Conclusion

Each dance style can have varrying tempos.  The more fast-pased the song is, the more you feel like you're getting a work out.  If you're doing it right, your mid-section will burn.  I would say that if you're serious about dancing it regularly, the first year will be just getting very comfortable with the basics, and working your way up from there.  A basic youtube search will reveal wore fancy and elaborate, coreographed work that is really nice to watch.  There are bars and nightclubs, both upscale and casual, that I go to regularly in York, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, and Baltimore.  You don't have to travel all the way to a tropical island to feel like you are in the center of one.  Another good thing is that when you are around the music and dances, there's a good chance the delicious food will be close by and other aspects of the Hispanic culture.  You may even learn parts of a new language.  Experiencing the music socially is more accessible than you might think.  It's also great just to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.  So now that you have been educated a little bit, and shown examples of the dances being demonstrated, I'm curious to find out how many of the people I polled are more interested than before they were formally introduced?

Bachata

I saved the best for last.  Bachata is my favorite.  Like merengue, it comes from the Domincan Republic.  Bachata songs are usually about romance, telling tales of heartbreak and sadness.  The literal meaning of the term bachata is "music of bitterness."  If you can't understand the lyrics, you will probably imagine their not sad songs because the music is so pretty.  The typical bachata group consists of five guys who play lead guitar, rythym guitar, electric bass guitar, bongos, and guira but it originated from servants who got off work playing on trashcans and fences.  Most people view bachata as a more sexual dance, although it was never really intended to be that.  Probably the most popular international bachata group is Aventura, with one of their most recognizeable songs being ebsesion.  The steps are simple and most people don't include complicated turns.  Usually it is danced by partners close together, but also is often danced in a more open form with space between the man and woman.  You take three steps to the right, starting with your right foot and ending with a fourth toe touch and hip pop together at the same time.  You just keep repeating this combination over and over again, alternating to which side you are moving.  The couple below switches it up a little bit, but most of the time they are dancing it the traditional way.  With bachata, or any of these styles, you can have more fun with it, but this is a good basic example.

Merengue

Merengue is the national music and dance style of the Dominican Republic.  It's name closely sounds like the meringue, a dessert made of whipped egg whites and sugar.  The name may have been chosen because the movements made on the dance floor can resemble an egg beater in action.  The music is played using a tambora,which is a drum with two heads that sits on the player's lap, a guiro, which looks like a cheese grater played with a hard brush and can sound like a maraca, and a diatonic accordian.  Dancing to merengue is a lot like marching, only it is more fun!  You just keep stepping back and forth on alternating feet while moving the rest of your body naturally along with it.  Turns can be incorporated whenever you feel like it.  Because of how simple this two-stepped dance really is, it has become very popular in the United States.  Unlike salsa, merengue can be danced with more space between partners, completely seperate, with their arms moving.  Here is a good basic example of merengue.  You dont have to go back and forth or do the turns like he does.  Over time people develop their own styles.

Here is another example of Merengue.

Salsa

The most important instruments in this type of music is the clave (pronounced "clah-vay"), the conga, which is a tall drum that is played with both hands, the timbala (basically a drum stick on the side of a drum), and the guiro, which is used to create a scraping sound.  Salsa has evolved from influences from many different countries.  There always has been and always will be a debate on whether it originated in Cuba or Puerto Rico.  The majority of people say it originated in Cuba, but Puerto Ricans made it famous.  When Americans think of salsa, they think of salsa romantica, which really didn't come around until the 1970's. Before that, it was artist's stories about life in hard neighborhoods.  Today, it serves as a good way for a man to seduce a woman.  There are different styles of this dance including New York-style, Cuban-style, Puerto Rican-style, and LA-style.  The most commonly danced form consists of a simple 3-step weight change done over and over again.  Below is a good example of a beginner salsa lesson to illustrate how easy it really is.  As you become more experienced, which direction you head and when you decide to turn is entirely up to you and your partner.  There is nothing set in stone.  It doesn't have to be a coreographed routine.  It can be pretty casual and less fancy in a house party type atmosphere.  It's all about having fun.

Introduction

The purpose of this short blog is to provide basic knowledge of the three most popular forms of latin music and the dances that go along with them.  Contrary to common belief, the dances really are quite simple.  Joining in on the fun may be easier than you think. 

In a recent poll, eighty percent of my college-level English class say they are somewhat familiar with the most popular song and dance, salsa, while only thirty percent say they are somewhat familiar with atleast one of the other two forms, bachata or merenge.  Furthermore, only those who are already somewhat familiar whith bachata or merengue were interested in learning more about or incorporating any of the music or dances into their lives.

Benefits to experiencing music or dance from another country would include seeing life experiences in a different way, learning a little bit about the language and where other people come from, being social, and making new friends.

My experiences have brought the Hispanic culture as a whole to the top of my list of things that are important to me.  I went from attending a high school containing only five minorities to ninety-five percent of my friends being from countries outside of the United States.

Even if you choose not to use your new-found knowledge in a social way, it's still a great way to get fit or stay in shape!  The new zumba craze is just one example of how latin music and dance can be an aerobic exercise.  I'm curious to find out how many more of the people I polled would be interested in incorporating latin music and dance into their lives after being introduced to or educated on the subject.  Allow me to formally introduce you to...