Hello,
Does anyone have an idea why most of the jive variations are 6 count while the music is in phrases of eight?

To maintain the bounce?

There are no rules governing the length of dance figures in general; Each movement simply takes as long as it does, based on the total number of steps taken and the timing used. Some figures will begin on beat 1 of a measure while others will not, but this is not necessarily wrong. In fact, it contributes to musicality by adding variety and interest.

In Foxtrot as well as most Swing-related dances, including EC & WC Swing, Lindy and Jive, most basic patterns are built on a combination of 6- and 8-count rhythmic structures. The 8-count patterns fall neatly into the minor 2-bar phrases, but the 6-count patterns do not. Instead, they alternate between starting on beat 1 of one measure and beat 3 of the following, so that two 6-count patterns take up 3 measures of music.

Regards,
Jonathan

When confused about musical timing, I think it is best to remember: everything is divisible by 2. And although I feel that musicality plays a huge role in defining a good dancer, I believe the basis of all dancing should be truly felt. Through our bodies in motion we carry our own impressions of the music...how wonderful life is when we are free to dance!

Joy of dancing abounds when one learns to dance from your heart and soul ... In a society where efforts in learning are so focused towards the rewards of a great performance professionally at times one forgets to enjoy the moments in the movements... So yes, let learn to live every moment in life , dancing or otherwise.

Thank you for the detailed response.
Being a foreigner, I'm afraid that due to poor English my question was probably mis-understood.
I was actually referring to the *history* and development of the Jive.
One of the claims is that Jive was developed in Europe from the American 6 count swing, which in turn was developed to ease the learning process of the swing.
Can anyone either support the aforementioned or enrich my knowledge in the subject ?
TIA

Hi to All,
When the late Frankie Manning was asked this question, he just replied that some figures were best suited to a six count.

The Jive was inspired by the advent of
the "invasion " of American servicemen in the UK during WW2.The form they danced then, was called Jitter bug.

It was refined ,and added components from Lindy, primarily .

The word " Jive " is often attributed to the expression " Jive Turkey " .

I "cut" my dance teeth on this ,in the 40s , much to the dismay of my B/room teachers !!

Think about how strong the legs on those soldiers had to be with all that marching...etc.

Ah yes...watching the BBC and the Turner Classic Movie Channel and the old news reels...you would have thought the devil himself came down to conjure it up. I like it...it's a lot of fun and let me add the music is faster then a swing and/or lindy so of course the footwork had to be faster which meant the technique had to change to allow for the speed of the music.

I love to dance it to the old big band era music. It feels more authentic and the tempo and accents fit the dance. Could anything be more classic to dance to than the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy?

One of the most puzzling aspects for beginners of dancing--for anyone who played music--is this question--repeated for dances such as beginner [social, blues] foxtrot and jive. Why the 6 count basics when the music is 4? The short answer is "The basic you are taught to get you up to speed quickly, has that count." Let me explain. All dancing is like letters in an alphabet--they can be combined in different manners to form words. The alphabet of jive is composed of say chasse's [3/4, 1/4, 1 summed equals 2 beats], link or rock steps, walks, etc. Foxtrot is formed of walks forward, back, side-closes. In other words, teachers put together the ALPHABET to come up with a WORD [a basic figure]. That word serves you well in the beginning for it's danced by others and "gets you up to speed quickly" as it teaches you some core elements. However you'll actually discover the dance to be in the ELEMENTS of the basic and how those elements emphasize along-with the character of the music.