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I just want to second moses' comment.
It seems like much of the discussion regarding "why 4/4?" has been from a European/western perspective.
Which leads me to believe that it's more cultural than "natural", maybe having something to do with dualistic, linear, analytical thought; trying to "make sense" of everything, quantizing, categorizing, etc.
Indian music, Gamelan and I don't know what all else, are a different story and did not evolve along the supposedly "default" 4/4 path.
and yeah, organized dancing probably had something to do with it too.
Hey, if any of you have a taste for jazz, you really MUST check out this album from Don Ellis, recorded in 1966:
The Don Ellis Orchestra Live at Monterey.
There's a song on there called "33 222 1 222", and as Ellis jokes in the intro, "that's just the area code". Actually, it's the breakdown of the song's meter, 19 beats to the bar. It really rocks/swings too, shades of KC in big band jazz form. Ellis also played quarter tones. Great piece of music, and I think accesible to fans of prog rock and especially odd meters.
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