There are two conditions under which a FatChanceBellyDance® Style fast step can (and in many cases, must) be used: the song has at least 100 beats per minute (BPM) and four beats per measure.

Of course, there are caveats. Cheb Khaled’s “Sahra” and the 2026 flash mob song, “Quedate Luna” by Trinix feat. Natalia Doco, have the same amount of BPM (101), but we normally use the slow FCBD® vocabulary throughout “Sahra” (this song was actually the inspiration behind the Sahra Turn, which is a slow move), but dance fast (and slow) to “Quedate Luna.”

Also, doing fast steps with a song that has 150 BPM is not sustainable. It could look frantic and we’d lose so many nuances of the move. “Drum Solo 2:31” by Tobias Roberson ends at 155 BPM. Since it’s only a blitz, it could be used as an accented ending.

But the four beats per measure is non-negotiable. If a song is above 101 BPM but has three beats in a measure (ie: a Waltz), then you can’t dance FCBD® Style fast to it. This is because almost all fast steps in the FCBD® vocabulary either have four counts or are divisible by four.

Let’s break them down. You can see the complete list of fast steps in the syllabus here.

To sort a column, click on the header. “ASC” = ascending; “DESC” = descending.

I put in “base count” instead of “count” because some of the fast steps (you’ll see them with an asterisk at the end of their name) have fluid base counts.

The Pivot Bump, for example, could also be completed in eight counts.

I’ve seen Rhythmic Undulation Orbit done in 5 x 8 counts (40 counts) and 6 x 8 counts (48 counts). I suppose this depends on the speed of the orbit, but the basic FCBD® Style fast vocabulary rule still stands: it has to be completed within a count that’s divisible by four (or in this case, by eight).

The Shoulder Shimmy Hip Drop Combo is usually done in eight counts, with four counts of shoulder shimmies and four counts of hip drops. But I’ve seen (and done) them in sixteen counts (eight counts of shoulder shimmies, eight counts of hip drops). I always try to keep them balanced, meaning the same number of counts for both shoulder shimmies and hip drops.

Sixteen counts is a comfortable number to do the combo with levels. But I’ve also seen the Shoulder Shimmy Hip Drop Combo done in irregular (albeit still divisible by four) counts, with the shoulder shimmy being done three or more times four counts, and the hip drops being done in four counts.

I particularly love the Hip Bump because it’s a one-count move. Whenever I mess up and need a filler to get back to the downbeat, the Hip Bump is my go-to fast step.

Here’s a performance that Mark Bissell and I did at the 2016 Cairo Shimmy Quake. Try to count with us and see if we messed up. It was improv after all.