Timing - How To Dance Cha-Cha

Cha-Cha music is 4/4 time, and also has 4 steps to a bar of music. The last bar screams for you to step to the left and close your feet so this step has the characteristics of moving the foot to the side and closing the feet, which in turn produces the "cha-cha" sound, which is the name of the dance.

If you are having trouble understanding the basic movement of Cha-Cha which is usually said to be slow, slow, quick-quick, slow, then rephrasing it to "rock, rock, side-close, side", makes it far easier to grasp.

Most Latino dances consist of moving your step on the second beat and change the weight from one lef to the other between beats, but in cha cha your feel always move only on the first, second and fourth beats of the music. This little switch of weight makes the look and feel of the dance occur on the first and second beats, then on the third and halway through the fourth and first beat.

Count from the second beat of music to make it simple. Count "Two-Three, Cha-Cha, One" - if you know the basic movements you'll soon see this becoming meaningful.

There are more than one part to timing, TWO. There is a static metronome beat that flows though the entire track, which in turn dictates when it's time to move your feet. Another one is the actual tempo of the song. The tempo is what makes you take a certain step, pause for a period of time or how fast you should spin and turn. Understanding this will make you a preferable cha cha dancer.

You can't mistake a Cha Cha beat in a song. You hear the two slow beats and the three quicker beats. Then when you hear the quick beats you move side and close, cha cha cha.

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