Eli5: Why do dancers start with a “5, 6, 7, 8” count?

Question

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

Answer 1

In case nobody said it yet, I think the simplest answer is just that the song/dance starts at 1, so starting with the numbers “before” 1 is kind of like a countdown until 1.

It gives everyone a few beats to get the tempo in their head and then start at the beginning, 1.