Cha Cha!

MacMoto

MacMoto

Administrator
Staff member
Two questions:

1. Do you like cha cha?
2. How did you learn to cha cha?


My answers:
1. I LOVE cha cha. Sometimes I wonder if I love it more than salsa... (SHOCK! GASP! :roll: :lol: )

2. A few workshops. Yes we followers are lucky... ;) I also do a lot of solo shines when cha cha is played (since it's so hard to find a leader who would dance cha cha with me :(), which is good practice.

I picked up cha cha on2 before I started salsa on2, and I think the cha cha experience really helped when it came to learning salsa on2.
 
1. Yes I like it a lot - i had the misfortune to start originally dancing it on1 so when I realised is hould be doing it on2 it confused my brain quite a bit..
I especially like groovy cha cha's

2. I learnt just by picking it up on the floor and one or two lessons - hence my cha cha is not very good and needs a lot more practise, especially staying on the beat!
 
MacMoto said:
Two questions:

1. Do you like cha cha?
2. How did you learn to cha cha?
Click to expand...

1. Yes, although I didn't use to when I learned it way back in a ballroom-dance class.
2. One of our salsa instructors taught it a bit during the salsa class.

I really need to learn a lot more, as all I know are a simple outside turn, CBL, and the 'chase'.
 
1) Sure, I like cha cha.
2) I learned from workshops & classes, but I'd have to say that my 1st "moment of clarity" was when a friend pointed out how to properly count On2 to it. My 2nd was when another friend showed how to translate any salsa move into cha cha.

It's odd, because my overall ability/skill level in cha cha is "ok", as in not as good as my salsa - but for whatever reason, I've been getting sought out when a cha cha comes on. Admittedly, most of any moves that I do are just modified from what I've learned in salsa...

It's fun, and yes, it's helped the little bit of On2 (salsa) that I can do.
 
I do like Cha Cha - I just have a hard time staying on the 2 :( I continue to work on it and I am definately getting better.
 
MacMoto said:
Two questions:

1. Do you like cha cha?
2. How did you learn to cha cha?
Click to expand...

I like it occasionally for a change. I learned it before salsa in ballroom classes. I would prefer a pure salsa party to a pure cha-cha party, but I like to have cha-cha songs at salsa nights.
 
MacMoto said:
Two questions:

1. Do you like cha cha?
2. How did you learn to cha cha?
Click to expand...

1.There is something i could not now express about revealing something out of your body,feelling "Being-in-the-world" certainly in good songs (Dicupe rulez!)
what am i saying!! :roll:

2.i did not learn it, i believe that if you dance salsa and have a good ear you achieve it!
 
MacMoto said:
Two questions:

1. Do you like cha cha?
2. How did you learn to cha cha?


My answers:
1. I LOVE cha cha. Sometimes I wonder if I love it more than salsa... (SHOCK! GASP! :roll: :lol: )

2. A few workshops. Yes we followers are lucky... ;) I also do a lot of solo shines when cha cha is played (since it's so hard to find a leader who would dance cha cha with me :(), which is good practice.

I picked up cha cha on2 before I started salsa on2, and I think the cha cha experience really helped when it came to learning salsa on2.
Click to expand...
1. I love Cha Cha
2. In a ballroom class, but accidently by practicing my Salsa moves to Cha Cha songs.
 
1. I like having a couple of Cha Cha's played during a salsa night (as well as a few merengues and bachatas).

2. I learned Cha Cha after I was already a proficient salsa dancer. I didn't have a hard time dancing Cha Cha on2, and it helped me pick up salsa On2, though it's still doesn't come naturally. My cha cha specific repertoire is fairly limited. I can do cross-overs, double cross overs, right side passes with/without turns, dancing side to side and maybe a few others. Other than that, I primarily just translate salsa moves.
 
(1) I like Cha Cha a LOT! :D The biggest problem is finding other people who are willing to dance it on those rare occasions when the DJ plays one of those songs in a club. The floor tends to clear out -- which is good because that makes more space to dance -- but if I don't find one of the rare female Cha Cha dancers quickly, then some other guys have grabbed them and I'm out of luck! :?

(2) Before I really got into Salsa about 7 years ago, I had taken one set of basic Salsa lessons about 10 years ago, where they devoted one of the classes to Cha Cha Cha. However, I never tried Cha Cha again until about 5 or 6 years later, by which time I was more comfortable with Salsa. At that point, it was mostly trial-and-error on the dance floor -- and dancing On1. It was only about 2 or 3 years ago before I first heard somebody say that it's "better" to dance Cha Cha On2. Now I prefer Cha Cha On2, but will occasionally dance On1 depending on the song and my partner.
 
1) Love it to pieces! If dancing with the right person that is...

2) Ballroom classes - But was inspired by a couple of social dances that i saw from Tamambo and Salsera, and Leon Rose with Nikki Britton... couldn't wait to try it out myself after watching!
 
1. I love Cha Cha (Cha?)
2. I learned it on the fly by mirroring ladies who were kind enough to ask me to dance when i was a beginner.

Since i started taking LA style classes, i find that there are many moves that you can import into Cha Cha, in contrast to Cuban style that may be more applicable to Bachata or Merengue.
 
Cha cha cha-- a derivitive of Guajira , which breaks on one.

3 distinct styles-- American-- International and Guajira.

Most latinos do not dance cha ( they call it an amerian version of the original ), but -- thats true of most of the social dances ( Samba , Rumba etc. )
Most all the material used in todays cha version, came out of Mambo .
 
To those who learned cha cha in ballroom classes...
Is ballroom cha cha at learner levels very different from cha cha you see in salsa scene? The only ballroom cha cha I've seen is from competition video clips, and it looks nothing like what I see at congresses etc.

I actually considered taking some ballroom classes just so I could have cha cha lessons (no salsa teachers around here do cha cha classes), but would it be useful for a salsa dancer who wants to cha cha?
 
1) I like dancing to cha-cha-cha and like it when the music programme includes some cha in a salsa night

2) I have had a couple of moves backled at me, the rest is salsa conversions. I'd like to do some ballroom cha classes to get some more cha-specific repertoire and find how is can be more than mambo with an added ball-change
 
Mac-- I am sure you realise that many, if not most, have little or no formal training in the " foundation " dances .

Watched a " latinos" class recently. teaching ( ? ) cha-- he didnt have a clue !!--

It depends, greatly, on what you are seeking in your personal goals---- variety ? -- style ? --substance ?-- authenticity ? -- technique ?-- interpretation ?.
They are all, in their own rite, important-- more the question-- where do you place your priorities .
 
AndrewS said:
LDA are going to run a cha cha cha course in London starting at the end of May :)
Click to expand...
I never thought I would ever wish I was living in London... :shock: :roll:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top