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

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. 🙂