Cha-cha

Have you experienced dancing the Cha-Cha?

How would you describe your experiences?

History of the Cha-Cha Dance

The cha-cha dance originated from Cuba and was originally known as the cha-cha-cha. The dance gained
popularity around the 1950's and was created from two other dances – the 'mambo' and the 'danzon'. While working
with the charanga group 'Orquesta America' in Cuba performed at dance halls in Havana. Enrique Jorrin, a violinist and
composer, realized that most of the crowds related the danzon-mambo rhythm to a much slower mambo dance and thus
had hardship adopting the syncopated rhythms. He decided to compose music that strongly focused on the first
downbeat such that the rhythm became less syncopated. This caused the crowd dancers to develop a triple step,
creating the sound 'cha-cha-cha' with their shoes, thus the cha-cha-cha was born.

Some, however, maintain that the footwork pattern "one-two-cha-cha-cha" has its roots in the vocal imitation of
the sound produced by the shoes. The name of the dance is basically an onomatopoeia that comes out of the sound of
the dancer’s shoes. This explains why many call it the 'cha-cha-cha' and others 'cha-cha'. Others have speculated that the
name and dance originate from the ritual dances and religious music of the West Indians who used some plants which
had seedpods they called cha-cha to build a musical rattle for use in religious singing and thus dancing.

The dance was introduced in the United States around 1954 and had apparently gained so much popularity
among Americans by 1959 that it was reported to be the most popular dance in the country. It remains as one of the
most popular Latin dances in the U.S. today. Enrique and his team in Orquesta America released two of his new
compositions in the year 1953, the 'La Enganadora' and the 'Silver Star'. These two hit-songs became the very first cha-
cha-cha compositions to be recorded in Cuba. The music became quite popular in Havana dance halls and so did the
dance, a craze that spread through to Mexico City and finally worldwide with popularity spreading up to Latin America,
Western Europe and the United States by 1955. The basis of the modern cha-cha dance was originally taught
internationally by an English dance teacher, Pierre Margolie, in the 1950's and today's learning is based on their
accounts.

The dance is danced in a steady yet energetic rhythm to authentic Cuban music, Latin Rock or Latin Pop and is
made up of two slower steps followed by three quick steps i.e. cha-cha-cha in a 'one-two-cha-cha-cha' dance rhythm.
Even though the modern ballroom version of dancing 'cha-cha' gradually continues to evolve with every dance
competition; it remains strongly based on its Cuban roots from the 1950's.

3 Characteristics of the Cha-Cha

The cha-cha has several qualities that make it easily recognizable:

1. Playfulness: The cha-cha is a playful, lively dance. The movement reflects this playfulness: five steps span the
four beats of a cha-cha measure. The music can be counted as “one, two, cha-cha-cha,” where the “cha-cha-cha”
pairs with beats three and four.
2. Emphasis on the first beat: A strong downbeat—accenting the start of each musical measure—is a defining
characteristic of the cha-cha that also keeps the music easy to move to and interpret. Expressed in a simple 4/4-
time signature, cha-cha music and dance maintain a steady beat, more staccato than rumba, to create consistent
rhythm.
3. Hip action: While the footwork for the cha-cha can be relatively simple, a lot of the flair lies in the dancers’ hip
movements. The bending and straightening of the knees during the simple back and forth footwork accentuates
the hips, giving bounce and rhythm that pairs nicely with cha-cha music. Torsos remain still, further emphasizing
hip movement.

How to Dance the Cha-Cha

This Cuban dance has several foundational steps on top of which fancier footwork can be added:

1. Start with a rock step. Leaders start by stepping back with the right foot, shifting their weight to be on their right
hip, and tapping the left foot. The follower does the opposite, stepping forward with the left, tapping with the
right.
2. Add a triple step. The triple step follows the rock step. The leader brings their right foot back next to the left,
then lifts and replaces first their left foot then right foot. That right-left-right action is the triple step and the
motion that gives the cha-cha cha dance its name. The follower mirrors this motion.
3. Repeat, but alternate direction. The leader does another rock step, this time stepping forward with the left foot
and then tapping the right. They then cha-cha-cha with their left foot, then right, then left again. The follower
again mirrors their movements.
 4. Add a side step. After doing a couple triple steps, the leader may try a more lateral motion with the side step.
The side step begins with a rock step, stepping back with the right and tapping with the left. Next, instead of
closing the feet together, the leader goes side-close-side, stepping out with the right foot, closing with the left
foot, and stepping rightward again with the right foot. They then do another rock step forward with the left foot
and then another side step, this time going to the left. The follower mirrors their movements.
5. Hand placement. Throughout the dance, the leader can put their right hand on the follower’s back and the
follower puts their left hand on the leader’s shoulder. Clasp hands with the free hand. Throughout the rock,
triple, and side steps, both partners’ torsos should stay straight, and their hips should sway out to the direction
of their feet’s movement. As each dancer moves on the triple step’s cha-cha-cha, their hips can sway left, right,
left or right, left, right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=riejEjzTuXA (see this link for video as your guide)

References:

https://www.dance-america.com/history-of-the-cha-cha-dance-81.html#:~:text=The%20cha%2Dcha%20dance
%20originated,at%20dance%20halls%20in%20Havana.

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cha-cha-dance