As far as I can see the footwork and technique of the cha cha dance are the same as the rumba. We take small-sized steps with turned out feet and legs. I have been taught to stand tall and lean forward slightly, so the whole time I feel like that I might fall over face first.

Basic Cha Cha Dance Steps

This video shows the basic Cha Cha Cha steps:

What To Do With Our Feet

Basically, we step with the ball of our foot in contact with the floor, and then we lower our heel until the weight is fully transferred. When we take the weight from a foot, the heel comes up from the floor first, allowing our toe to maintain contact with the floor.

I find it really helps to count out in a strong voice the steps: “1-2-3-cha-cha-1-2-3-cha-cha” or “1-2-3-4-and-1-2-3-4-and”. The latter counting is better as I have found it helps learn more complicated patterns later on.

Welcome To Your Hips: The Cuban Motion

The cha cha requires a lot of hip motion. This is how dancers make it expressive. Now that we have learned the basic steps, we now need to focus on the action of the Cuban motion.

Keep in mind that in latin dances, it’s not really about the steps; it is about how we move.

Cuban motion comes from the alternate bending and straightening of our knees. As a knee bends, the same hip drops. As we straighten a knee, the same hip rises. Automatically, our hips move up and down. It is vital that we make sure that we don’t twist the hips in an effort to achieve Cuban motion. If the cuban motion is new for you gentlemen: welcome to your hips!

This video shows how to do the cuban motion:

Music for Cha Cha Cha

The cha cha requires very small steps because of its rhythm. In ballroom dancing, the music of the cha cha cha tends to be energetic with a steady beat. Here are some examples:

• Does Your Mother Know? – Abba
• Sex Bomb – Reload – Mousse T & Tom Jones
• I Wanna Dance – Afro-Disiac- Willy Chirino
• Kiss Me Honey Honey – Shirley Bassey
• You spin me round – Dead or Alive
• I’m gonna getcha good – Shania Twain
• Chelo Cha Cha

Dancesport offers a list of more cha cha songs.

What We Are Aiming For

Now that you have learned and practiced the basic steps, footwork and cuban motion,  it is time to see how to really move your hips in this video:

Now that Jack is in his 40′s. Well things are different. He realizes that he has, in many ways, wasted his life due to fear and laziness. He doesn’t even like drinking anymore; he hasn’t enjoyed it for years and years. The best time was when he was 15 – that was when it was new, fun and exciting. After that time, it just became old.

At last, now that he is middle-aged, divorced and podgy, he has decided to be bold and let loose his love for dancing. He has started to take dancing seriously. The first bold step he took was to enrol in ballroom dancing classes so that he could learn the art of dancing with a partner. Jack loves the intimacy of dancing with a partner. He loves the connection between the two of them and how they can move as one being – even with the most basic dance steps. He enjoys the structure of the dance patterns and the freedom to express himself within this structure, especially with the rumba and cha cha cha dance steps. The second bold step was to buy some real ballroom dance shoes after the first ballroom dance class.

It is ironic that when Jack was a teenager that he thought that the guys who did ballroom dancing were gay. Yet they were dancing with girls all of the time. They weren’t as cool as him and his friends, but they did not spend a lot of time on their own and with other single guys. If only he had learned to dance properly when he was young… he would be so good at it today.

Now Jack tries not to believe his thoughts and feelings. He knows he isn’t what he thinks or feels or experiences. He listens to a deeper knowing about what is good and right for him to be and do, and believes this knowing instead. It tells him what to do. (A bit like how the music tells a dancer how to move.) So when he feels like giving up  and thinks that he is a hopeless dancer because he cannot seem to do the dance steps and lead his partner around the floor, he doesn’t give these  feelings and thoughts any energy. He just keeps practicing. He knows that for him this is a common occurrence when he has to do something difficult. It will feel too hard at first and he will think that he will never do it. But over time he will find that it does become easier and he is able to do it. He actually will enjoy the whole learning process and will wonder what all the fuss was about when he first tried it.

