Why is this and what’s the point? Why not just start at 1, 2, 3, 4?
P.S. I’m a ballerina
In: 468
Music tends to be grouped into sets of beats–often 3 or 4 beats to a set (known as a measure).
That winds up being too few for dancing “phrases,” so dancers tend to group a couple of measures together. They’ll often count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1, 2, 3…, looping back to 1 every time they get to 8.
The first step of the dance will be on a count of “1,” and the four numbers that precede 1 are 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Most music is written in what is called “4/4” time – there are 4 beats to the measure and the quarter note gets the beat. Most music is also written in such a way as major changes happen after two (or multiples of two) measures, meaning that you often count eight full beats before a change happens in the music.
When people count “5, 6, 7, 8” they are counting off the last four beats of the eight-beat section, indicating to the musicians or dancers that there is about to be a change in the music, and at that change, they should start playing/dancing.
Dancers often choreograph in chunks that are large enough to be useful, but still easy to memorize. Musicians, who think in terms of measures (or “bars”), which (in the most common time signatures, don’t worry about what that means) have 4 beats, do use “1, 2, 3, 4” to count in. But dancers who are used to thinking in chunks that are two measures long will often count to 8 and then start over. So, they think of the music as consisting of phrases that are 8 beats long.
For example, in salsa, there’s a measure where the leader starts on the left foot, and then a measure where the leader starts on the right foot. These two measures together are the smallest unit of a salsa choreography that can loop back on itself to be repeated, or link up with another two-measure chunk where the leader starts on the left foot. (You can’t step with the foot you’re standing on, so these measures have to alternate.) So it doesn’t make sense to think of it as four beats repeating, since it matters which of those two measures you’re in. Counting in “1, 2, 3, 4” in this context means “we’re starting with the second half of this phrase, and the leader steps with the right foot.” Which you almost never do.
It should be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. The important part is the end and people “abbreviate” by calling out only the second half.
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Most choreography starts on count 1. But in order to prepare everyone to dance together, set the tempo correctly, and know when to start moving, the instructor or choreographer will give an intro count-in like 5-6-7-8 as a preparation.
This is especially helpful when you’re rehearsing steps without using the music so that the dancers know when to start moving together.
I noticed over the years playing for dance classes and aligning music with dance numbers in musical theater that the “counts” that dancers and choreographers use sometimes are twice as fast as instrumental musicians and our “beats” for the same passages of music.
I’m not sure if this is always the case, but in communicating about dance breaks in *Kiss Me, Kate* and writing music for original choreography one time, that has been my experience.
Of course, when stuff is in three, like the Waltz of the Flowers from *The Nutcracker* that I conducted this past evening, I don’t think that is the case…looks like I should sit down with one of my dance colleagues sometime and figure this out finally. 🙂
Because they are counting the 1,2,3,4 in their head, and only saying the 5,6,7,8 out loud to prepare you for the ONE which is coming up, and is usually important for whatever reason that they are counting.
They could count all 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,ONE, out loud if you want, but you would likely get bored waiting.
They could only count 8, ONE, but you might not have enough time to get into the rhythm. So 5,6,7,8, ONE is a good compromise.
Lead in. As a musician, I start counting tempo before I ever create a tone. Giving me the last 4 counts gives me enough time to prep for that first beat on 1.
To simplify even more. It’s get ready to do things time.
Another funny example i haven’t seen yet is the length.
Most instruments if not all, you can jam that one or 2 notes (or “all” 8) and at any speed you can do it.
In dance however, one or two note is barely a dance at all, if that one note has a spin, repeating that same note doesn’t make you learn it well, only makes you dizzy.
Unless you’re going for a dubstep styled dance, one or two notes doesn’t really allow for a fluent dance most of the times. Moving takes time, can’t just jam more moves in a shorter timeframe lol.
8 is short but lengthy enough for quick repeating sessions to really hone it down.
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