Cha Cha Cha

The chachachá is a dance of Caribbean origin – based on the danzón – whose name comes from the characteristic sound produced by the rubbing of the dancers’ feet on the ground when performing it.

Summary

[ disguise ]

• 1 History
• 2 Emergence
• 3 Tradition
• 4 How to dance
• 5 Songs that can be danced like chachachá
  • 1 Famous songs
  • 2 Some composers
• 6 Source

History

It was created by the Cuban violinist, conductor and composer Enrique Jorrín (1926-1987) in 1948. It seems that, seeing the difficulties that white people had in dancing the mambo , he invented this new rhythm “for the Cubans who “They don’t know how to mambear.”

The first chachachá that was played was Enrique Jorrín’s La degagadora , which dates back to 1948 and was a huge success in 1953. In this same year many orchestras played the mambo El cerezo rosa by Dámaso Pérez Prado as a chachachá, and even the Pérez Prado makes a version of his Cerezo in this rhythm.

The chachachá is easy to identify musically, because the güiro seems to be saying: cha-cha-chá.

Other famous chachachás are La camarera de mi amor , with an unsurpassed version by Antonio Machín , Ligia Elena , Me voy pal pueblo .

Emergence

Cha-cha dancers.

The emergence of this rhythm owes much to the dancers , who in the Silver Star society , in the central Havana corner of Prado and Neptuno, and later in all the halls of Havana , were developing steps that adapted to the characteristics of the new style. The dancers made an escobilleo , marking, on one side and the other, one, two; one, two, three, and that sound on the floor was what gave it the name “cha cha chá.”

Tradition

Represented by songs like the famous Guantanamera or those by Machín, it is barely heard today, however some musicians have mixed it with modern sounds and rhythms, obtaining totally current songs that are perfect for dancing cha-cha. It was born from the contributions and innovations that different musicians on the island made to danzón, with almost danceable melodies on their own and the balance that emerges between on-time and off-time melodies.

How dance

The step has 4 beats, like music, and is danced with 2 slow and 3 fast movements ―plus a pause―. As a dance, it is one of the richest and most varied in steps. The air is sensual, as in all the dances from the Caribbean area and its main characteristic is the movement of the hips.

Songs that can be danced like chachachá

• Wasteof Ana Belén
• Waitress, The Orphan and I Have a Weakness by Antonio Machín
• Guantanameraand Cane Melao by Celia Cruz
• And I Dance, From Man to Woman and Vuelve by Donato and Estéfano
• Let’s get loudby Jennifer López
• Forbidden, Raúl’s Ace of Hearts
• Dímelo (I need to know)and Tragedy by Marc Anthony
• Libre, Salsa and Black Eyes by Patricia Manterola
• My belovedand Where are you, Yolanda? by Pink Martini
• Cast pa’lante, Pata pata , Mint and cinnamon and You and I by Thalía
• Thorny Heartand The Shark King of Maná (the second, with Carlos Santana ).
• Dance Morena, Venus and Bacchus and others by Zucchero
• Hey how it goesand Cuban Pete by Tito Puente

Famous songs

• The winemaker
• The deceiver
• The Martians
• Rich vacilón
• Adela told me
• Heart of melon
• Tell me
• Pachito and Che
• Let the firefighters come

some composers

• Rosendo Ruiz Quevedo
• Richard Egues
• Rafael Lay

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