This new way of being in life has made all of the difference to Jack. He is looking at what is next for his love of dancing. Maybe hip hop or jazz dancing… now that could be fun.

Rumba

What is the most important part of ballroom dancing?

Practice is the most important part of learning how to dance.

You probably don’t want to hear that. I am no expert, but I believe that the only way to improve our ballroom dancing skills is through the physical development of our body and muscle movements, particularly our upper leg muscles and back muscles. It is this muscle memory that ensures the predictable outcome of dancing to the music with a partner. I find that dancing is like any physical skill in that it can be learned well through practice.

The correct technique feels wrong at first.

When learning new dance steps and patterns in ballroom dancing, I often find that the correct technique feels wrong at first, while the incorrect technique feels natural.

If what I am doing feels natural, right and comfortable, I tend to receive feedback during the dance classes from the instructor that corrects errors that I am making. I learn from my mistakes. Practice is where I make mistakes and find my errors and weaknesses. It gives me something specific to work with.  Once identified, I can turn these weaknesses into strengths through practice.

Failure is a vital part of the learning process.

As a new ballroom dancer, we must be willing to fail. When learning new patterns or steps, we need to commit our entire body to the step. We need to ‘act as if’ we have been doing this step for years already.

It’s OK to make mistakes when we are learning something new. In fact, it is desirable. In dancing this is how we train our muscles. The same mistakes will only persist if we keep doing the same thing and are expecting a different outcome each time. Learning to dance can be like learning to walk all over again. After all, children learning to walk make mistakes and never give up.

I do find that with practice – over time – the correct technique and dance steps will feel right and become more natural. This is because through repetition we can transform unfamiliar body movements into the familiar, consistent movements required for effective dancing.

Practice increases confidence.

During practice time, we build our confidence naturally. The use and training of our muscles will increase our confidence on the dance floor. The confidence comes from our increasing competence – knowing what to do and how to do it.

Only after lots of practice is it wise for us to attempt in public what we have nailed in practice. I believe that it is better to raise the level of our physical capabilities before learning more complex steps and patterns. That is, get the basics right first.

Set attainable goals for each practice session.

When we want to learn to dance, setting short-term and underachieving goals work best. Especially if we write them down. (It is well-known that people who write down their goals are more successful than those who do not.)

Taking baby steps works better than giant leaps forward. This is why we set underachieving goals. The intention is to do less than we want to. Instead of practicing for an hour, commit to only 20 minutes or less. By doing so we will feel underwhelmed and look forward to practicing, instead of being impatient and pushing ourselves to overachieve. Too much effort may well work against us and be counter productive. Once stress, pressure or emotional reactions have occurred in the practice session, it is time to stop.

There is no need to practice for long periods of time. Shorter, frequent intervals are best. For example, two times a day practice for 10 minutes is better than one hour once a week.  It is easier to find this time than a few hours per week. This approach lends itself to the step-by-step way of learning ballroom dancing. Each new step is dependent on successful learning and improving the correct technique.

In summary

By being willing to fail and creating an authentic, practice schedule with realistic and easily attainable goals, we will find that our dancing becomes better and more enjoyable when we do.

The ability to find the first beat of a song is important when learning how to keep time to music in ballroom dancing. It is a fundamental skill when we learn how to dance. This is because we begin our dance at the beginning beat of the music. As a couple we need to start together in time with the music. And it is the man’s responsibility to begin with the first step of the dance.

What are the differences between beat, rhythm and tempo?

• a beat is the basic time unit of a piece of music.
• the rhythm of a song is made up of a sequence of beats.
• the tempo is the speed at which the beats occur.

How to find the first beat?

I have learned three ways for picking out the first beat:

1. Listen for when the singer begins to sing. Singers tend to sing on the first beat of any new sequence of music.
2. Listen for the beat that has a greater intensity or volume than the others. This is often the first beat.
3. Listen for the bass line in the drums or bass guitar. The first beat of a bar has slightly more emphasis and can be clearly heard in the bass.

