Thats what I meant ( too early in the morning ! )

Terence. Are you aware that with the slower music the Rumba timing is altering from 2 (and ) 3 ( and ) 4 (and ) 1 ( and ). Which is half half.
To 3/4 1/4. Straight off the plane from Europe. What it amounts to is we dance to whatever suits the music and not from a manuel.

Yes , I,m well aware ( Im also a DJ for salsa), and my library includes, sometimes , new releases with Bolero type music included on the albums( that what Intern rumba is based upon ) .

You are very entrenched in the restricted b/room world... there is a whole host of music out there that the " latinos " use for their pleasure .The B/room world is finally realising , that the tempi of these types of dances are far more suited to the original compositions .

There is one well known DJ that has 30, 000 albums !!. ( I,m not in that league )

I've seen a few variations of the Rumba, just like any other dance, of course. But each time this dance comes up on this board, terence describes it exactly the way I was taught. I was beginning to believe that I was taught an "old" or wrong version because it was a square rumba. But now I see that it is quite common. And Serendipity's point about the slower pace and counting it differently are right on as well.

Hiya, the count for the Rumba is 2-3-4-1, you must start on beat 2.
hope this helps,
kind regards David Coppen , Director Featherstep Dance Studios Ltd,
England.

If dancing the Intern. style.. it should be prepped on "1" .. you are speaking about which " break " in the bar is used .

Again, if dancing Amer.style Sq. rumba, it also commences on " 1" ... difference ?,.... it may commence fwd ( S, 1.2) or to the side( Q Q, 1,2 )

The second choice is the format for Danzon, a " Son " based rhythm from which ALL latin is derived .

So in truth, this is the method that should be used .

May I suggest you
research your subject matter to give a more informed opinion .

The depth of latin music extends way beyond a SQQ bar of music !.... (Fellow and Examiner )

Thank you , i did not know there was an american version, we teach the way we were trained man starts with weight on lf and tranfers weight to rf for 1 then steps forward on 2 so thus starting on 2 we were 5th in the uk in the professional championships and are also adjudicators . best wishes David.

David. I'm with you on this one. But I would like to point out that Donnie Burns and quite a few others always start the Rumba with the RF behind the LF and on beat one stepped forward with the RF. Wally Laird used to say I do not want to see a gap between your thighs ever. Otherwise I will place my hand in that gap. From a lecture by Alan and Hazel Fletcher given on the Gold Coast some years ago. I still have the tape.
Do you have any thoughts on the way the Rumba is changing. With the music being played so slow compared to how it was a short while ago it was officially 28 to 31.bpm something has got to change. Best Wishes.
If you are not familiar in the US bpm means Beats per Minute. Crazy

Slight correction.. it isnt an " american " version, its the original format from Cuba, anglicised/americanised to a great degree, but the foundation is intact .

Way back when when I (and others on this site ) learned rumba, it was Sq. The current form did not exist .

What you are seeing now, is an adaption of Cuban Bolero .

Terence. Interesting. I can see that the Alternate Basic in the American Style Rumba is the same as The International Style which both have a quarter a turn between the two bars of music. Which means that every step is a forward or backward step which allows the quarter of a turn. Unfortunately in a Social class this is seldom taught and after two basics we are still facing the same way which is incorrect. I don't like that side step in the Bolero or the Box Rumba. I think compared to the International Style it looks ugly. I suppose if one is exposed to it enough times one would accept it. Question. If we were to cut out that step to the side in the Bolero and did it more towards the International Style would it be accepted in a Comp. We could still make the 1/2 a turn over the two bars.