Physical Education 9

Cha Cha Cha: Latin Craze

 Prayer
Thank you God for this new day.
In my school to work and play.
Please be with me all day.
In every story, game and song.
May all the happy things we do make You, our
Father, happy too!
Amen.
The cha-cha is a popular, social Latin dance. Lively
and flirtatious, the cha-cha is full of passion and
energy. The cha-cha is a vibrant, flamboyant and
playful dance. The light and bubbly feel of the cha-
cha gives it a unique sense of fun.
The cha-cha requires small steps and lots of hip
motion (Cuban motion), as it is danced in 4/4 time.
The fourth beat is split into two, giving it the
characteristic rhythm of 2, 3, 4 and 1. Therefore,
five steps are danced to four beats. You may have
heard it counted like, "One, two, cha-cha-cha”.
 Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko is one of the
world’s most accomplished pairs that graced any dance floor.
 History of Cha Cha
It is originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha. It became
popular about 1954. Cha Cha is an offshoot of the Mambo.
When the English dance teacher Pierre Margolie visited
Cuba in 1952, he realised that sometimes the Rumba was
danced with extra beats. This is said to be an innovation
introduced in 1948 by the musician Enrique Jorrin,
combining two Cuban dances, the 'Danzon' and the
'Montuno'. When Pierre returned to Britain, he started
teaching these steps as a separate dance.
 In the slow Mambo tempo, there was a
distinct sound in the music that people
began dancing to, calling the step the "Triple
Mambo". Eventually it evolved into a
separate dance, known today as the Cha
Cha.
The dance consists of three quick steps
(triple step or cha cha cha) and two slower
steps on the one beat and two beat (rock
step).
 The Cha Cha is danced at about 120 beats per
minute. The steps are taken on the beats, with a
strong hip movement as the knee straightens on
the half beats in between. The weight is kept well
forward, with forward steps taken toe-flat, and it
is danced with minimal upper-torso movement.
The chasse on 4&1 is used to emphasise the step
on beat 1, which may be held a moment longer
than the other steps to match the emphasis of the
beat in the music.
Basic Dance Steps in Cha
Cha Cha
BASIC NAME OF STEP STEP PATTERN COUNTING
       
1 Weight Transfer R-Bw, L-Fw 1,2
(Rock Step)
 

       
2 R chasse Fw R-Fw, L-C to R, R-Fw 1 and 2
 

       
3 Weight Transfer L-Fw, R-Bw 1, 2
(Rock Step)

       
4 L chasse Bw L-Bw, B-C to L, L-Bw 1 and 2
 

       
5 Alemana Turn L-Fw (Pivot Halfway Turn R), R-Fw (Pivot Halfway Turn R)  
leading to chasse L-Bw 1, 2
 

       
6 New York (L over R) Step L across in front, Step R in place, chasse R Sw, Step R 1, 2, 1 and 2
over L in front, chasse R Sw  
  1, 2, 1 and 2

       
7 New York (R over L) Step R across in front, Step L in place, chasse L Sw, Step L 1, 2, 1 and 2
over R in front, chasse L Sw  
  1, 2, 1 and 2

       
8 Spot Turn Same with Alemana Turn but done Sw-leading to chasse Bw 1, 2
 
 LEGEND
Legend
L left foot Fw forward
R right foot Bw backward
C close step Sw sideward
.
 ACT 1: LET’S DANCE!  
As the music plays, master the patterns introduced, below is a guide on how to count Cha cha beats. You can type the
link below for sample music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wK-JCvSxfI
  
Follow up the sequence below as many repetitions as possible until you mastered.
Refer to the figures from the table above.
 
Combination 1 Combination 2
1234 12682
1234 1234
1234 12682
1252 1234
12682
For more different combinations of basic dance steps in Cha cha, you may refer to this
link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjcWXpvA5e8&t=179s
.
 I Can now DO This!

Think of two things you can now do because of what you learned today. Write your answer in your
notebook.
Example: Knowing how to execute a certain figure of dance
I can now do…

1. I can now do …
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2. I can now do…

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