Dance term
Beat
The steady pulse of the music that you can tap your foot to; steps are timed to land on or between the beats.
The beat is the regular pulse underneath a piece of music, the thing you naturally tap along to. Dance timing is described in relation to it: a step might take one beat, a 'quick', or two beats, a 'slow'.
Finding and trusting the beat is the foundation of dancing in time, and it is a skill that improves quickly with a little focused listening.
Also called: pulse.
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