Merengue

Merengue

Merengue is a fun dance and very easy to learn! The saying is that if you can walk - you can dance the merengue! Dancing the merengue is like marching where you step left-right-left-right-left-right in time to the music. With one step taken to each beat of music, the basic step is very easy to learn. Being so easy to learn, merengue is very popular!

A Description of Merengue

Merengue music essentially has the tempo and rhythm of marching music. This is appropriate for the even tempo left, right, left, right, step timing. The music and the basic step may be counted: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 OR counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 is also very popular. The basic step can be thought of as step, close, step, close, step, close, step, close. Most patterns require 4 beats or eight beats of music. Like disco music, merengue music has heavy down beats on every count. The music style is festive, happy and very popular at Latin dance parties!

The Character of Merengue

Going along with the festive character of the music, the dance figures can be spontaneous and very improvisational. They can also be sexy and a little wild. Acceptable figures can include pretzels, wraps, ropes, and tunnels. As the basic step is simply marching in nature, hundreds of figures are possible. Even so, many folks simply dance merengue in closed dance position only.