How to Dance Cha Cha

Cha Cha is a cheerful and dynamic dance, categorized in the Latin group of ballroom dances. It is danced with a vibrant body action with sexy hips and quick turns and stops. It is a lot of fun to dance and great exercise.

When you dance Cha Cha, keep the balls of your feet always brushing the floor-do not pick up your feet or step with the heel first. Bend your knee when you move your leg and straighten it when you put your weight on the foot. Keep your steps small, no more than shoulder width, so you can dance in a small space, keep up with the music and maximize your hip motion.

You generally start dancing Cha Cha in closed dance position. The man takes the lady's right hand in his left, with the forearms perpendicular to the floor, elbows almost touching and well in front of the body so there is space between the partners. This allows for freedom of movement. The Man then places his right arm under the lady's left and puts his right hand on her left shoulder blade. The lady will then place her left hand right behind the man's shoulder, flat on his back. Many Cha Cha patterns will later go into open and side-by-side positions.

American style Cha Cha is counted as "1, 2, 3, 4, &". Each count is a beat of the music, with the '&' count occurring halfway between the 4 and 1 beats. Dancers step on each count.

There are too many patterns danced in Cha Cha to list them all here, so we will just cover the basic step. This is the first step most people learn in Cha Cha, and many other patterns start or end with a basic. The step is the same for both men and women, so only the man's part is written here. The lady will do the steps in the opposite order, starting to the side on her right foot and moving with the man, following him.

Man's Basic Step in Cha Cha

Stand in closed dance position on your right foot with your left foot free.

Count 1: step sideways on your left foot.

Count 2: step back on your right foot without moving your left foot.

Count 3: replace your weight on your left foot.

Counts 4 & 1: starting with your right foot, step "cha cha cha" to the right (side-together-side).

Count 2: Step forward on your left foot without moving your right.

Count 3: replace your weight back onto your right foot.

Counts 4 & 1: starting with your left foot, step "cha cha cha" to the left (side-together-side). This will be the end of one step and the beginning of the next one.