The Beginning

From the beginning of my stepping career (starting in 2006 I have been trying to figure out the difference between 6-count and 8-count. As I look back at old videos of my beginning, I realize that as a follower, I started with the 1-2 basic starting on the right foot on the down beat like you do for 6-count. We used a modified 6-count. I think it was counted "5-6 step-step-step, step-step-step"

Researching in Chicago

Since then I've taken New School 6-count classes, Old School 6 count classes and 8-count classes. No one could satisfactorily explain the difference. All I heard was,

"The 6-counters dance too fast." ,

"The 8-counters dance too slow.",

"It's all the same, we don't ask which count you are on, we just dance with everybody."

When I would get used to dancing 8-count from one class and then go to an old school 6-count class, I would have to be corrected on the timing of my lead. Once I got used to that then I would go back to an 8-count class I would have to be corrected on the timing of my lead.

It got to a point where I was afraid to ask someone I didn't know to dance because, I didn't know which count she used. I then figured out a way to be able to tell based on how she handled the initial address, then I would have to try to remember how to dance that count.

Nowadays

I eventually gravitated to an 8-count focus as most people have, but I still like old school 6-count. There are not many of those classes left so there is a decreasing percentage of people that dance strictly that way. Advanced new school dancers nowadays are playing with the timing of their dance, but I think it's primarily from the perspective of variations of the 8-count even if it was already part of the old school 6-count or bop.

For the people who said it's all the same I would agree and disagree at the same time. If you live in Chicago and dance with all kinds of people that dance different styles then you just adapt and dance, maybe not even realizing it. That's why it was so hard to get a straight answer.

But for people that are just learning and/or dancing one style (8-count or 6-count), they can't adjust so well, and they may get thrown off and not know why. Or they may erroneously assume that they or the other person is dancing wrong, poorly, off-beat, too fast, too slow, etc.

I hope this video helps clear up some of the confusion for those who still care to understand this. It is what I've determined from years of trying to figure it out. I'm sure that others could add to this and help round out the story complete with timeline of evolution and other variations.