Cha Cha Dance Lesson #2

[joreth]

One of the drawbacks to taking dance lessons is that if you don't practice what you learned, you can forget pretty quickly. So I'm going to be posting some YouTube videos of dance instructors teaching the steps we learned in class. If you took the class, you can use these videos to practice. If you didn't take the class, you can use these videos to learn the same steps that we learned in class and then you'll be caught up with everyone else.

At the bottom is a playlist of music to dance to at home. In fact, even if you're not dancing, just play the music and move around your house, maybe while doing chores or standing in front of the stove or something, stepping to the beat of the song in the rhythm of the dance. Remember, you can practically make stuff up as you go, as long as you keep your feet moving in the proper rhythm. So drill this beat into your heads & listen to the music so that when you're out in public, when a song comes on that has a good dance beat, you'll be able to recognize it and do the proper dance to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdJdPqd65co Cuban Hips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgckus-qFJk Side Basic Step

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNbPr0Fs__c Underarm Turn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSOd3b1b-aQ Crossover Breaks with Walkaround Turn

 (the 4-and-1 is the cha cha cha and where he says "2, 3", that's your rock step)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6AIYcDld9I Crossover Breaks with 3 ending options

Practice your steps whenever you find yourself standing to drill the rhythm into your head: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4yEPm6dRk

    

If you would like some cha cha dance music to practice to, you can use my playlist on YouTube, which has all of the music we used in the lesson, plus a whole lot more. Some of it may be too fast for you, but there are slower songs mixed in.  Almost all of the music played at Atlantic Dance Hall (current pop music) can be danced cha cha to: 

    
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0D5FE90B2FD29929