Compadre Pedro Juan (Merengue)

Merengue is one of the standard Latin American dances that is popular in Central & South America and the Caribbean and is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. It is also said to have derived a little from Haiti's Mereng dance form. The story behind the evolution of this dance is that a war hero returned from the battle with an injured leg. At the victory feast, everyone danced by dragging one leg so that their hero was made to feel at ease and comfort. Thare are many types of merengue in the Dominican Republic itself but the most famous one which the practitioners know is the Merengue Cibaeño from the El Cibao region.The ballroom merengue is a different genre altogether.


The original merengue is a fun dance that has a variety of rhythms i.e. it usually starts with a slow beat and picks up the tempo towards the end.The ballroom merengue is slower, evolved and has modified hip movements.
The music has 120 to 160 beats per minute with the count of 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 like a march step-close-step-close.Merengue can be danced with a partner or in groups because of its simple nature.


The Cuban motion is used heavily to dance merengue i.e. the alternate bending and straightening of knees with the corresponding up and down action of the hip.Three distinctive steps in the dance are the 'paso dela empalizada' or the 'stick-fence step' where the couple steps at their side, 'merengue de salon' where the couple turns clockwise or opposite without separating and the 'merengue de figura' in which the individual takes a turn without leaving the hand of the partner.The Tambora and the Saxaphone are the two instruments that play a pivotal role is setting apart the Merengue music from the rest.

Shake it to the Mambo!

Mambo is a Latin dance that originated in Cuba and it corresponds to the mambo music. Cuban dancers would describe mambo as "feeling the music" in which sound and movement are merged through the body. It was invented by Cachao in 1930s in Havana and was made officially popluar by Perez Prado (father of mambo) in the 1940s when he moved to Mexico.Mambo led to the birth of Cha Cha Cha.

An example of authentic Mambo dance can be seen in the film 'The Motorcycle Diaries'.The original mambo dance contains no breaking steps or basic steps at all.But the professional dance teachers in the U.S. standardised it for the ballroom market and thus the modern mambo is danced to salsa music instead of Mambo music. Eddie Torres (Mambo King of Latin Dance) is further reponsible to popularize this new form of latin american mambo.

The mambo follows a 4/4 beat and some distinctive steps are La Cucuracha, Manita a Mano, New York, New York Bus Stop, El Molinito, The Liquidizer, El Mojito, Los Giros Locos, etc.Popular Mambo songs include "Mambo Italiano", "Papa Loves Mambo", "Mambo #5", "I Saw Mommy Do The Mambo", and "They Were Doin' The Mambo". The films having mambo scenes are Take the lead, dirty dancing(Havana nights), dance with me, mama loves mambo, etc. Mambo can be used as a seduction technique because both the partners have to follow the gyrating movement of the hips.

The Pride of spain: The Spanish Gypsy Dance

The Paso Doble is an arrogant and passionate dance form that is modeled based on the sound, drama and movement of the Spanish Bullfight. The word literally means double step. The Paso Doble music is typically played in bullfights during the bullfighters' entrance to the ring (paseo) or during the passes (faena) just before the kill. Its origins are in Southern France and gained popularity in the US in the 1930s. This is a couple dance.

In the traditional form, the leader(male) plays the matador while his lady plays the matador's cape or the shadow of the matador, as well as the bull or a flamenco dancer.In the ballroom style, Paso Doble, like Samba, is a progressive International Latin dance. It resembles the International Standard style in which the forward steps are taken with the heel lead, the frame is wider and more strictly kept up, and less hip movement.


The main tune of Paso Doble being the España Cañi (the spanish gypsy dance) by Pascal Marquina, all the songs are variants of this tune with the 1-2-1-2 march beat.Due to its choreography, this dance form is performed on stage and not danced socially. This dance should exhibit pride, strength and dignity. The main steps are Sur Place (on the spot), Separation, Attack, Huit, Open Promenade to Open Counter Promenade, Spanish Line, Promenade Close, Flamenco Taps, etc.The pace is 60-63 beats per minute.

