HOW TO RUMBA

DANCE INSTRUCTOR

First things first: If you can feel rhythm and move your feet, you can learn to dance. And if you're new to dancing, the rumba is a good rhythm to start with. Every rhythm—waltz, foxtrot, cha-cha—has its own particular body actions and foot placements. Rumba has four beats to the measure, and footwork is usually taken on the first three beats: quick-quick-slow. A quickstep (Q) is taken using one beat of music, while a slow step (S) is taken on the first of two beats.

The basic figure of rumba takes two measures. First measure: The man steps forward on his left foot (Q), recovers back on his right (Q) and takes a small side step on the left (S). The woman steps back on her right (Q), recovers on her left (Q) and takes a small side step on her right (S). Second measure: Reverse the action (the man starts by stepping back).

Don't worry about style. You'll develop your own as you learn the technique of the figures in the rhythm.

Tirrell and his wife, Peg, are among the foundersof The International Association of RoundDance Teachers. A retired dentist, he's beenteaching round dancing for 40 years (think of itas choreographed ballroom dancing, where facingcouples in a circle perform the same routineto a specific piece of music around the dancefloor). Tirrell majored in chemistry and zoology.He lives in Vermont.