When was merengue created

In ballroom Merengue, the music is generally slower. However, in clubs and restaurants with dance floors, the music is generally quick paced, usually ending in a bright and fast Jive. The Merengue was first introduced into the United States in the New York area, but did not become widely known until several years after its initial introduction.

Instruments Musicians. Videos Click on the image to the right to see a demo of the Merengue dance. In order to achieve Cuban motion the hips should move up and down naturally as a result of the bending and straightening of the knees. Tilting the upper body back and forth like an inverted pendulum. Instead the shoulders should remain level during the dance. Not getting the hip action. As each knee bends, the same hip must be allowed to drop.

Instead, you must make complete weight changes with each step. Michael Kuka is now the regional examiner for Los Angeles! Pricing for Dance Lessons Introductory Specials Register for Dance Clas s See Dance Videos Learn about the Dances Tempos vary a great deal and the Dominicans enjoy a sharp quickening in pace towards the latter part of the dance.

The most favored routine at the clubs and restaurants that run a dance floor is a slow Bolero, breaking into a Merengue, which becomes akin to a bright, fast Jive in its closing stages. The ballroom Merengue is slower and has a modified hip action.

However, it did not become well known until several years later. Ideally suited to the small, crowded dance floors, it is a dance that is easy to learn and essentially a "fun" dance. Merengue is a combination of two dances, the African and the French Minuet, from the late 's - early 's.

The African slaves saw the ballroom dances in the Big Houses and when they had their own festivities started mimicking the "masters' dances". This was called St. Dominque and later became part of what we know as the Dominican Republic. In , the French had about , African slaves being controlled by only 57, white men and colonists. In , some of the slaves fought back and slaughtered numerous Frenchmen causing many Frenchmen to flee to Cuba with their slaves.

Haiti ruled over St. Dominque until when it was named the Dominican Republic. The nation went through many dictatorships before the United States intervened with a democracy in From the start, Merengue dancing became very popular. It was easily accessible due to its simple and open nature.