By Frankie Gayuacan, Mililani.
Only because I have been dancing Cha Cha Cha for the last 40 years, that I can see we are gradually dancing Cha Cha Cha to other music than Cha Cha Cha. Why? Because you can dance Cha Cha Cha to it. That is different than when you "gotta" dance Cha Cha Cha. Most DJs understand that which is understandable. The Cha Cha Cha or simply cha-cha, is the name of a dance of Cuban origin. The rock step of the original inhabitants came with them from Mexican Civilizations 3000 years ago. You thought the Caribbeans were created in the Caribbean? It developed into a semi line dance resembling the modern Mambo.
With the new Spanish influence, the Indian dance developed into the slower bolero-son ("rumba") that was exported to the US and was always danced on the second beat. The person "broke" (began) on the accent which was the second beat. In the US changed to break on the One. Most of the music in the Caribbean evolved accenting the second beat and starting the rock step on the second beat. How about the Beguine? or the Calypso, the Rumba? All Same. When the Rumba was exported the old fast rumba went back to the sticks and the Mambo evolved from there. Then the new rhythm was developed from the danzón with syncopation of the fourth beat.
It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953. There are many versions of how the name came about but generally, derived from the rhythm of the Güiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet. First, there is in existence a film of 1950s Orquesta Jorrin playing to a cha-cha-cha dance contest in Cuba; second, the rhythm of the Benny More classic Santa Isabel de Las Lajas written and recorded at about the same time is quite clearly syncopated on the fourth beat. Cha-cha-cha is best danced to authentic Cuban or Latin music, or to Latin Pop or Latin Rock. But Country has their versions that do not even faintly resemble Latin. The Cuban cha-cha-chá is more sensual and may involve complex poly rhythms. So that the 1, 2 and 3 maybe syncopated also. And you can cha cha cha wherever you please.
Only because I have been dancing Cha Cha Cha for the last 40 years, that I can see we are gradually dancing Cha Cha Cha to other music than Cha Cha Cha. Why? Because you can dance Cha Cha Cha to it. That is different than when you "gotta" dance Cha Cha Cha. Most DJs understand that which is understandable. The Cha Cha Cha or simply cha-cha, is the name of a dance of Cuban origin. The rock step of the original inhabitants came with them from Mexican Civilizations 3000 years ago. You thought the Caribbeans were created in the Caribbean? It developed into a semi line dance resembling the modern Mambo.
"Social dancers sometimes find themselves not just meeting their initial goals
but getting even more out of it than they expected,".
With the new Spanish influence, the Indian dance developed into the slower bolero-son ("rumba") that was exported to the US and was always danced on the second beat. The person "broke" (began) on the accent which was the second beat. In the US changed to break on the One. Most of the music in the Caribbean evolved accenting the second beat and starting the rock step on the second beat. How about the Beguine? or the Calypso, the Rumba? All Same. When the Rumba was exported the old fast rumba went back to the sticks and the Mambo evolved from there. Then the new rhythm was developed from the danzón with syncopation of the fourth beat.
"From Here To Eternity" by Englebert Humperdinck
It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953. There are many versions of how the name came about but generally, derived from the rhythm of the Güiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet. First, there is in existence a film of 1950s Orquesta Jorrin playing to a cha-cha-cha dance contest in Cuba; second, the rhythm of the Benny More classic Santa Isabel de Las Lajas written and recorded at about the same time is quite clearly syncopated on the fourth beat. Cha-cha-cha is best danced to authentic Cuban or Latin music, or to Latin Pop or Latin Rock. But Country has their versions that do not even faintly resemble Latin. The Cuban cha-cha-chá is more sensual and may involve complex poly rhythms. So that the 1, 2 and 3 maybe syncopated also. And you can cha cha cha wherever you please.
"Dance is poetry written for the feet, read by the heart, and destined for the soul."
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