Sometimes known as “Cha Cha Cha”, the Cha Cha is a playful energetic Latin dance that is very popular and fun to learn. The Cha Cha’s lively moves and music will get you moving on the dance floor and burn calories in the process.
Cha Cha is characterized by quick sharp steps, rib cage isolations, and Cuban hip motion. Cuban hip motion is a rolling action of the hips resulting from the alternate bending and straightening of the knees. It is a compact dance taking up little floor space.
Although Cha Cha has traditionally been danced to Latin music, much of today’s music has a great beat for Cha Cha and includes many types of music such as pop, R&B, country, funk and beach music.
It is danced to music with a tempo of 110 to 130 beats per minute. Cha Cha is danced in 4/4 time and is comprised of a triple step with a rock step after each triple step. The Cha Cha rhythm is “1,2,3,4,&.” The fourth beat is split in two (4, &) so five steps are danced in four beats of music.
Examples of Cha Cha songs
- Marc Anthony- I Need to Know
- Santana- Smooth
- Jessica Joy- Chilly Cha Cha
- Earth, Wind, & Fire- September
- Santana- Oye Como Va
Cha Cha History
Cha Cha evolved in Cuba from a similar dance, the mambo. Havana Cuba was a hotspot for the wealthy, mobsters, and movie stars in the 1940s and 1950s where casinos, nightclubs and music flourished. Cuban bands played music that gave rise to the mambo which later evolved into the Cha Cha. The two dances are very similar except the Cha Cha has a triple step before and after the break step (or rock step).
Cha cha made its way to the United States in the 1950s and soon became a dance craze. People were so eager to learn the Cha Cha that its popularity spread through the country and overseas. In the 1960s Cha Cha evolved into a more formalized dance style that became part of Latin American Dancing.
Contact The Dancing Duo today about Cha Cha Lessons! Also check our calendar to see if this is currently being taught!