It takes two to Tango! (part 2)

The V-shaped embrace

Since Tango is a dance of seduction, the Tango's frame, called an abrazo or "embrace," is not rigid, but flexibly adjusts to different steps, and may vary from being quite close, to offset in a "V" frame, to open.  While dancing the tango, the lady is held in the crook of the man’s arm. She holds her head back and rests her right hand on the man's lower hip. The man must allow the lady to rest in this position while leading her around the floor in a curving pattern.Tango is danced to a repetitive style of music with the basic rhythm being quick-quick-slow and the meter is 4/4.

Tango is earthy and dramatic alongwith being romantic. Although walking movements called the Tango walks dominate, having a "stalking" or "sneaking" character make this form unique. Movements are slow and slithery sometimes, and sharp and stacatto at other times, such as a quick foot flick or a sharp head snap to promenade position. Tango has the same counter clockwise flow of movement around the dance floor, but with a lesser sense of urgency in comparison to the smoother and more continuous ballroom dances. 

  

It takes two to Tango(part 1)

Tango is a form of dance that originated in Rio De La Plata. There are many forms of Tango like the Argentine tango, Uruguayan tango, Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango, and vintage tangos from which the tango from Argentina and Uruguay are considered authentic though it differs from the Ballroom styles of tango.The other styles include Tango canyengue, Tango Oriental,Tango liso, Tango salon, Tango orillero, Tango camacupense (Angola), Tango milonguero (Tango apilado), Tango Nuevo (New Tango), Show Tango (also known as fantasia), The "milonguero", etc. These above forms need several types of music like Tango, Vals (the tango version of waltz), Milonga (has a faster tempo), Tango Electronico and Alternative tango (i.e. non-tango music appropriated for use)


This dance form has evolved from the lower working classes of Buenos Aires and Montevideo from the 1890s.By the early 20th century, it spread to Paris, London, Berlin, etc. and by 1913 it spread to the NY city and Finland.


In 2009, the UNESCO declared tango as part of the world's "Intangible Cultural Heritage". 


One of the many interesting facts related to Tango is that it significantly helps cure Parkinson's disease. 


A number of films have tango as their main themes or have major scenes related to tango like the latest being Strictly Ballroom, Schindler's List, Frida, Shall We Dance, Take the Lead, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, True Lies, The scent of a woman, etc.

Sail it with the samba!

Samba is a highly energetic and joyful form of dance with Brazilian origins since the 19th century. It is derived from a dance form called the Maxixe.It is performed during festive times like the carnival in Brazil and is very lively.The popular forms of the Brazilian Samba are Samba no pe, Samba de Gafieira, Samba Pagode, Samba Axé, Samba Reggae, Samba-rock and Samba de roda.The Ballroom Samba(Latin- american form) that developed in 1930, is completely different from the Brazilian Samba, which in turn, is a set of various local dance forms like Boto Fogo, Natural Rolls, Bahia, Carioca, Choro, etc. All the above types except the Ballroom Samba(couple dance) could be danced by the Sambista alone or with a partner but the basic step of Samba remains as 2/4 with three steps per beat. 


The 'Samba Bounce Action' is the main step that gives this dance a unique feel.Other steps include the Voltas, Bota Fogos, Kick Change, Samba Side Steps, Samba Strut, etc.The musical instruments used for composing the samba music are the traditional from Brazil called the tamborim, chocalho, reco-reco and cabaca. 
Samba became popular in the U.K. in 1934 by the movie, 'Flying down to Rio'and in the U.S. by 1938 because of the movie 'That night in Rio'.

Baby steps to salsa!!!

Salsa is the most popular form of Latin American Dancing.
Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.
Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a pattern of six steps danced over eight counts of music and is a couple dance.


To know about salsa in India, click here