I was told that 120 bpm feels good because it is the natural speed that
we walk at - it is a really good tempo for other dance styles that use a
smooth walk as well.
Going up to around 125 for the occasional dance is OK.
Likewise an occasional dance at 106 is good as long as you have really
good music that makes you want to dance - a good example is Wild
Asparagus - On The Danforth (from "Live At The Guiding Star Grange").
But mostly 114 - 120 works really well.
I keep a stopwatch in my pocket, but only time six beats - press on 1,
count "and 2 and 3 and 4" - press on 4. If the stopwatch shows 3 seconds
then it is 120 bpm (a habit formed from using rowing stopwatches to
count strokes per minute when I was coaching - the old rowing
stopwatches were actually calibrated in SPM rather than in seconds).
2.90 = 124
2.95 = 122
3.00 = 120
3.05 = 118
3.10 = 116
3.15 = 114
3.20 = 113
3.25 = 111
3.30 = 109
Subject to greater error due to the short duration, but usually accurate
enough, especially if you take a couple of samples.
Happy dancing,
John
John Sweeney, Dancer, England j...@modernjive.com 01233 625 362 &
07802 940 574
http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs
http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent
