Intermediate Cha Cha

This lesson covers the two most important aspects of good Cha Cha technique: leg action for International Style Cha Cha, and timing of the Chasse.

This initial group is one of the most common groupings in Cha Cha. You'll learn the Fan and Hockey Stick, followed by the Three Cha Chas as a fun and visually striking ending. The video also includes additional technique on the Forward and Backward Locks.

Another popular combination, the Natural Top is a rapidly rotating figure in which the man circles around the lady. We follow this with a Closed Hip Twist to Fan.

The Reverse Top is the exact opposite of the Natural Top in every way. Here the couple rotates to the left and the lady circles around the man. In this group, we begin the Reverse Top immediately after the Closed Hip Twist, ending in Fan Position.

The highlight figure in this group is called There and Back. We start with a Natural Opening Out Movement, which is similar to the Closed Hip Twist, followed by Side Steps and continue with There and Back. The group finishes with another set of Side Steps. We also cover details like arm movements and situational awareness for this group.

Time Steps are similar to Shoulder to Shoulder, but in this case both partners step back rather than having the man step forward. This group applies the Time Step immediately after Shoulder to Shoulder for an interesting and easy combination. We also show you how to make the Time Steps more dramatic with Guapacha Timing.

The Cross Basic is a Silver level figure, but surprisingly easy. We show you how to dress up your Cross Basic by combining two of them with both an Underarm Turn and Spiral Turn options, as well as using Guapacha Timing with shaping.

The Aida is a very popular Silver level figure that typically begins after a Hand to Hand. We show how to lead it effectively, and give you two possible endings that are a lot of fun, with appropriate technical notes.

The Alemana is a Bronze figure that can be used in various ways, including ending in Closed Position. The Rope Spin is a Silver figure that uses a Spiral. We go through a number of technical details to help you lead this group effectively, as well as covering spiral actions and how to position the man properly for a successful outcome.

The Shadow New York is not an official figure in the International syllabus, but it's a huge amount of fun so we include it in this program. The man guides the lady to shadow position from which you dance into New York action. In this group we conclude with an underarm turn leading back to a closed basic.

This group includes both the Cuban Break Chasse and the faster Split Cuban Breaks in a fun combination. We go through considerable detail to help you dance these figures successfully. Then we move on to Swivels and Breaks to finish off a fun and dynamic group.

Although the Sweetheart is a Gold figure, it's not too hard so we include it in this series. This is a fun step where the couple exchanges places from side to side. It starts in Open Facing Position with Handshake Hold which you can enter after an Underarm Turn.

The Chase is a fun Silver figure in which the man and lady chase each other in a back-and-forth pattern. This figure begins and ends in Open Facing Position.

This group consists of a wide variety of Cha Cha Chasses put together, many of them in a side-by-side structure where both partners dance the same thing for a fun presentation on the floor, followed by Three Cha Chas where the man chases the lady, eventually catching up with her. The group begins in Open Facing Position and can end in either the same or in Closed Position.

This is very simple group starting from Open Facing Position, ending in either Fan Position, or with the man turning to the lady.