-Spin method” to lead a spin can feel counter-intuitive at first but with a little practice feels completely natural.

The coil is usually on the beat before the spin where it is comfortable to coil in the opposite direction. The secret to leading a coil successfully is to think of it as a subtle clue or hint that allows the follower to store energy ready to spin.

Is the coil necessary?

Without a coil the follower is ambushed by the lead. To ask the follower to rapidly accelerate without any preparation is uncomfortable and therefore inconsiderate

Other methods of spinning:

It is possible to spin without coiling by using the upper body to twist a as you spin or to use the traction of the floor to pull you around  as in hook turns, but I’ll save those for another time :-)

Leading a Spin:

Before the spin sequence starts:

The leader must gain the full attention of the follower. I call this - connection. Think of a conductor in the moments before the orchestra plays the first note. The intense connection creates a moment of stillness while the baton is raised. This allows the communication to be very subtle.

Posture:

Posture is very helpful for maintaining balance during and after the spin.

Maintain a straight and vertical back with a balanced pose. Test this by standing on one leg and seeing if you can balance.

Often instructors suggest a slightly bent leg while spinning. I can find no mechanical reason for this other than to reduce the height of the follower so the leader may not have to reach up as much.

The coil:

The beat before the spin the leader subtly coils the follower. This is best described as a hint or a clue. The follower stores power in the hip muscles and is now ready for the spin. The follower must not assume (anticipate) that there is definitely going to be a spin at this point, but is fully prepared if one is led.

Note: It is hard for a follower to tell from is the leader is coiling you or starting a turn. The only difference is your preparedness.

The lead of a spin.

At the beginning of the next beat the leader leads with a clear decisive lead in the direction of the spin. The follower releases the stored energy to power the spin and spins.

The lead and subsequent spin is the ‘dynamic event’ of the move. A spin event on the second beat of the sequence is called a 2nd beat spin.

The lead takes place at the very beginning of the beat of the spin and the spin is usually completed by the end of the beat.

During the lead the follower assesses the lead and judges whether it is greater or lesser than average for that leader. She reacts to that judgement making her spin greater or lesser, more or less crisp etc.

Leading from above the followers head.

Using the style influences of efficiency and consideration, when leading from above the followers head I recommend the position where the followers thumb could touch the top center of her head. This gives the subtlety/ efficiency and supports the balance of the follower. Big looping movements can look very beginner like. I recommend that leaders, wherever possible, are ready to support the follower in case there is a loss of balance. This often means letting the hand/s above the head linger a moment or two longer in position.

What beat is the spin on?

Spins can be on any beat in any direction but obey the rules of spins and footwork sequence. This means that they may be only be in certain directions on certain beats.

Making it easy to remember:

For 8-counters   f1, f3, f6 are anticlockwise and f2, f5, f7 are clockwise.

For musical counters b1, b3 in the direction of first step of the sequence. B2 in opposite.

	b1	b2	b3	b4
1st beat spin	Spin (already coiled on previous beat)	step	step	pause
2nd beat spin	coil	Spin	step	pause
3rd beat spin	step	coil	Spin	pause

Prep-Steps:

Prep-Steps are an exaggeration of the coil spin method, used in the ‘Choreography Model’ of salsa. The leader preps the follower with a learnt signal. The follower assumes the ‘prep’ position which coils the hip in the same way as the coil/spin method. The difference being that the coil often take place several beats before the spin.

Prep-Steps are not universal and often vary from club to club.

All spins that use a Prep-Step can be led easily with the coil spin method.

Spotting:

As you spin maintain your head in a fixed position for as long as you can. This is as if you are staring at a spot at eye level. Delaying the head’s rotation as if you are looking at the spot as much of the time as possible, allows you to flicks your head around very quickly. This helps prevent feeling of giddiness.

The worst thing you can do is allow your eyes to track around the room like a video camera. See tip on recovering from giddiness.

Tips:

• Check out how the follower moves with gentle turns before fast spins. Find out if there are balance problems, drift or grip issues before they are a problem.
• If a follower anticipates the spin every time you raise your arm, raise the arm within partner hold and hold that position until she’s broken the mental link between arm raising and spin.
• Whichever foot you start the spin sequence, the next FWS starts on the other foot.
• If you struggle to get the correct FWS after the spin try freezing at the end of the spin sequence. This will give you a moment of choice as to which foot is next. Quoting the FWS will tell you which one it is.
• Your favourite direction of spinning will be the one you are most familiar with. So practice the other direction more until you’ve mastered both.
• If you get a little giddy, stop spinning but keep dancing which helps settle the fluid in the inner ear. The point at which you start to feel giddy gets further away with practice.
• NEVER put talc on a dance floor. You are creating a slip hazard and taking responsibility for any resulting accidents!