Jive has common time, since there are four beats in a measure. The music style is a fast swing song. The tempo is typically 176 beats per minute, making it the fastest dance out of the five International Latin dances. Out of all the International Latin dances, it comes second to Quickstep, which has a whopping 200 to 208 beats per minute.
"Candyman" by Christina Aguilera and "The Boy Does Nothing" by Alesha Dixon are each examples of songs that can be danced with Jive.
The basic rhythm is 1, 2, 1-a2, 1-a2.
According to ballroomdancers.com, the lead begins in closed position.
On count 1, left foot closes to the right foot. On count 2, replace weight to the right foot. Count 1 and 2 can be called a rock step.
On count 1-a-2, chasse to the left side using left-right-left. The chasse can also be known as a triple step.
On the next 1-a-2, chasse to the right using right-left-right.
According to the Dance Store Online, we can also call call it rock-step, triple step, triple step. For an extra tidbit, there's another way to tell the difference between Swing and Jive: Swing begins with a triple step and Jive begins with a rock step.
According to ballroomdancers.com, as with the lead, the follow also begins in closed position. The follow mirrors the lead's movement.
On count 1, right foot closes to the left foot. On count 2, replace weight to the right foot. Counts 1 and 2 can be called a rock step.
On count 1-a-2, chasse to the side using right-left-right.
On the next 1-a-2, chasse to the left using left-right-left.
When dancing Jive, it's important to be light on the feet. As with any Latin dance, Jive is danced with the ball of the foot. According to Dancesport UK, the footwork for Jive will be ball-flat, ball-flat during the rock step and ball-ball-ball flat on the chasse. During the back step the heel lowers to kiss the floor.