Cha-Cha

   The Cha-Cha, sometimes identified with the Mambo, has many factors that make it a dance of its own. Older generations enjoy it because it can be danced using familiar patterns from the popular Rumba; the young enjoy it for its provocative movements of the dance floor. And teenagers enjoy it because it is another of those dances that allow for individual display and styling.
   Cha-Cha has two geographical points of origin, Cuba and the United States. Very little claiming is made over its origin and each country uses a slightly different basic pattern and styling. Like so many other dances, the Cha-Cha has developed through the influence of other dances. Its personality, character, rhythm and charm come from two major dance sources, the Mambo and the Swing.
   Inheriting some of its foot movement from the Swing, the Cha-Cha is generally danced to a step - step, 1-2-3 rhythm (sometimes called as, "one-two-cha-cha-cha"). Also, it utilizes the Latin rhythms of the triple mambo, a fast, syncopated foot style of Mambo. The Cha-Cha is a Latin American dance whose name, according to one authority, came from the hissing sound made by the heelless slippers worn by Cuban women. Both dancers and musicians alike would utter the chanting of "cha-cha-cha" on the dance floor.
    The tempo is generally slow and staccato, similar to a rhythmic "blues" number. However today, it is often danced to more contemporary Latin rhythms with a sexier, spicy beat. It is this rhythmical beat that allows you to inject your own feeling into the Cha-Cha and let yourself go! This facet, more than any other, has made it a popular dance for all ages from the mid-50's through today.