Cuz they want everything to start on “1” but they need to give everyone a bit of a lead in to get the timing right and they don’t want to say the extra “1,2,3,4” cuz it’s 4 extra not needed words.
They aren’t ignoring the 1,2,3,4, they’re just leading into the next set of moves
Music often uses 4/4 time signature, that means each measure if 4 quarter notes. So if you are calling out the beats it would be “1,2,3,4;1,2,3,4;” But dance often uses an 8 count, so that each sequence takes 2 of the musics measures, so the dancers counting measures for the same song are going “1,2,3,4;5,6,7,8;” Both musicians and dancers want to do a count in to get everyone on the same beat, and it’s common in music to call out “1,2,3,4” and then start on the next beat (the 1 beat of the first measure). But if you do that with dance “1,2,3,4” doesn’t work because you don’t want to start the dance on step 5, so instead they do “5,6,7,8”, and then start on measure 1 beat 1.
Choreography usually runs on cycles of 8 beats, so you’d be mentally counting all the way from 1 to 8 to keep track of it.
When you “count in” you want to start doing the thing on a count of “1”, so you count down before the start using the beats immediately before “1”, which is the “5 6 7 8” of the preceding cycle.
You could count in with “1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8” and then start on the following “1”, but that would be needlessly lengthy. You can pick up the desired tempo just from a few beats.
I taught dance for a little bit and including the 1,2,3,4 was just unnecessary talking. I did include it if the music was really fast, but they just need enough warning to know when to start, and 4 beats is usually plenty. Dance counts are counts of 8.
1,2,3,4 has already happened – they’re putting the dancers back on tempo – you rarely need to let them
Know the tempo in the first 4 seconds of their movement.
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Cuz they want everything to start on “1” but they need to give everyone a bit of a lead in to get the timing right and they don’t want to say the extra “1,2,3,4” cuz it’s 4 extra not needed words.
They aren’t ignoring the 1,2,3,4, they’re just leading into the next set of moves
Saves time
My instructor starts with 1,2,3,4
Because it makes the timing / tempo more clear.
‘Seven’ gives the timing of the half. 1 2 3 4 gives the ‘wholes’ only.
Same reason they might say 1,2,3 ‘and’ 4.
5,6,7 8 rolls off the tongue better
Music often uses 4/4 time signature, that means each measure if 4 quarter notes. So if you are calling out the beats it would be “1,2,3,4;1,2,3,4;” But dance often uses an 8 count, so that each sequence takes 2 of the musics measures, so the dancers counting measures for the same song are going “1,2,3,4;5,6,7,8;” Both musicians and dancers want to do a count in to get everyone on the same beat, and it’s common in music to call out “1,2,3,4” and then start on the next beat (the 1 beat of the first measure). But if you do that with dance “1,2,3,4” doesn’t work because you don’t want to start the dance on step 5, so instead they do “5,6,7,8”, and then start on measure 1 beat 1.
Choreography usually runs on cycles of 8 beats, so you’d be mentally counting all the way from 1 to 8 to keep track of it.
When you “count in” you want to start doing the thing on a count of “1”, so you count down before the start using the beats immediately before “1”, which is the “5 6 7 8” of the preceding cycle.
You could count in with “1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8” and then start on the following “1”, but that would be needlessly lengthy. You can pick up the desired tempo just from a few beats.
1234 is reserved for the DJ Checking the Microphones lol I dunno just a guess
They can’t count
Because the first measure starts on 1, not 5.
The cadence sounds better in English
I just said it out loud & 1-4 don’t have the same precise rhythm. They don’t match like 5-8
But I’m no choreographer
It’s a pickup, if they started on the one technically the dance would have begun without warning. Like saying Go! without the “ready, steady…”
The earliest number you could start on would be 2, although you could precees that with an “and a” or an “ee and a” to give you:
> ee and a 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Just don’t use the 1
I prefer the Vertigo method: 1 – 2 – 3 – 14
I taught dance for a little bit and including the 1,2,3,4 was just unnecessary talking. I did include it if the music was really fast, but they just need enough warning to know when to start, and 4 beats is usually plenty. Dance counts are counts of 8.
And now I will be trying to fall asleep with ‘I Hope I Get It’ looping in my head.
They’re dancers. Not mathematicians.
Cheerleading typically also starts at 5, but depending on the stunt can also start at 1.
musicians took 1234
Perhaps Raygun is dancing into a polyrhythm time signature.
1,2,3,4 has already happened – they’re putting the dancers back on tempo – you rarely need to let them
Know the tempo in the first 4 seconds of their movement.
Because their offspring scoots their boots…