Do You Know Merengue?
Merengue is said to have been first created by slave laborers in the Dominican Republic. The movement is said to reflect the slave’s movement when they had to drag their chained feet to drum beats when forced to harvest sugar. By the mid 1800’s Merengue had cemented its place in the culture of the Dominican Republic, and since has had its popularity spread throughout the rest of the Caribbean and South America. Merengue is currently a popular club dance, since it requires little space, and can be danced in both open and closed position.
Merengue has one of the more simple rhythms of the Latin Dances, which is given by it’s continued 1-2 step. This makes the dance relatively easy to pick up for beginners and leaves ample room for creativity in the expression of the music. The fast-paced nature of Merengue makes it a very joyful and upbeat dance.
Our Merengue
Salsa@Cal currently does not have any formal offerings in Merengue. We do play Merengue music regularly at our socials and our members and instructors are happy to teach you. If you think that it would be good to have a Merengue lesson at one of our socials or at our Open Practica series, make sure to let one of the instructors know and we will see what we can do!
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