cdroge. Nothing stands still. With the slower music being played and danced to, there is more of the hips being used. I have been instructed that a step is only a step. It is the used of the hips between the step which is on the ( and ) which is in-between each solid beat.. I have been told that one of the leading teachers teaches to exaggerate the point, that we try to lift our hip up to under our armpit. Isn't it a joy to get some Latin dicussion. You might be interested to know that the official tempo for a Rumba is now 27BPM. There is a move on to get it officialy lowered to 25 BPM recomended by the WDC. Although in a demonstration you will have no doubt noticed that it is being danced even slower than that.

It is gradually returning to its " roots "... Bolero, hence the slower tempi

"..Some ask why a Tango is not classed as a Latin Dance. Answer it doesn't have a Latin Motion.."

May I humbly ask: what about the Paso Doble?

My Instructors teach to dance the one beat, hold for two, then quick quick for 3 and 4

and then it is the bending of the knees which gives the "hip" action or "Cuban motion"

we land on the one and the feet stay in place but with the "and-two-and" our leg is straightening-weight shifting-right knee bending

Rhumba on beat1.... Well, it is different for International Latin Rhumba versus American Rhythm Rhumba. International Latin begins on the two beat and American begins on the one beat. So, I am assuming that the question involves the American version.

Then, to make it a little more confusing, there are two different methods of teaching American Rhumba. The Fred Astaire school of thought does a quick-quick-slow beat, starting with a side step (beat 1) and close on the quick-quick and a forward/backward step for the slow. The Arthur Murray school of thought does a slow-quick-quick, starting with forward/backward step on beat one (slow), followed by a side step and close for the quick-quick.