Lesson 4.
Cha-Cha
Lesson Summary
The Cha-cha is an exciting Latin dance best known for its lively and playfully cheeky character,
syncopated footwork, and quick rotating Cuban motion. In Cuba in the late 1940's, you'd find people
dancing the Rumba and the Mambo in clubs and in the streets. One figure in the Mambo was called the
Triple Mambo, and by 1954 this figure had developed into a new dance, known as the Cha-Cha-Cha. The
Cha-Cha of today is a slightly modified version of this dance with three syncopated steps and a rock step.
Motivation Question
Have you experienced dancing the Cha Cha? How would you describe your experiences?
Discussion
About Cha Cha
The first Cha-Cha tune is said to have been written by Enrique Jorrin, a Cuban musician. In the 1940s and
1950s, Havana, Cuba, was a culturally renowned city. It was immensely fashionable for the wealthy and
renowned for visiting Havana resorts. Many famous writers, including Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee
Williams, spent time in Cuba. These life events shaped their great writings. In addition, Havana, Cuba,
was the setting for the popular Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls." The Havana casinos hosted
performances by well-known American dance bands and Cuba's greatest Latin orchestras. The Mambo
music and entertainment hotspot gave birth to the Cha-Cha social dance.
2. It is a vibrant and enjoyable dance that gets you up and moving around the dance floor.
3. Cha-Cha is a dance that combines the slower steps of the Rumba and Mambo with a triple step. It was
originally one of the Mambo's figures, consisting of three faster steps followed by two slower steps, with
the weight of each step changing.
This Mambo pattern became Cha Cha's basic step.
Cha Cha Timing
Cha-cha-cha is danced to authentic Cuban music, although in ballroom competitions it is often danced to
Latin pop or Latin rock. The music for the international ballroom cha-cha-cha is energetic and with a
steady beat. The music may involve complex polyrhythms.
Styles of cha-cha-cha dance may differ in the place of the chasse in the rhythmical structure. The original
Cuban and the ballroom cha-cha-cha count is "one, two, three, cha-cha", or "one, two, three, four- and.
A "street version" comes about because many social dancers count "one, two, cha- cha-cha" and thus
shift the timing of the dance by a full beat of music. Note that the dance known as Salsa is the result of a
similar timing shift of Mambo.
The basic footwork pattern of cha-cha-cha (one, two, three, cha-cha-one, two, three) is also found in
several Afro-Cuban dances from the Santería religion. For example, one of the steps used in the dance
practiced by the Orisha ethnicity's Ogun features an identical pattern of footwork. These Afro-Cuban
dances predate the development of cha-cha-cha, and were known by many Cubans in the 1950s,
especially those of African origin. Thus, the footwork of the cha- cha-cha was likely inspired by these
Afro-Cuban dances.
Dance Steps
Cha-Cha is a dance that combines the slower steps of the Rumba and Mambo with a triple step. It has
increased in popularity over time due to its simplicity and intensity.
1. Open Basic - 2,3,4 &, 1 / 2,3,4 &, 1
2. Shoulder to Shoulder - 2,3,4 &, 1 / 2,3,4 &, 1
3. Underarm Turn turning to L - 2,3,4 &, 1
4. Fan - 2,3,4 &, 1
5. Alemana - 2,3,4 &, 1 / 2,3,4 &, 1
6. New York to R - 2,3,4 &, 1
7. New York to L - 2,3,4 &, 1
8. Spot lurn to R - 2,3,4 &, 1
9. Spot Turn to L - 2,3,4 &, 1
10. Hand to Hand to L - 2,3,4 &, 1
11. Hand to Hand to R - 2,3,4 &, 1
12. ½ Closed Basic Movement - 2,3,4 &, 1
13. Underarm Turn turning to R - 2,3,4 &, 1
Learning Tasks/Activities
Make your own choreography or routine using the CHA CHA dance steps introduced. Use the correct
accompaniment. Record your performance in a video recorder. You will be graded based on the rubrics
below:
100
The student demonstrates EXEMPLARY dance technique and performance/ effort qualities.
90
The student demonstrates ACCOMPLISHED dance technique and performance/ effort qualities.
80
The student demonstrates PROFICIENT dance technique and performance/ effort qualities.
70
The student demonstrates DEVELOPING dance technique and performance/ effort qualities. The student
performs task with little energy, is reluctant to try new activities and needs some prompts throughout
the performance.
60
The student demonstrates BEGINNING dance technique and performance/ effort qualities.
The student is often off task, is unable to control behavior and needs frequent prompts throughout the
performance.
50
The student demonstrates MINIMAL dance technique and performance/ effort qualities.
The student was unable to control behavior throughout the performance.
The student DID NOT ATTEMPT to participate.
