History of the Merengue
The merengue developed in Haiti and the Dominican Republic shortly after the Spanish-American War in 1898. While not much as much is known about the origins of the style of the music, there are two myths about the dance. The first is that when a war hero, with a permanently injured leg came back to his home, the villagers felt bad. They wanted to celebrate with a festival, however, seeing that he would always drag his leg, they decided to dance like him. The second myth suggests that dance actually comes from chained slaves. Unable to dance separately, they would dance in a line and drag their chain behind them.
About the Dance
Today, the merengue continues to be a popular dance around the world. In fact, it is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. Traditionally, merengue music has a fast, 1-2 beat found in many songs of Latin American origins. However, it is the most popular dance for beginners because this 1-2 beat can be found in most fast songs. Dancers often accent the beat with a “hip lift” or an upward hip action. However, in recent years it has also become popular to dance body ripples and other various hip actions as well.
Recommended Music List for Beginners
- La Cubanita, Los ninos De Sara
- Paralizado Tropical 1, Magic Juan
- Menea, El Bonche
- Tu Eres Alena, Eddy Herrera
- Tres Deseos, Gloria Estefan
- Ojitos Bellos, Grupo Mania
- Suavemente, Elvis Crespo
- Deja Que La Gente Diga, Grupo Mania
- Nadie Como Tu, Chayanne
- Me Enamoro Mas, Luisa