How to master finding the beat?

In the same way as knowing what dance to do to the music, I have found that finding the first beat takes practice. It requires listening to a variety of music regularly and listening for the different intensity of the beats. The first beat may or may not be louder than others, but it does have a presence. I have come to know it when I hear it.

For me it is not easy; it is challenging. But as soon as I am able to consistently pick out the beat of a particular song, I find that my ability to keep time to music improves measurably. Over time and with practice, I have found that I can feel where the first beat is in a favourite piece of ballroom music.

There even comes a point where I don’t have to rely on hearing that first beat to find the beat of a favourite song. I can just feel it as I am dancing the dance steps.

I find that it helps me to learn to dance by using all of my senses in the dance classes and practice sessions.

Finding the beat exercise

Now it is time to put into practice what you have just learned.

1) Watch and listen to this Finding the Salsa Beat video:

2) Now listen for the beat in the youtube video of Norah Jones singing Come Away With Me (listen for ’1-2-3′ and ‘quick-quick – slow’.

3) Now find the beat in the following video of Sex Bomb by Tom Jones (listen for ’1-2-3-cha-cha’ and ‘slow – quick-quick – slow’:

We dance to the rhythm of the song, not its melody nor the words. This is a skill that can be learned. Being able to recognize the rhythm of a song is the way to hear the music and know what dance to do. The ability to recognize the same musical elements in your favourite dance music (e.g. cha cha cha) is an important learning for beginners to ballroom dancing.

How do we start to recognize these elements?

We listen for the bass line to discern the timing of the music. Play one of your favourites songs to dance to and listen for the consistent beat of the drum, percussion or bass guitar.  Turn up the bass on your stereo and turn down the treble in order to hear the bass line more clearly and aid your ability to clearly hear the rhythm of the music.

The first thing to realize is that it is possible to hear the differences between songs for the different dances. We can hear the difference between a jive, a tango and a rumba. Each dance was developed to match its own music. The more songs we listen to, the more we will be able to identify the music type and what dance to do to it. By listening and dancing to many different songs, we will unconsciously learn the differences between music types.

When beginning, it is helpful to listen and dance to songs that have a strict tempo e.g. the music of Glen Miller. Strict tempo is a consistent and dependable beat – the number of beats and bars remain the same throughout the song. I find that dancing to songs with a dependable beat makes dancing more enjoyable. It is therefore vital that we learn how to find the beat in a song.

For some suggested songs to practice dancing to, read my article on ballroom dancing music.

Would you like to lose weight and have more shapely legs?

Dancing for 30 minutes burns calories equivalent to walking, swimming and cycling. Repeatedly doing dance steps is a cardiovascular exercise and works out the major muscle groups. In a short period of time of dancing, you will burn fat tissue and increase muscle mass in your legs. As you continue to dance you will experience an increase in the strength, size and firmness of your legs. You can think of it like this: every time you go dancing, it is like going to the gym.

Now isn’t this kind of exercise a lot more fun than doing squats in the gym? To read more reasons why dance classes are better than gym memberships, check out this article from the site: Dance Classes in Wellington. You can even work out at home with ballroom dancing videos.

Do you slouch and have poor posture?

Ballroom dancing will improve your posture and the way you walk. You will develop correct postural movement if you practice regularly dancing over time.  Gradually, you will train your muscle memory to correct the habitual movements that have led to poor posture. As you learn to dance, your normal movement will improve. Your self-image will improve as you walk tall and straight.

The way to accelerate this process is to consciously apply the the elements of balance, timing and carriage of your body to your daily routine. If you would like to improve your posture specifically through exercise (and in turn improve your dancing frame), check out the Posture Exercises Guide.

Are you stressed and tired most of the time?

Dancing will alleviate stress and increase your feeling of well-being. Stress is a daily reality for us all and can lead to some serious health problems. Consistent dancing exercise over time leads to lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels.

