MUSIC, HISTORY

Latin Cha-Cha : Music
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Cha-Cha music is composed in 4/4 time. There are four beats to the measure but 
the third beat is divided into two eighth notes.
The rhythm is cued as :- "slow slow quick quick slow".

Dancing each bar of music will take two slow steps and three quick steps.
We may count them as "step step cha-cha-cha" or "two three four and one".

Count  : step step  cha   cha   cha    step step  cha   cha   cha
Rhythm : slow slow  quick quick slow   slow slow  quick quick slow
Count  : two  three four  and   one    two  three four  and   one

The count of "four and one" corresponds to "cha-cha-cha"

                Rhythm   S S QQS S S QQS S S QQS S S QQS    S=slow   Q=quick
         (Bar) Measure   11111111222222223333333344444444
   (Beat) Quarter Time   11223344112233441122334411223344
                  Drum   * * *** * * *** * * *** * * ***
                 Dance   s s ccc s s ccc s s ccc s s ccc    s=step   c=cha
                 Count   2 3 4&1 2 3 4&1 2 3 4&1 2 3 4&1

The melody of the music begins with the last quarter note of a musical bar.
This is the count of one.
30 bars per minute is the international standard tempo for Cha-Cha.



Latin Cha-Cha : History
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   In the late 1940s, Havana, Cuba, was one of the most popular resorts for 
North Americans, especially those residing along the east coast. The most 
famous American dance bands as well as the many outstanding latin bands native 
to Cuba played at the city's casinos. Some of these orchestras tried combining 
the American JAZZ beat with the Cuban RUMBA rhythm. The result was a new 
rhythm called the MUMBO. 
   A dance was developed to the new mambo rhythm, danced to the off beat 
rather than the traditional downbeat. For this reason, the dance was popular 
mainly with dancers thoroughly familiar with complex Afro-Cuban music. Howev-
er, among the many figures of the mambo was one called the "chatch", which 
involved three quick changes of weight preceded by two slow steps. By the 
early 1950s, this figure had developed into a new dance comprised of many 
simple variations on the basic footwork. The dance acquired the name CHA-CHA ; 
its characteristic three-step change of weight carried the identifying verbal 
definition, "cha-cha-cha".
   The cha-cha inherited much of its styling from its parent dances, the rumba 
and the mambo. Like most latin dances, it is done with the feet remaining 
close to the floor. The dancers' hips are relaxed to allow free movement in 
the pelvic section. The upper body shifts over the supporting foot, as steps 
are taken.