Etymology of the term contra tiempo, why contra tiempo = on2

[wol]

For instance, this guy says: "it's not exactly On1, neither On2 but on the rhythm"

Someone put a comment on his video and he repeated the quote above .

Sometimes, I wonder if there are different things called contratiempo.

So, how is this different from son? (except for step geometry, which is more salsa than son).

 

[granrey]

So, how is this different from son? (except for step geometry, which is more salsa than son).

I think there are different meanings for the term in Salsa. I have a hard believing contratiempo dance and Son is the same thing for most people.

 

[granrey]

I found this link very interesting:

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It seems cubans call On3: "A tiempo"

P2 as we all know is On1 delayed by a beat.

Contratiempo is basically P2.

On3 is P2 a beat behind.

If you use blended secuence on On1, P2 and On3, they will all have the "break step" with a duration of 2 beats. These 3 secuences are the same, just delayed by beats.

This leaves On2ET as the weirdo (lol) in the family with the "walk step" being 2 beats.

 

[SoFloW]

In practical application P2 and ET2 are more similar than you think. If ET2 is reversed (as is sometimes seen, purposefully and unintentionally) the only difference is you take the 1 with the right foot instead of the 8 going forward, and 5 with the left foot going back instead of 4. In reality people step anywhere between 8 and 1 going forward, like on 8&, depending on what they're doing. Also if the music is fast the lines become blurred. It's all the same thing in the end. It matters only as a teaching system which you ditch when you really start dancing. Learn the rules to break the rules.