In today’s fast pace of life, reducing stress is a necessity, not an option. Dancing can give you a break from difficult circumstances. Dancing is a great stress relief for both your body and your mind. Through dancing, you can release emotional blockages (e.g. anger, sadness, worry) in your nervous system and learn how to relax through movements.

Would you like to have more fun and enjoyment in your life?

Women dance because of the music. Men dance because of the women. They both love to dance because it is fun and intimate. Not only is it fun, ballroom dancing balances your mind and body, strengthens your muscles, improves your self-confidence, and maintains your health. What’s not to like?

If you would like some free ballroom dancing music, you can download 25 free songs at http://www.emusic.com/ as part of the 7 day free trial. You must give your credit card details and remember to cancel the subscription before the 7 days is up.

The choice is quite limited for mainstream and popular music. Be careful not to select popular songs that are recorded by someone else that you have never heard of. There are lots of these songs at this site. I do not know why anyone would subscribe monthly to this site.

However, there is much free music for dancing, including albums recorded especially for ballroom dancing. There are also some nice tracks that are available even though they can take some finding.

About a month ago, I did the free trial offer – it was for 50 free songs. It is genuine. I haven’t paid a penny for them. Below are some of the dancing songs that I received for free. I have sorted them under dance type. These are:

Cha Cha

• I wanna dance – Willy Chirino
• Short skirt long jacket – Cake
• You spin me round – Dead or Alive
• I’m gonna getcha good – Shania Twain
• Kiss me honey honey – Shirley Bassey
• Hey Baby (Uhh Ahh) – DJ Otzi

Foxtrot

• Sixteen tons – Tennessee Ernie
• Walking my baby back home – Nat King Cole
• It had to be you

There are many Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett songs.

Jive

• Jack is Back – C’lan
• Hound Dog – Elvis Presley
• Heatwave – Martha and the Vandellas
• In the mood – Glen Miller
• Why do fools in love – Alma Cogan
• Life could be a dream – Diamonds

There are more Elvis Presley and Alma Cogan songs available.

Mambo

• Mambo Italiano – Alma Cogan

Rumba

• Take my breath away – Berlin
• Under the boardwalk – The Drifters

Tango

• La Comparsita
• Libertango – Sharon Shannon and Kirsty Macoll

Viennese Waltz

• Kiss from a rose – Seal

Waltz

• Theme from Papillon
• Unchained Melody – Gerry and the Pacemakers

Other Dance Songs

• Relax – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• Two tribes – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• Walking on sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
• Connected – Stereo Mcs
• I like to move it

More Free Music

I haven’t tried this site yet, but I hear that you can get free ballroom dance tracks at EZ-Tracks.

To return to this site’s home page click here: Ballroom dancing.

All that is required to learn the dance steps is patience, practice and a desire to learn.

Different Dances

Ballroom dancing combines different dances. Modern ballroom includes Latin dances and American-style dancing that feature a lot of  turns and quick movements. The dances can be slow or fast depending on the type of dance you are doing. Although the dances are different, they do have similarities.

Forward and On the Spot Dances

Dances that involve a continuous forward movement are danced in a line counter clockwise around the dance floor e.g. Waltz, Foxtrot, and Tango.

Rumba

Dances  that involve dancing on the spot are danced in the centre of the dance floor e.g the Jive, Mambo, Rumba and Cha cha cha.

Dance Lessons

Group lessons from a dance studio or club is enough to learn the basic steps and get to know the dances.  In a group, I get to dance with different partners and progress faster than if I were to dance only with one partner.

I also  find that I learn faster when I repeat the dance level (e.g. bronze 1) I have just completed at the same time as taking the next level (e.g. bronze 2). I get to see what I missed the first time around which helps me to begin to really master the fundamentals.

Dance Shoes

Ballroom dance shoes help the beginner learn as they make the dancing easier.

Dance Music

Some music seems easier to dance to than others. I learn more quickly when the  music I am dancing to has a clear beat and I know what the timing of the music is. I have started a list of dance music that I like and has an obvious rhythm.

