While ballads can have a strong beat and are usually fast paced, they can also be performed extremely slow barely seeming to have a beat at all. This slow style of performance is known as free rhythm.

True.

Explanation:

Free rhythm can be defined as a rhythmic activity that lacks meter or is anti-metrical music. Free rhythm music is usually asymmetrical music. It is also known as unmeasured music.

This technique of free rhythm is used when a music is not provided with discernible beat and can be provided with free-flowing beats.

Ballads that can be performed at a slow pace and barely having any beat is referred to as a free rhythm. So, the statement stated above is true.