Time step

What does “Time step” mean?

In tap dancing , the time step is a recognizable rhythmic tap combination. The term comes from the time of great tap dancers that used their distinctive time step to tell the band the desired tempo. Common tap time steps are classified as single, double and triple. The basic rhythm and tempo remain the same but the number of sounds that happen on the second and sixth count of an eight-count phrase denotes single (often a single step) double (usually a flap or slap-tap) or triple (commonly shuffle-step). While these are the universal time steps, dancers often choose to create their own time steps, following the pattern two bars repeated three times with a two bar break . Time steps is a figure in International Style cha-cha-cha. In various rhythmic ballroom/social dances, time step sometimes refers to steps in place that mark the characteristic rhythm of the dance, "2-3-cha-cha-cha" for Cha-cha-cha, "1,2,3,4" for pasodoble , "1,2,3,...5,6,7,..." for "salsa on one", etc.

Definition adapted from Glossary of dance moves on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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