Dance Competition

Dancing ballroom has also evolved into a competition sport. Even though beginners can compete with each other, this is not for me right now! I am not fit enough and I think it might take the fun out of learning to dance.

World Dance Culture

Dancing has always been part of human cultures. There are ancient cave paintings illustrate that the first humans danced in some form. Today, people still like to rhythmically move their bodies in time with music. There are many, many dance styles throughout the world that are used as a form of expression, socializing or performance. Every dance style has something in common. They tend to involve flexible body movement and are based on physics and geometry.

Within this world dance culture, ballroom dance is a classical style of dance along with ballet and tango. Classical dancing teaches the qualities of grace, balance and poise, and fulfills the human need for physical intimacy and contact.

At the same time there are other dances where dancers are not in physical contact with each other. Line dancing is a dance with a repeated sequence of steps, in which a group of people dance in one or more lines, all facing the same direction and doing the dance steps at the same time. Belly Dancing is a traditional folk dance from the Middle East and is a dance style that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Hip hop dancing to hip hop music is freestyle in nature and includes breakdancing and krumping.

I bought a standard pair within two weeks of starting the introductory ballroom dancing class. I knew I would continue with the dancing lessons and I wanted the proper footwear. I decided they were worth buying as they would help me to feel more like a dancer. I have found that to be the case with other sports and physical activities, such as rock climbing and golf. I learn more quickly with the right equipment.

Dance shoes make it easier to dance due to their weight and flexibility. Ballroom shoes are generally lighter than street shoes because they are made of lighter weight leather. I noticed this when I tried a pair for the first time. I  don’t expect them to last as long as street shoes even though I intend to only ever use them for dancing.

Ballroom dance shoes are flexible, have more padding in the insole and have more room to move and don’t squash your toes. This latter feature I like especially for the tango where I have the tendency of tensing my toes.

Shoe Styles

For men there are two main types of shoes: Latin (rhythm) and standard (smooth). Apparently, latin shoes are more fexible than the standard shoes. I chose a pair of standard black shoes because I want to dance both styles. Men’s standard shoes have the same heel as dress shoes, while latin shoes have a one or two inch heel.

I have heard that ladies shoe styles are as varied as dance styles. The basic designs are open toe or closed toe with either slim or flared heels which range in height from one to three inches. Slim heels make turns easier. Flared heels provide more stability, especially for the Latin dances. Basically, a standard ladies dance shoe – closed toe with a two to two-and-a-half inch flared heel and an ankle strap – will work for a number of dances.

copyright: fernashes' (flickr)

Both ladies and men’s ballroom dance shoes have non-slip soles. The sole is made of thin suede which means we keep in better contact with the floor and have a greater range of motion. This split leather sole works better because of the napped (fuzzy) surface.

Men's dance shoes

Work Less, Dance More

Is it worth buying dance shoes when you are a ballroom dancing beginner?

I believe so. I think it is true that my feet are more comfortable with dance shoes which means I can dance longer in dance classes and practice sessions. There is less strain on my feet, legs and knees and there is more ease of motion with improved control. This makes it easier for me to learn to ballroom dance and make the most of the ballroom dancing lessons.

I am glad that I bought better quality shoes as better suede means less risk of slipping. What we want are shoes that let us pivot or spin halfway around on one foot, but do not let us slip and fall.

Where to Buy?

Ask your dance studio where to buy locally. I bought mine in person from a local store recommended by the dance studio. The experienced salesperson helped me to find the proper fit and style.

I would expect to spend a minimum of $100 for a good pair of ballroom shoes. I paid $140 CAD for mine. I love the craftmanship of these shoes.

Buying Tips

• Try on many different shoes. Give yourself plenty of time to find comfortable shoes as you can’t take them back if they are worn.
• Do some dance steps to simulate what you expect your feet to go through. It’s ok to look and feel silly. If possible, play some ballroom music.
• Choose a good fit, avoid toe-crushing. Find shoes that are both comfortable and functional.
• Make sure the salesperson identifies whether you require a narrow or wide fit, and whether you need shoes for Swing or Latin or standard Ballroom.

