How to Count Jive: 1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4

Short answer

Count jive as 1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4. That is a rock step on the first two counts, then two chassés, each said "3 a 4". Social dancers often say the same thing as 1 2 3a4 5a6. The Count Studio count library groups it 2+2+2 in 4/4, with a spoken lead-in of 1 2 3 4.

The pattern has six counts, not eight. Say it out loud a few times before you move: "1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4". The "a" is a short sound squeezed in just before the 4.

Step by step: the six counts

Read the count in three small pieces, each with its own job.

Counts 1 2: the rock step

The rock step takes the first two counts. Say "1, 2" evenly and give each its own weight. Nothing is squeezed here, so the next piece feels quick by comparison.

Counts 3 a 4: the first chassé

A chassé is three quick steps that fit into two counts. The count shows it: "3", then the short "a", then "4". The "a" sits between 3 and 4, so the three steps land on 3, a and 4.

Counts 3 a 4: the second chassé

The second chassé repeats the first, so you say "3 a 4" again. In the ballroom count the numbers go back to 3 rather than carrying on to 5, which is why it reads 1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4. The social count simply keeps counting up, so the same steps are called 1 2 3a4 5a6. Both versions describe the same six counts.

If you already know the East Coast Swing count, the rock step and the triple step will feel familiar. Jive uses the same building blocks at a faster tempo.

Find the 1 in the music

Before the first 1, a teacher counts the music in: 1 2 3 4. The Count Studio library lists that as the jive lead-in, and the first rock step starts on the next 1.

The library gives jive a tempo of 168 to 176 BPM, a range it converts from the WDSF competition tempo table, which is written in bars per minute.

Because the pattern has six counts and the music is in 4/4, one pass takes a bar and a half. The second pass therefore starts on the third beat of a bar, and the third pass is back on the downbeat. Listen for the 1 of the bar and notice that your pattern's 1 lands on it only every second time. That shifting is normal.

Jive is one of the five international Latin dances, alongside cha-cha-cha, rumba, samba and paso doble, and Wikipedia's International Latin page describes it as a non-progressive dance that can be danced in a small space when the floor is crowded. It started in the United States. According to Wikipedia, it originated with African Americans in the early 1930s, and although competitions often group it with the Latin dances, its roots are closer to swing than to Latin dancing. That is why the rock step and the triple step feel at home in swing music.

Common problems

Losing the "a". Dancers who say "3 4" instead of "3 a 4" turn the chassé into two steps. Keep the three-syllable shape every time, even when you speak quietly.

Counting in eights. Jive does not sit in an 8-count, so the habit from other styles will pull you off. Use the six-count shape, and let the bar line fall where it falls. The wider picture is in our guide to Latin ballroom dance counts.

Mixing the two counts. If your teacher says 1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4 and your partner says 1 2 3a4 5a6, nobody is wrong. Agree on one before you start so you land on the same step.

Speeding up the rock step. The first two counts are even. If they rush, the chassés have no room and the whole pattern tumbles.

Dropping the lead-in. Starting on a guess instead of the count-in is the quickest way to land a beat early. Say 1 2 3 4 every time, even when you practise alone, so the habit is there when a teacher or a partner counts you in.

Practise it with Count Studio

Start without music. Say the count at a comfortable speed, tapping once on each number: "1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4". Do it ten times, then add the steps. Only when the words and feet agree should you turn the music on.

Then build up. Count the lead-in 1 2 3 4, start on the next 1, and move through the tempo range the library gives, slowest first. If you lose the pattern, drop back to saying it aloud, then walk through it again with the words and no music. It feels slow, but it is the quickest way to make the count automatic.

Count Studio holds the jive count, with its grouping, its lead-in and its tempo range, in the count library, so you can check the pattern while you rehearse. It is coming November 27 to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

Bottom line

Jive is a six-count pattern: a rock step and two chassés, said 1 2, 3 a 4, 3 a 4 or 1 2 3a4 5a6. Count in 1 2 3 4, keep the "a" in each chassé, and expect the pattern to cross the bar line.