Canter rhythm

The term is borrowed from the canter horse gait, which sounds three hoof beats followed by a pause, i.e., 3 accents in 44 time.

In waltz dances it may mark the 1st and the 4th eighths of the measure, producing a 24 overlay beat over the 34 time.

In other words, when a 34 measure is cued as "one, two-and three", the canter rhythm marks "one" and "and".

In modern ballroom dancing, an example is the Canter Pivot in the Viennese Waltz.

[2][3] A 1922 dance manual describes it as follows:[4] "The Canter Waltz has been revived and presents an opportunity to show the use of "direction" in the straight backward and forward series of walking steps.