As a vibrant dance form, the Cha-Cha began with Cuban origins before gaining global popularity.
Others speculate that the dance and name began with West Indian ritual dances where voodoo band leaders added seedpods called cha-cha into musical rattles as a metronome for their religious dances.
Introduced in the United States in 1954, the popular Cha-Cha became the latest dance craze by 1959, quickly leading to hybrid versions. It gained popularity because of its high energy and simple steps.
Cuban Roots
In Havana, Cuba, composer and violinist Enrique Jorrin worked with a charanga group, Orquesta America, in Havana’s dance halls.
Noticing the crowds enjoyed up-tempo danzon-mambo music instead of the slower traditional mambos, he composed less syncopated music that eventually led to the triple step.
In 1953, Enrique released “La Enganadora” and “Silver Star,” popular hit songs for dancing the cha-cha-cha. Hence, the name comes from a shuffling shoe instruction “One, two, cha, cha, cha.”
The Cha-Cha’s Characteristics
The Cha-Cha includes two versions. The first is the one Jorrin developed. For the second, in the 1950s, English dance teacher Pierre Lavelle/Margolie studied the dance in Cuba and began a hybrid version in Europe.
With an international version for competitive dancing and an American version, dancers should master the American style before attempting the international one.
Characteristics include:
- Small steps with hip and pelvic movements at a 4/4 beat
- Latin music in any Cha-Cha style with the same steps
- Move the left foot forward and slide and shift the body’s weight onto the left foot. Keep the right foot in place, shift your weight to the right foot, put your weight on the left foot, and slide left.
How To Dance the Cha-Cha
When dancing as a couple, the lead starts with their left foot, while the follower starts with their right. In the next beat, the follower counts one or three measures, as the lead moves to their location.
The follower steps forward for two beats and steps three times once the movement ends for the anchor step.
The Cha-Cha Goes International
The Cha-Cha has evolved and adapted in contemporary dance scenes and on the competitive dance circuit. Because it uses two slow steps and three quick steps, you can dance the Cha-Cha with energetic Cuban music, rock, Latin, or pop.
Influential in popular culture, because it resembled the Rumba, Mambo, and danzon, dancers became eager to learn the new moves, and singer, songwriter, and actor Desi Arnaz featured the style in the series I Love Lucy, which aired from 1951 to 1957.
Notable celebrities who influenced the Cha-Cha movement include Cuban Pete (Pedro Aguilar) at New York’s Palladium Ballroom and dancers Millie Donay, Augie and Margo Rodriguez, and Carlos Arroyo (Mr. Cha Cha Taps).
The cha cha cha craze spread to Mexico City, then Latin America, Western Europe, and the U.S. by 1955. By 1959, the dance would replace the Mambo and the name changed to Cha-Cha.
Learn the Cha-Cha at Fred Astaire Dance Studio!
With Cuban or West Indian origins, the Cha-Cha replaced the mambo and rumba. The lively dance gained notoriety globally and is often included in competitive dance competitions.
As one of the most popular Latin dances, whether you are a novice or professional, dance the cha cha to meet new people, exercise, or prepare for a wedding dance.
Take the first step… Sign up for a dance class today!
Schedule a dance class with Fred Astaire in Carmel by calling 317-846-3237 today.