I love cha-cha big time, for most of the reasons you list, Tom. Its got most of what salsa has, with an extra grace, funkiness and laid backness for being danced to slower music. Its not so much that I disliked it to start with, as that I liked it, and got to like it more and more as I got into it and learned more about it. I don't know too many Cha-Cha shines, but the feeling of doing shines in Cha-Cha is way cooler to me than in Salsa.

The thing that gets me is that it isn't more popular generally speaking. I'd love to get better at it and learn more - but most salsa teachers only do occasional classes in it, instructional DVDs are hard to come by, and it seems to getting replaced by Bachata as the "dance we do to have a break from salsa" of choice! For most people, taking classes with ballroom teachers is the only way to learn - even though cha-cha as danced by Salsa dancers (NY style) has a style and personality of its own which is pretty distinct from the ballroom approach.

Personally, I'm disappointed there's only a couple of Cha-Cha classes on the Salsa School programme. (I emailed the website to suggest more, but they didn't take me up on it!) We need to start a Cha-Cha revolution!...

In that case I'm FATWWTRC....   cos for me:  Cha-cha sucks.   The moves are feel awkward and unintuitive, and the extra time to think due to the slow ( often boring ) song is ummm... me no like.   Maybe time will change my mind  

- Edited by Hugh1a on 18/06/2010 at 14:38

I think the problem is hugh, that some people think cha cha is just a matter or adding some extra beats to salsa. The leads change dramatically for most moves, even something small like breaking back to create tension is different in cha cha. a 360 is done in a completely different way. It is a different dance, but far to often it is treated like slow salsa with 10 steps instead of 8, both in the way it is taught and learned. Its not completely alien, but there are differences. I think in time you will love it.  or at least tolerate it for extra dancefloor time

you can view that as time to think, or time to feel...

as bruce lee once said. "dont think, feel... it is like a finger pointing away to the moon... *slap* dont concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all that heavenly glory"

Peace and Love,

Tom

Tom said:

>a 360 is done in a completely different way

See! Where do I go to learn stuff like that?

check out the classes and events, im sure you will find something. theres lot on all over the country 

- Edited by tom doherty on 18/06/2010 at 15:57

Tempting

Athlone is a bit far to commute from Belfast though...

LOL, maybe for extra dancefloor time !   Still in order to 'feel' one first much actually like the music, good salsa for me is up tempo with interesting lyrics.  For learning Salsa cha-cha music is ideal, its slow slow slow and the beat is easy enough to decipher, BUT for me all I 'feel' is (yawn ) bored    Maybe if they upped the lyrics a bit e.g.

Cha-cha song takes more time than Russel Crowe took to edit his lines,
When he made Robin Hood - esta es una película muey muey mal....

Cha-cha bores me more than that whole movie missed the point
And that's an awful lot , chica

And Cate! Cate still looked cute...pretty sure she'd never dance Cha cha,
So now that my Salsa buzz has gone away ( long gone away )

All I'm trying to say is....

Robin Hood sucked, just a little bit more than Cha-Cha bores Hugh..... ( fade to a dip... ) 0

Put some timbales and a clave rythm in there - sorted.   [ tune sung to : Perl Harbor sucked...and I miss you by Trey Parker - with a latin beat obviously ;]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pM8PrqY5Rg

- Edited by Hugh1a on 21/06/2010 at 16:55

whoa there! generalisation alert! lol

some cha cha is boring, but some salsa is boring, some bachata is boring, some rap music is boring.

i suggest you take a glimpse, or (whatever the aural equivalent of a glimpse is) at some more modern music or at some of my music; ive got some good cha cha tunes, it sounds like you are listenting to some of the really old school cha cha. some really old cuban stuff perhaps. maybe even some (sorry fans) willie colon?

Boring?!!! Heck no!!

The great thing about Cha Cha is the sheer conga tumbao indulgence. Check out this clip of Magna Gopal and Gordon Neil on YouTube - does either the dancing or the music seem boring to you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUycViLg2w

(And if you're yearning for more timbales, why not give yourself a quick injection of Snr Puente's "Tito on Timbales"? )

Hmmm, what I think I just saw was two people beating a giraffe to death with a sponge baseball bat.   While not exactly the most interesting act to do, it was technically impressive, considering what they were working with!

The music in the piece was imo...slow and boring.    So not convinced, but perhaps time will change my opinion, or maybe I'm just subliminally jealous of the flawless timing - who knows      Interesting post but not for me

- Edited by Hugh1a on 21/06/2010 at 16:51

I'm not sure whether to be appalled by your total lack of soul ("slow and boring"), or laugh out loud at your bizarre "giraffe and sponge baseball bat" image, Hugh :-)

(I'm reminded of Bill Bailey's comment about watching "Mamma Mia" - "It was like being beaten to death with a piece of Ikea furniture. It hurts, but you can't help admiring the workmanship...")

Ah well, I hope that you get to check out some more talented ChaCha dancers, who can do some more subliminal convincing.

In the meantime, I wonder if you are representative of all the folk out there who are lukewarm about Cha-Cha...

LOL - judging by the massive number of people in Maynooth attending the Cha-cha classes, I'd guess I'm pretty much in the minority :'(

Re: the video from tallpaul replied on 21/06/2010 @ 14:12

Everyone has their own preferences but I personally find the ballroom cha cha cha more interesting. Though it's a very short video and you can't see too much there, for instance here's one of our youth (7th in the world at the last world championships):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP0Hwco_2jg&feature=player_embedded

cheesy competition stuff i have a shirt very very similar to that, im sad to say...

try this one for size. i love this. smooth jazzy chachable song. its one of my favorites at the moment.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2q0y4_prince-te-amo-corazon_music

Ah yes - I saw a demo that Stanislav and Laura did in Bangor a couple of weeks ago. Impressive stuff - I liked that they smiled as they were dancing, other top notch latin ballroom dancers I've seen have been very po-faced and seemed snooty.

Its not really my cup of tea though - what I like watching is really good social dancing by people who are enjoying themselves (rather than performance stuff in sequins and medallions). But those guys are way better than I'll ever be, so I'll not knock them.

(Well, maybe I'll take the mickey out of Stanislav's shirt, but that's it...)

Hugh+1 on the cha cha vibe! But then, old folk like to dance too so it does fill a purpose.

dude, most of the coolest NY style dancers do cha cha. the music is designed to make you dance, rather than blast our sequences of moves. thats why its not popular imo... sometimes it makes people feel lost. 

Jak v Tom - seconds out, Round 6 ...

LLLLLLLLets get ready to rumble!!!!