A classic Latin dance, the Cha Cha is a lively dance with a flirtatious personality, characterized by a three-step pattern known as a “Chasse.”
In this video dance class that totals almost an hour and a half of instruction, you’ll learn the basic elements of International-style Cha Cha with a common group of figures that you can use to look great in any social dance setting. We give you enough technique that you can look polished quite easily.
You’ll learn how to follow the music, the basic Cha Cha step pattern, connection to your partner and step patterns that include the New York, Hand-to-Hand, Lady’s Underarm Turn, Double Spot Turn, and the Shoulder to Shoulder. We also show you how to upgrade your basic Chasse with sideways movement and turning actions.
Want to know what the Beginner Cha Cha program looks like before you commit? Watch a brief 3-minute free preview.
In this lesson we cover the rhythm of Cha Cha which is essential to be able to dance successfully.
The Cha Cha consists of a basic five-step pattern of foot action that is used throughout the dance, at all levels. We take you through some exercises to help train your muscles so that you'll find it easy to learn this dance.
Now that you understand the rhythm of Cha Cha, we focus on your connection to your partner so that you can dance comfortably together.
An iconic figure in Cha Cha, the New York has both partners turning and stepping forward with the inside foot. We show you some common mistakes people make so that you can avoid them in your own dancing.
A common ending to the New York, in this figure the lady turns under the man's arm.
This figure is another common ending to the New York. Here, both partners turn away from each other and join up again.
This figure is very similar to the New York, but has two important differences. We show you common mistakes people make so that you can avoid them and start off with the right technique.
A slightly more challenging figure but still easy to learn. We show you how to lead this, and a variation that makes it look even more impressive. We then show you how you can enter this figure directly after a Double Spot Turn.
Throughout this program, we used only one of the 10 different Cha Cha “Chasse” step patterns. In this lesson we upgrade you to the Side Chasse, which is what most people use when dancing the Cha Cha. It's important to move into this sideways action carefully and with the right information, so we leave it to the end of the program. We also show how you can turn the Chasse.
