Kizomba and zoukGuide
How to Count Kizomba: Slow, Slow, Quick, Quick, Slow
Kizomba is counted slow, slow, quick, quick, slow in 4/4. Here is how to say it, find the 1 in the music and practise it at a tempo you can hold.
4 min readWritten at Count Studio
Short answer
Kizomba is counted slow, slow, quick, quick, slow in 4/4. The Count Studio count library groups that as 2+2+1+1+2, and gives a tempo range of 80 to 110 BPM. Many teachers say the same basic as 1 2 3&4, which is the version you will hear in most classes. Count yourself in with 5, 6, 7, 8, then step on the first slow.
| Word | Beats | Grouping |
|---|---|---|
| slow | 2 | 2 |
| slow | 2 | 2 |
| quick | 1 | 1 |
| quick | 1 | 1 |
| slow | 2 | 2 |
The pattern is a count of five steps spread over eight beats, so one basic fills a full eight and the next one starts straight away on the next 1.
Step by step
Say the count out loud before you move. The basic only feels hard when you learn the words and the feet at once, so don't.
Slow, slow
Each slow takes two beats. Say "slow" on the 1 and let it ring through the 2, then say it again on the 3 and let it ring through the 4. Nothing happens in between, so there's no rush. If you find yourself speeding up here, you are treating the slow as a quick.
Quick, quick
Each quick takes one beat. These are the two shortest words in the pattern, and they land on the 5 and the 6. Keep them even: the second quick is the same length as the first, not a lighter echo of it.
The last slow
The final slow starts on the 7 and carries through the 8. It is the longest stretch of the pattern with the least happening, which makes it the place to settle before the next basic begins. When it ends, the next slow is already the 1 again.
The 1 2 3&4 version
Some teachers count the basic as 1 2 3&4 instead of using the words. It's the same pattern in numbers: the 1 and 2 are the two slows, the 3 and the & are the two quicks, and the 4 is the closing slow. Pick the version your teacher uses and stay with it for a few weeks. Swapping mid-lesson is the quickest way to lose the 1.
Find the 1 in the music
Kizomba began in Angola in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Wikipedia describes it as a blend of Angolan semba with Antillean zouk, with a slower, more sensuous rhythm than traditional semba. The music slowed the cadence of songs and added a stronger bass line, and Angolans adapted their semba steps to that tempo. Semba was the older style: Wikipedia calls it the predecessor of styles like kizomba, popular long before Angola's independence on November 11, 1975.
That stronger bass line is the easiest handle you have. Listen for the low, repeating pulse and tap it. That tap is your beat. Then count it in groups of four, 1 2 3 4, over and over, and mark every other group as the second half of your eight. If you want the longer version of this skill, counting music in eights walks through finding the 1 in any song.
Once you have the beat, check the speed against the range the library gives:
| Style | Count | Grouping | Tempo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kizomba | slow, slow, quick, quick, slow | 2+2+1+1+2 | 80 to 110 BPM |
| Brazilian zouk | slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick | 2+1+1+2+1+1 | 70 to 100 BPM |
The library lists kizomba, semba and urban kiz as styles that share the kizomba count. If a song feels too fast for the slows to breathe, pick one nearer 80 BPM for now.
Common problems
Rushing the quicks. The two quicks are short, but they are still a full beat each. If they speed up, the last slow gets squeezed and the whole basic drifts ahead of the music. Say them out loud as "quick, quick" with the same weight on each.
Starting on the wrong beat. If you begin on a song's beat 3 instead of 1, every slow lands in the wrong place. Use the 5 6 7 8 lead-in every time, even when you practise alone.
Mixing it up with zouk. Brazilian zouk is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, so it sounds similar if you only half listen. Kizomba has two slows at the start and one at the end. Count it out loud and the difference is obvious.
Carrying over another dance's count. If you already know how to count bachata, keep that count in its own box. Kizomba is a five-step pattern over eight beats, so say its words from the first lesson.
Practise it with Count Studio
Practise in three passes, and do not move to the next until the one before is calm.
- Say the words with no music: slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, then start again. Do it ten times in a row.
- Say the words over a slow kizomba track near 80 BPM, with the 5 6 7 8 lead-in. Aim for the first slow landing on the 1 every time.
- Add your feet. Step on each word and hold your weight through the slows.
Count Studio is a counter for dancers, coming November 27 to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. It counts any song in 8s so you can hear where the 1 is, and the kizomba count from the library is built in, so you can check yourself against slow, slow, quick, quick, slow without losing your place.
Bottom line
Kizomba is slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, grouped 2+2+1+1+2 and counted in 4/4 at roughly 80 to 110 BPM. Say it out loud with a 5 6 7 8 lead-in, hold the slows for their two beats, and keep the quicks even. The words come first and the feet follow.