Beat it right
Latin music, ballroom dancing, salsa, bachata, Son, Guagira are fairly new dance concepts in India. We are quite used to the Bhangara and Dandiya beats all the time and these international beats and music is not so commonly heard in our country. Even our night clubs and films are dominated by bollywood and Indi Pop beats.
If you pay attention to our Bollywood beats you will realise that many of them are inspire international music. Did you know that famous bollywood tracks like Jadoo Hai Nasha Hai or Yeh Lamhe are famous Cuban Rumba dance beats and Dhoom Machale or Kambhakt Ishq are ideal to do a Brazilian Samba. Even our every green Dil de ke Dekho number is inspired by the famous european Quickstep dance music.
Many a time students come up to me in a class and sincerely ask how to understand and recognise the beat of the music. Its not just regular students, but even celebrities come with their queries about understanding music. So never feel shy to go up to your teacher and get your doubts clarified about the beats of music.
Watching a great dance performed off beat is the worst possible nightmare for a dancer and the viewers. So its becomes extremely important that one understands the beat of the music along with the dance technique and choreography. It’s not too difficult to undersand the beat of the music. All one needs is attention and memory.
A lot of dance music is based on 2/4, 3/4, or 4/4 music time. In 2/4 and 3/4 time, the first beat of a bar is emphasised and can be clearly heard in the bass rum, bass or bass guitar. This is the beginning beat of the music and is the beginning step of the dance.
In 4/4 time the most emphasised beat is the first beat and there is then less emphasis on the third beat. Again this can be clearly heard in the bass instruments. As always, the first beat is the beginning step of the dance.
In some music the bass instruments will play every beat in the bar. Listen to the music — you can hear and feel the beginning beat of the bar and go from there.
The most important thing to remember is to move to the beat — look out for the bass instruments and they will show you the way. Buy the music CD from your dance school or the choreographer and keep listening to it again and again and count the beats. Once you have heard the music a few times, you will spontaneously begin to move. Just be patient and calm, after sometime you will understand the nuances very well.
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