DID YOU KNOW.....
There are a few things that are very unique about Cha-Cha. First of all… The hip movement and staccato footwork. It is very, very “Latin”, sexy and sensual. Its unique rhythm and sound is considered very flirty, infectious and upbeat…although it can also sound very nice slowed down. It is a really fun dance and it can really distinguish you on the dance floor.
Originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha, the Cha Cha became popular about 1954. Cha Cha is an off-shoot of the Latin dance 'Mambo'. In the slow Mambo tempo, there is a distinct sound in the music that people began dancing to, calling the step the "Triple" Mambo. Eventually it evolved into a separate dance, today known as the Cha Cha.
One person who undeniably had a lot to do with it was a Cuban violinist named Enrique Jorrin. In 1954, while a member of the Orquesta America Charanga, he made several recordings wherein he slowed down the orchestra’s mambo beat because several ladies had complained it was too fast.
It turned out many people liked it. The orchestra continued to play and promote the new dance and by 1959 people all over America were ‘ga-ga over the Cha-Cha‘, becoming one of the most popular Latin dances in America. It was said that when Cuban ladies danced, their heels smacked the floor making a sound that was later described as ‘Cha-Cha’.
