5 April 2010 05:17,
S.Short,
1518 views
In 2010 the majority of Salsa and Latin dancers in the Western society consider Merengue dancing to be something of a bore. When the DJ plays a Merengue song in a Salsa dance club nearly all the dancers leave the dance floor. For most Salsa and Mambo dancers this is the ideal time to take a (well deserved) rest. Lots of Salsa dance teachers start their Beginners Dance Courses with Merengue dance only in order to teach their students basic body movements and partnering dance techniques without being ‘hindered’ by the more difficult ‘Quick Quick Slow’ Basic. But why is Merengue dancing so boring?
Salsa dancers are in love with turn patters and intricate dance techniques. In the West Merengue is mainly danced in a Closed Dance Position without the use of ‘flashy’ dance moves and footwork/shines. Rule of thumb: if the dance does not ‘look great’, then it is not interesting enough for people to learn. But fact is that Merengue dance has a long history of dance competitions and show teams in the Caribbean, in Central and in South America. But why is this Merengue Show dance tradition relatively unknown to the Western Salsa and Mambo dance society? The answer to this question can be found in the lack of interest which the first generation of Salsa and Mambo dance teachers showed for the Dominican dance culture.
When Salsa dancing started to grow in popularity (in the mid 90’s) most of the first and second generation Salsa and Mambo dance teachers did not have any knowledge of, experience with, affinity, or interest in Merengue Show dancing. And the popular ‘slower’ Merengue did not appeal very much to them or to their students. This is also the case with the Cuban Son (Montuno): most Western oriented Salsa dance instructors teach their students to dance Cha-cha on Son music instead of the Cuban Son dance. Merengue dancing is just waiting for international Salsa dance teachers to discover Merengue Show, love it, master it, make exciting Merengue dance routines, and then teach Merengue at International Salsa Dance Congresses. Maybe then Merengue can get the same ‘make over’ as the modern Bachata Dance got in the last couple of years.
Salsa dancers are in love with turn patters and intricate dance techniques. In the West Merengue is mainly danced in a Closed Dance Position without the use of ‘flashy’ dance moves and footwork/shines. Rule of thumb: if the dance does not ‘look great’, then it is not interesting enough for people to learn. But fact is that Merengue dance has a long history of dance competitions and show teams in the Caribbean, in Central and in South America. But why is this Merengue Show dance tradition relatively unknown to the Western Salsa and Mambo dance society? The answer to this question can be found in the lack of interest which the first generation of Salsa and Mambo dance teachers showed for the Dominican dance culture.
When Salsa dancing started to grow in popularity (in the mid 90’s) most of the first and second generation Salsa and Mambo dance teachers did not have any knowledge of, experience with, affinity, or interest in Merengue Show dancing. And the popular ‘slower’ Merengue did not appeal very much to them or to their students. This is also the case with the Cuban Son (Montuno): most Western oriented Salsa dance instructors teach their students to dance Cha-cha on Son music instead of the Cuban Son dance. Merengue dancing is just waiting for international Salsa dance teachers to discover Merengue Show, love it, master it, make exciting Merengue dance routines, and then teach Merengue at International Salsa Dance Congresses. Maybe then Merengue can get the same ‘make over’ as the modern Bachata Dance got in the last couple of years.
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| Tags: Bachata | Cha-Cha-Cha | Closed Dance Position | Cuban Son | Mambo | Merengue | ||
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