Merengue Crazy Blog

2 Responses

1. John de Witt

   2010 Mar 13 1

   Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic claim merengue as their own, each with a different tradition of its origin.
   Despite its origin, tango isn’t a Latin dance.
   The Modern Tango of International ballroom, the tango of American ballroom, and Argentine tango are distinctly different dances, though the first two are similar; the last has several variant subgroups, too.
   The upper classes of Buenos Aires and Montevideo shunned tango until it was exported to Paris and London, refined, and re-imported just before World War I.
   The original tangueros were more likely to be of Italian heritage than Spanish. Even today, half of Argentina have some Italian heritage. I wish I could remember the exact quote and attribution, but somebody once described the typical tanguero as a Spanish-speaking Italian who thinks he’s English and wishes he were French!
   When one goes to a party to dance tango, it’s called a milonga, and you may also dance milonga, a similar but separate dance.
   It’s easier to find somebody in Memphis who doesn’t like Elvis than it is to find somebody in Buenos Aires who doesn’t like Carlos Gardel.
   There was a time when doing a gancho in tango was a good way to be ejected from the dance floor; now it’s a typical figure.
   Traditionally, men learned tango by dancing the lady’s part with other men until they were felt competent to try the man’s part, and this in an age when homosexuality was not tolerated.
   In ballroom tango, the forward walk is totally different from the forward walk in foxtrot or waltz, and the hold is closer.
   References :

2. Betsy

   2010 Mar 13 2

   Merengue is the easiest/quickest to learn. It uses fast latin music.
   It’s typically used for a mixer dance/icebreaker for parties.
   The basic step is side together (over and over) equal beat on each step. There are lots of variations. It was the key dance in My Blue Heaven with Steve Martin and Rick Moranis.

   American ballroom tango is typically taught T–A–N-G–O (slow, slow, quick, quick, slow) the last step is a tap rather than a weight change so you start back on the same foot. Tango uses a different frame (holding position) than other American ballroom dances. The position of the ladies hand on the gentleman’s back is different. The dance has no rise and fall (although it is considered one of the "smooth" dances) and is danced with bent knees. To do the steps properly the lady is straddling the gentleman’s leg much of the time.

   Argentine tango is a whole different beast. It is danced more in response to the music and the dance frame is more intimate–the man and woman lean towards each other and connect at the chest. There’s lots of foot play (one partner moving the others foot with their own) and leg flicks (kicking between the partners legs from front and behind).
   References :
   own a ballroom studio