The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a Latin American dance of Cuban origin. It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953. This rhythm was developed from the danzón by a syncopation of the fourth beat. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rhythm of the güiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers’ feet.
The modern style of dancing the cha-cha-chá comes from studies made by dance teacher Monsieur Pierre (Pierre Zurcher-Margolle), who partnered Doris Lavelle. Pierre, then from London, visited Cuba in 1952 to find out how and what Cubans were dancing at the time. He noted that this new dance had a split fourth beat, and to dance it one started on the second beat, not the first. He brought this dance idea to England and eventually created what is known now as ballroom cha-cha-cha. The validity of his analysis is well established for that time, and some forms of evidence exist today. First, there is in existence film of 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. Also, note that the slower bolero-son (rumba) was always danced on the second beat.
When you are learning a new dance, getting some good music to practice to, or just to enjoy, can be very difficult. The music is taking over and you want more of it in your life, but don’t know where to start.
To make the process a little easier, we’ve rounded up a selection of our favourite pieces by genre, and provided links to iTunes where available. If you have a particular track that you think should be featured here, let us know. Remember, musicians have to earn a living too. If you like it, please buy it.
Artist |
Title |
Level |
Buy |
| Andy Fortuna | Rhythm Track | Beginner |
|
| Rosemary Clooney | Sway | Beginner |
|
| Pussycat Dolls | Don’t Cha | Improver |
|
| Santana | Corazon Espinado | Improver |
|
Latin Cha Cha Cha
Basic Cha Cha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ngz4hPC328
Another nice Cha Cha (with some bonus Samba at the end!)
