Music and Dancing
How Do I Know if I’m Dancing to the Music, and Doing It Right?
What is Dancing?
When my dance teacher asked me, “What is dancing?” it seemed like an abstract or confusing question at the time. As a 22-year-old, I didn’t grasp the importance of the concept behind it. Now, after years of reflection, I understand that this fundamental question holds the key to how we approach everything in dance. It’s not just about movement—it's about expression.
I hold a view that many others share:
“Dance is the expression of music through movement.”
This concept becomes especially important in partnership dancing, where how we move and connect to the music shapes the dance. But how do we know we’re doing it right?
Let’s explore how to break this down into three key areas:
Foot Placement
Body Sequencing
Partnering
Foot Placement: Timing and Musicality
The first step (literally and figuratively) in dancing to music is understanding foot placement. At its most basic, being “on time” means placing your foot on the desired beat of the music. However, it’s not as simple as just hitting the beat—you also need to think about how the foot is placed and what you do with your weight.
Timing and Weight
Here’s a simple way to think about it: the way you change your weight can make all the difference in musicality. According to the ISTD Latin American Rumba technique book:
“Musical expression is achieved by varying the speed of the body weight change. The time taken for the weight change may differ, depending on how many beats of music are used. Normally a 1/2 beat of music is taken to achieve the desired foot position, and the ‘settling’ of weight is completed over the remaining 1/2 or 1 1/2 beats.
Although the first step of each figure is taken on the second beat of music (count 2) the dance is commenced with the hips already moving on the preceding beats 4 1. This is normally achieved by taking a preliminary step to the side or by changing the weight to the opposite foot on beats 4 1.”
To put it more simply, you’re not just stepping on a beat—you’re transferring your weight in a way that corresponds with the rhythm. You might place your foot on beat 2, but your body keeps moving over that beat, which is what gives the movement its flow.
Practical Application for Timing
For example, imagine you’re dancing a basic rumba. The first step is placed on beat 2, but the hips are already in motion on beats 4 and 1. This creates a fluid, connected movement that feels tied to the music rather than just a series of rigid steps.
If you’re still getting comfortable with this concept, try just walking to music. Focus on when and how you shift your weight, and notice how the quality of your step changes depending on how quickly or slowly you transfer your weight. Notice which part of your foot touches the floor when you place the foot and which part of the foot you leave from.
Body Sequencing: Moving with Purpose
Once you’ve mastered foot placement, the next layer of dancing to the music is body action or sequencing. This refers to how different parts of your body move and follow one another, creating a sequence of actions that complement the rhythm.
Understanding Body Sequencing
Think of your body as a chain, where each joint influences the next. The movement often starts from the feet and travels up through the knees, hips, torso, and arms. This chain of motion, called body sequencing, allows us to move naturally while also expressing the music through our entire body.
One important thing to remember is that your body doesn’t work in isolation. Gravity and anatomy guide our movement. For instance, our knees only bend in one direction, and gravity pulls us down. The way we move should feel natural and fluid. In a dance like the waltz, for example, you’re constantly balancing the downward pull of gravity with a sense of stretch and lift through your body.
Practical Application for Body Sequencing
Here’s a simple way to practice: as you listen to the music, try transferring your weight while paying attention to how your body reacts. Are your shoulders moving in time with your hips? Are you using your core to stabilize or amplify your motion?
For a swing beat, you might feel the urge to let your body "swing" down with gravity on the beat, while for a smooth waltz, you might stretch upward and feel resistance against gravity as you move through each bar of music.
Partnering: Connecting with Your Dance Partner
In partner dancing, partnering is about how two people move together in harmony with the music. The way you lead or follow, and how you respond to your partner’s movements, adds another layer to the dance.
The Role of Connection
Partnering is not just about mirroring or anticipating your partner’s movements. It’s about establishing a connection where both partners are responding to the music and each other. Whether you’re leading or following, you need to be attuned to the weight changes and body sequencing happening in both your body and your partner’s.
Practical Application for Partnering
A great way to improve partnering is to focus on the concept of frame and connection points. When you’re dancing, try to maintain a responsive connection through your hands, arms, and core. This way, you’re not just moving independently but creating a shared experience that reflects the music. The frame and contact points might be fixed, but they might also change. This allows for an ever expanding view of what’s possible in relationship to the music.
Tip: practice simple patterns with your partner while listening closely to the music. Experiment with how small changes in the timing of your weight transfer can affect your connection and flow.
Natural Musical Expression: Keeping It Simple
It’s easy to get bogged down in technical details when dancing, but sometimes, the key to musicality is to keep things simple. If you’ve ever heard a song and felt the instinct to throw your hands up and move to the beat, that’s natural musical expression in action. It’s spontaneous and reactive—just like dancing should be.
Avoid Overthinking
Imagine I tell you to “throw your hands up in the air and wave them like you just don’t care.” Chances are, you’ll do it without overthinking it. Now, what if I asked you to contract your intercostals and latissimus dorsi while reaching through your arms? That would likely slow you down because you’re overanalyzing a simple movement.
One of the keys to dancing to the music is giving yourself a task you can accomplish without overthinking. Dance steps evolved from natural reactions to music, so try to keep that spirit of ease and spontaneity in your movements.
Finding Your Musicality
Ultimately, knowing if you’re dancing to the music comes down to more than just hitting the right beats. It’s about how you transfer your weight, sequence your movements, and connect with both the music and your partner. By focusing on foot placement, body sequencing, and partnering, you can develop a deeper understanding of how to express music through movement.
Remember, dance is the physical embodiment of sound. The more you practice aligning your movements with the music, the more naturally you’ll find yourself dancing “right.”