The basic step, basic figure, basic movement, basic pattern, or simply basic is the dance move that defines the character of a particular

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

. It sets the

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

of the dance; it is the default move to which a dancer returns, when not performing any other moves. More formally, it can be defined as a "rhythmic step pattern" in the form of a "consistent and recurring grouping of weight changes" between the feet (as well as certain moves that do not involve complete changes of weight, as when one taps, kicks, or points a foot) which is rhythmic and repeated for the length of a song. For some dances it is sufficient to know the basic step performed in different handholds and dance positions to enjoy it socially. Most traditional

partner dance file:Tanzturnier 28.JPG, Ballroom dancers performing the tango. file:dance-At-Bougival.jpg, upPartner dance, ''Dance at Bougival'' by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883 Partner dances are dances whose basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of t ...

s have only one basic step which can be easily mastered. Others, such as

West Coast Swing West Coast Swing is a partner dance with roots in Lindy Hop, characterized by an elastic look that results from its extension-compression technique of partner connection (dance), connection. It is danced primarily in a dance slot, slotted area on ...

, have multiple basic steps, any of which can theoretically be selected by the leader.

Examples

* Box step, the basic move in some American style ballroom dances: rumba and arguably

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

and bronze-level

foxtrot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a time ...

. * Cha-cha-cha. There are several variants of the basic movement in cha-cha-cha: basic, open basic, basic in place. * Lindy basic in lindy hop * Mambo basic in mambo * Salsa basic in salsa * Zydeco basic in zydeco Links to videos showing these dance steps can be found in the references section below.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basic (Dance Move) Social dance steps