By Mary De LucaUpdated
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Odd time signatures seem complex at first glance, but they carry an incredible energy within them. With the right feel for short and long beats, you will master every circle dance effortlessly.
Traditional Balkan music fascinates with its unbridled energy, but it often sounds unfamiliar to Western European ears. While we grow up with even time signatures like 4/4 time, Balkan dance music is based on asymmetrical, odd rhythms. These rhythms are created by combining groups of two and three. Instead of counting evenly, short and long beats alternate. Once you have understood the principle, you will quickly notice that this structure develops its own unique, captivating dynamic.
To learn how to dance to these odd time signatures, it helps to take a look at the instrumentation. As described in our guide on drums & strings in world music, percussion instruments like the tapan or darbuka set the rhythmic accents. A 7/8 time signature, for example, is not perceived as seven even beats, but as a sequence of "short-short-long" or "long-short-short". The long beat stretches the movement elastically and gives dances like the Kolo or Oro their typical springy character.
Listen to a piece in 7/8 time and try to divide the fast eighth notes into groups. A classic Kolo dance music rhythm is usually divided into 3-2-2 (long-short-short) or 2-2-3 (short-short-long). Clapping helps to anchor the feeling for the heavy, longer beat.
Speak the rhythm out loud before you move. Use syllables like "Ta-te-ti" for the group of three and "Ta-te" for the group of two. This way, udansa helps you internalize the irregular grid without having to do mental math.
Convert the longer beat of the triplet into an emphasized, slightly springy step. Use the shorter beats for quick weight shifts or small intermediate steps on the balls of your feet to stay in the flow.
Join an existing dance chain. Hold your neighbors' hands loosely and adapt your knee movement to the group's collective up and down motion. The dynamics of the chain help you learn to dance odd rhythms without overthinking.
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The Kolo is a traditional circle dance from Southeast Europe, usually danced in an open or closed chain. The dancers hold each other by the hands or belts and move sideways with quick, often asymmetrical steps.
An odd time signature cannot be divided by two without creating an uneven rhythm. Typical examples are the 5/8, 7/8, or 11/8 time signatures, where short two-beat and long three-beat pulses alternate.
Focus first on the bass drum or the deep beats of the percussion. Do not try to count every single eighth note, but pay attention only to the heavy, elongated pulses to feel the rhythmic foundation.
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