Shoe Care Tips

• Don’t get them wet
• Don’t wear them outside
• Carry them in a bag and put them on when you get to class or to the ballroom
• Use a metal brush frequently on the suede sole

If you have any helpful advice for beginners based on your experience of buying dance shoes, please leave a comment below.

My First Ballroom Dancing Steps

The first basic steps that I learned at my ballroom dancing lessons were the Jive dance steps. I remember watching a demonstration of the basic steps with some turns thinking that the dance looked cool. I doubted that I could do them as well as that. When I also had to learn the basic steps to the Rumba and Waltz in the same first dance class, I thought that there was no way I was going to be able to do these dances any time soon.

Although the basic dance steps seemed straightforward and easy to do. It did take me some time to get the hang of them.  I had trouble harmonizing my feet and my mind. I knew what I wanted to do, but couldn’t seem to do it. I kept messing up and making mistakes. So did my dance partner too. But it was okay because we were still having fun.

Practicing Dance Steps At Home

I now know that this is a common experience for me when learning any new dance step. There is always a learning curve before I can do them well. It takes me awhile to get  used to transferring my body weight from one foot to the other within the period of time required by the music. Once I get to know the feel of having all of my weight over the next foot, I tend to make progress because the foot must be supporting the body on each step for dancing to happen.

What works for me is to practice and learn the steps at home on my own soon after doing them for the first time in a ballroom dance lesson. Every day, or every other day, I like to try out the steps for 5 minutes or so – without music at first – until I feel like I know what I am doing. There comes a point with enough repetitions when it just clicks and I can do the steps consistently. Sometimes I practice along with a dance steps video so that I can see what others are doing while I practice the steps.

Learning the steps for such dances as the cha cha cha, jive and rumba etc. is simply about repeating an action the same way each time. If we do the basic steps 1000 times, we might not become brilliant dancers, but we will know a lot about doing those basic steps in time to music.

Learning Dance Steps Without Music

When learning without music, I find that there are three things that help harmonize my mind and body:

1. To say the steps out loud while doing them
2. Exaggerate the steps (raise my feet higher than usual)
3. Look up (rather than looking at my feet) all of the time while practicing the steps

Learning Dance Steps With Music

After practicing the steps without music, I start trying to dance the steps in time with the music – a slow song first, then faster ones as I get the hang of it.

Copyright: Stefano Bussolon (flickr)

When learning with music, I find that there are three things that help harmonize my mind and body:

1. Move my feet on the spot to the beat of the music following the basic pattern of the particular dance (e.g. slow, slow, quick, quick)
2. Take little steps forward in time with the music following the basic pattern of the particular dance
3. Keep the steps small when doing the correct footprints of the dance

Learning Dance Steps With A Partner

When learning dance steps with a partner, I find that I must commit myself to the movement. My body has to move before my feet do. When I move my body first, my legs and feet respond accordingly and accommodate this body movement. I see that the direction of movement has more to do with my body than my foot placements.

I have found that I have to commit to the movement in order for my dance partner to know what we are doing. When I step forward, she will step back and vice versa. She can only do that once I have started to move with certainty. Committing to the movement as a couple allows us to feel the movement and come to know what a dance step is meant to feel like.

When I first started dancing, I used to worry about stepping on my partner’s foot. But when I commit myself to the step, my partner automatically moves and leaves the space for my foot to step into. If I am hesitant in my movement, I often step on her foot.

When learning with a partner, I have also learned that we must be proficient in the dance steps before we can teach others how to do them. People are different. Some pick up the steps faster than others. That’s just the way we are. When learning, patience and kindness always help.

And Finally,

Even though it’s normal to do so, I find it best to not compare my current dancing ability with others. I know that over time with practice and attention I will improve as a ballroom dancer. I know that there will come a time when the dancing becomes automatic and I realize that I can do the steps of a dance consistently without thinking.