Dance Tempos | garron.net
Lucas Garron

Social Dance Tempos

When DJing social dance music, it's important to play songs with a good tempo.
Here are my personal tempo guidelines (tempos are beats per minute).

Use this tool to determine the tempo of a song.
Dance Sweet range Extended range
Cross-Step Waltz 114 – 122 105 – 130
Rotary Waltz 140 – 160 135 – 170
Fast Waltz 170 – 200 160 – 210
Polka 110 – 125 105 – 140
Schottische 150 – 165 145 – 170
One-Step 115 – 130 110 – 135
Lindy Hop 140 – 170 135 – 180
Sweet Lindy 115 – 135 110 – 140
6-Count Swing  85 – 105  80 – 115
4-Count Swing 120 – 140 115 – 145
West Coast Swing 100 – 120  90 – 130
Blues / Fusion 65 – 90  60 – 100
Hustle 115 – 125 110 – 130
Club 2-Step 80 – 85 75 – 90
Salsa  90 – 100  85 – 110
Cha-Cha 115 – 125 110 – 130
Tango 120 – 130 115 – 140
Foxtrot 135 – 170 130 – 180
Quickstep  90 – 105  85 – 110
Merengue 115 – 130 110 – 135

Chart image download: png, svg, pdf

Sweet range

If a song feels like a certain dance type and falls in the sweet range, it's usually fine to play at that tempo.

Extended range

If a song is at the low end of the extended range, it should feel more mellow.
If a song is at the high end, it should have more energy.

Outside extended range

Although it may be tempting to play a song outside the extended range, this is rarely a good idea. Dancers will often be able to manage outside that range, but they are likely to struggle more and blame it on themselves (and/or apologize to their partner).

Modify the song's tempo until it's inside the extended range and make sure it still feels appropriately mellow/energetic.

(Exception: It's fine to play an occasional special song like a really fast waltz or a slightly slower song if it's really vibin'. But even if most dancers on the floor are experienced, make it clear that that the song is meant to have a challenging tempo.)

Sources

These tempos are based on Richard Powers's guidelines, in addition to personal experience DJing at events like Friday Night Waltz and talking to friends who also DJ social dances in the Stanford area. Note that these tempos are specifically tuned for “variety” social partner dancing and may not apply to: