How to Dance Merengue Step by Step

Transcript Speaker 1: Leader’s turn. This is all about me. I have my timing. I do the timing. I take a song, I say one, two. Now, this is really important. Now remember, if you raise the hand, she might thing she wants to go. Make sure your hand’s a little towards you. Don’t let …

Transcript Ernesto: Your right turn, left turn with a reverse style. After you’re more comfortable with your hot, sort of style, turning. This is the only way you can add something like a little bit more flavor to your turns. Depends on the music , and remember you always have to dance to the music …

Transcript Hi, my name is Crystal Rodriguez and I’m a manager/teacher at Stepping Out Studios in New York City. I’ve been dancing salsa professionally for four years with the company Descarga Latina. My name is Ernesto Palma. I come from Costa Rica. I’ve been dancing since I was 13 years old. In 2002, I started …

Transcript Another turn pattern you can use in merengue is the Texas Tommy. Basically, get pulled in close. Ernesto will bring my right hand behind me and he’ll turn me out. The other way you can do it is by opening. Use a separation step to create momentum as she goes, turn on the back. …

Transcript Your right or left turn, simple patterns. You’re going to use the eight beats. These turns are done by the follow or by the lead. You’re going to try to use the clock in order to give you some idea how to do it. On the count number one, you would turn your beat …

Transcript Speaker 1: You’re trying to get a style. There is a step that you do while you’re dancing, your basic step. When you get more comfortable with your partner this is a step you can throw instead of having to do a full turn and trying to figure it out. This could be a …

Transcript Speaker1: Your pivot turn in Merengue is kind of like the basic step that we just did. It is really simple, though it is fast, you do not have time to use your hips because it would take you off balance. Also it will slow you down. Anything you want to add to that? …

Transcript So your basic turning, is really simple. It’s just a rotation with your partner going around, left or right. [Footwear] wise, it would be really simple if you use the clock. You can go to the right or to the left. It will be real simple, I’ll show you. I half-start my basic, one, …

Transcript Man: This is a single turn both turning. We could do same time turning but the most important part is that we lead the follow into the turn. As the leader I will do my left as a follow would do the right. What I want to do is raise the hand, flip the …

Transcript The tunnel is an easy, simple step. You’re going to use part of the basket step, which requires to lift the left hand. Turn to follow. Place her on your right side, leaders. Just lift the hand high enough that she can go under. As you see, her hands are twisted. To untwist, just …

Transcript Alternating turns. This pattern requires you to have right to right, left to left. Bring both up. Turn on. Finish entire turn as you finish you go under. Do it yourself, her, me. You can start getting fancier and start using different actions to it. I can do first one side, or use both …

Transcript And this is the basket step or cradle step with a rotation. Let’s see Ernesto do this. Ernesto: Lift the left hip, turn her, place her on your right side. Now this is really important, the rotation. I have to go forwards as she goes back. So it creates a perfect turn in circular …

Transcript The cuddle step. It could be led in a total different ways. You can add your separation step, or take it just from the basic, but you need double hand hold. First thing to do is to raise your left hand leader, and turn her to the left, and get into your cuddle position. …

Transcript Ernesto Palma: This step’s a little more complex. It requires the hammer lock, and to be able to change places when we’re not facing each other. Give her the hammer lock step. This is where it gets complicated. First of all, I need to go under her right hand. I step forward. Now, from …

Transcript A side cross step. I’ll start with the left. Take a small side step. Take a back step with the right. Cross with the left. Take the right to the side. Back left. Cross right. So it goes, a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Let’s do it …

Transcript Our next step is swivels. Easiest step to do combining the Cuban Motion and the basic step. A little more rotation on your hips so that it will require to do when you bend your left foot, bring your left knee across front to the right side and switch it. Your waste should be …

Transcript At some point in Merengue sometimes your partner lets you go. It’s not a bad thing. It’s normal. If we’re together and we’re doing our basic step and my partner lets me go, I can do my own solo freestyle. I can turn on my own without him. He can go down. I can …

Transcript Ernesto: Our sweetheart step. It requires the woman changing her hands from right to right. Bring it around, make a curve with your arm, place it on her shoulder behind her neck. Make sure don’t push too much forward. Grab the other hand, turn her to the other side. Again. Around her arms. It’s …

Transcript Ernesto: As the word said, it’s combinations. We’re going to use all the steps that we have learned so far and try to combine it into one. Go from one to another one to another without having to go to the basic. How do we do that? This is the easiest way to start. …

Transcript Speaker 1: It requires to do a double hand hold. Raise the hand, the left hand leaders, turn the fellows to the right and then bring your right hand down. Make sure don’t raise it up and finish your turn. Don’t let this hand stay here. Finish all the way across. That can come …

Transcript This is the follower’s turn. For the leader, make sure if you want the follower to turn or do anything, you have to raise the hand and give direction. It comes from your hand. So if I want the right turn, I would raise it and go around her head. Now, remember, I have …

Transcript So this is a variation of a turn pattern, it’s call the basket step, and Ernesto’s going to lead me into it. Lift the left hand, here for a left turn, and place her on your right side. This will be the picture. Also, it’s called cradle. To get out of it, just, again, …

Transcript With Merengue, you can always find a really slow song, or a really, really fast. If you’re a beginner, try to stay away from the fast songs, because it will complicate your life to stay in beat. Try from the slowest to the middle ones. You’ll hear it with the music. The fastest they …

Transcript Speaker 1: One of the most important things to lead is your frame. You gotta use your body in order to tell her or to tell her to follow where you want to go. Also any sort of way of leading with my body it has to be implied that means showing her so …

Transcript Our side-together step is almost like our basic step, except we’re taking a larger step. It’s kind of like when you’re in the movie theaters, and you’re through a row of people, and you’re going to say, “Excuse me.” You’re going to side-together. You’re going to go side-together. Excuse me. Excuse me. Side-together. Side-together. …

Transcript Speaker 1: Timing. One of the most important things about dancing. Stay on time. Every time you go to a class all your teachers will tell you, “Stay on time.” The timing in Merengue is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Also for musicians as they do. Speaker 2: To a musician …

Transcript Speaker 1: Merengue. For me and for the knowledge of the country I come from, Costa Rica, we were taught the merengue was originated from Dominican Republic. More of the background that I have from that, of knowledge of it, can be came from the Africans when they came to America. So it was …

Transcript Speaker 1: Cuban motion is the easiest thing to do. You do it everyday when you walk. You bend, you straighten your knees as you transfer your weight from left to right. Sometimes you have to really relax the hips in order to feel it. Get a mirror. The only thing you’re gonna do …

Transcript A fun step to include is the rainbow step. You’re actually doing a separation step, except you’re just using your arms as a rainbow. So we’re going to go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. We’re going to do it one more time, just a little faster. We’re going to go one, …

Transcript Your basic step, it’s just a transfer of weight. There are 8 beats, which makes merengue one of the easiest dance and one of the hardest because of the cueing motions. It’s really simple. We’re going to start with the left foot, and we’re going to transfer the weight on the count 1, so …

Transcript First, this will be your hold. Really simple. I can show you with both hands. This will be the hold for dancing. Don’t squeeze. No thumbs unless they’re used for a specific move. If I go away from her, we have a negative communication. This is what we call positive communication, negative communication, where …

Transcript Crystal: A great way to be a good follower is you have to keep good eye contact. That is very important, knowing exactly what your leader wants from you, paying attention to where he’s going, where he’s putting his hands, where his eyes are, where he wants you to go. Ernesto: I think, for …

Transcript The forward and back step is a really simple step. It’s literally just moving forward and back. Make sure you brush your feet as you move them through. Kind of like when you’re in the sand and the sand is hot on top, you want your feet to be underneath the sand. That’s how …

Transcript Speaker 1: Posture is very important to have in dancing, period, especially for Merengue because it’s such an easy dance. But you want to look up, you want to look confident. You don’t want to look down, slouching. You’re not looking, having eye contact with the partner that you’re dancing with. So, I would …

Transcript Speaker 1: When you’re social dancing and you’re dancing the Merengue a lot of the times it’s difficult for you to ask a girl or ask someone to dance. The best way to do it is to just simply ask with the hand. If he was to ask me he would just ask with …

Transcript Speaker 1: In Merengue dancing you can typically wear whatever you like but in a class setting I would suggest maybe something more comfortable, tights or a loose fitting shirt. You might be sweating so you don’t want to stay in rigid clothing from work or anything. Club setting or party setting you want …