19: Rumba & Cha Cha Cha The 2 Beat
This has to be one of the most confusing things for beginners: dancing on the correct beat in Rumba and Cha Cha Cha. The reason for this is they are concentrating on what their feet are doing, and not realising the dance action is through the body not the feet. What happens at the feet is a consequence, not a cause. In short: what you do through the body on 1 creates what happens at the feet on 2.
It is not my intention to try to teach, you should go to a qualified teacher or get a good book, but I see this so often I might be able to clarify with an explanation in my words sometimes it just takes hearing it in a different way for it to click.
Does It Really Matter?
That depends. If you are just dancing socially, nobody cares what you do. You can be pretty sure there will be couples dancing on 1, or 3, but rarely 4. Some might be unable to find the beat no matter what. Worry not, enjoy yourself thats all that matters.
If you want to compete, or take exams, or even lessons, or if you just want your dancing to look competent, you need to get onto the right beat. Otherwise, the dancing is simply not in time with the music, and looks it.
Rumba
The forward basic Rumba action (for man) is forward left foot, replace weight on right foot, side left Q Q S, counted 2 3 4-1. However, dont think of the 4 as a weight transfer. Position the foot on 4, then transfer the hip over it on 1, building tension through the body to release explosively and produce the next 2.
In the music, the 1 count (also known as the down-beat) has the greatest accent, and is where the most prominent syllable comes in a song, and in Rumba we time that with the building of the tension not the moving of the foot. But then, in good Rumba music, there is a delayed rhythm which also sub-accents the 2.
Typically, beginners dance on 1, then the inexperienced end up dancing on 3 instead, because they realise 1 is incorrect but they cant time 2. Until they start using body rather than feet, its guesswork.
Often, teachers suggest starting on 1, but as a preparatory side step. It works like this (for the mans forward basic): side right (1), forward left (2), replace right (3), side left without weight (4), transfer weight (1)... and then into the back basic. What happens when the beginners try this, is that they take the side step on 1 but spend two beats doing that, so the forward step ends up on 3!
So, if you are going to time your Rumba by starting with a preparatory side step on 1, make sure you follow it immediately with the forward step on 2. Count it as 1 2 3 4-1... not 4-1 2 3 4-1....
Cha Cha Cha
It is much easier to get this in Cha Cha Cha. The forward basic action (for man) is forward, back, side-close-side, and this is counted 2 3 4&1, therefore the 1 is already a side step. Thus, the count for the first bar including a preparatory side step is 1 2 3 4&1. The key, for both Rumba and Cha Cha Cha, is: if the preparatory step is the 1, it is a Q not an S.
There are many variations on these, use whatever works for you. For Rumba you could take the preparatory step on 4 as a S, then go into the normal bar (4-1 2 3 4-1...), or in Cha Cha Cha take a side-close-side as the preparatory step (4&1 2 3 4&1...). Dancers with different levels of experience will have different lead-ins, according to what they are trying to achieve.
Sequence
Unfortunately, sequence adds another confusion: sequence dancers start Rumbas and Cha Cha Chas on 1, with the step that would normally be danced on 2. This is not strictly correct, but it has become normalised. Anyone dancing on 2 would appear weird, and it would certainly put a lot of people off.
In sequence dancing competitions, it is acceptable to start on either 1 or 2 (but when theres a mixture on the floor it really does look weird!).
Some teachers, or one in particular I could name, insist that sequence starts on the 2 at their school dances. Thats fine so far as it goes, and reinforces the teaching to get students on the correct beat in the normal Rumba and Cha Cha Cha, but does nothing to prepare their students for dancing in the wider community.
Whats more, music specifically recorded for sequence (thinks: the well-known organists) puts all the emphasis on 1 not 2. Conclusion: social sequence dancers dance only with their feet (but I think we knew that).