Social Dance Tempos

When DJing social dance music, it's important to play songs with a good tempo.
Here are my personal tempo guidelines (tempos are beats per minute):

Dance	Sweet Range	Extended Range
Cross-Step Waltz	114 – 122	105 – 130
Rotary Waltz	140 – 160	135 – 170
Fast Waltz	170 – 200	160 – 210
Polka	110 – 125	105 – 140
Schottische	150 – 165	145 – 170
One-Step	115 – 130	110 – 135
Lindy Hop	140 – 170	135 – 180
Sweet Lindy	115 – 135	110 – 140
6-Count Swing	85 – 105	80 – 115
4-Count Swing	120 – 140	115 – 145
West Coast Swing	100 – 120	90 – 130
Blues / Fusion	65 – 90	60 – 100
Hustle	115 – 125	110 – 130
Club 2-Step	80 – 85	75 – 90
Salsa	90 – 100	85 – 110
Cha-Cha	115 – 125	110 – 130
Tango	120 – 130	115 – 140
Foxtrot	135 – 170	130 – 180
Quickstep	90 – 105	85 – 110
Merengue	115 – 130	110 – 135

Chart image download: png, svg, pdf

Sweet Range

If a song feels like a certain dance type and falls in the sweet range, it's usually fine to play at that tempo.

Extended Range

If a song is at the low end of the extended range, it should feel more mellow.
If a song is at the high end, it should have more energy.

Outside Extended Range

Although it may be tempting to play a song outside the extended range, this is rarely a good idea. Modify the song's tempo until it's inside the extended range and make sure it still feels appropriately mellow/energetic.

(Exception: It's fine to play an occasional special song like a really fast waltz. If there are less-experienced people in the crowd, make it clear that that the song is meant to have a challenging tempo.)

Sources

These tempos are based on Richard Powers's guidelines, in addition to personal experience DJing at events like Friday Night Waltz and talking to friends who also DJ social dances in the Stanford area. Note that these tempos are specifically tuned for social partner dances (and not competitive ballroom dancing).