Time: 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Level:Pre Intermediate
Instructors: [You Should Be Dancing Instructors]

Event Information

OPEN WORK Cha Cha w/ YSBD...! instructor Frankie Martinez
OPEN Level - Experience necessary (Pre-Int + recommended)


The music of Cha Cha Cha is a modification of the Cuban Son Guajira. In an attempt to make the intricacies of Cuban popular music more manageable for the thousands of visitors making their way to the Caribbean during the 1920's, Cuban composer and violinist, Enrique Jorin founded the Cha Cha Cha. It has been said that the Mambo is the groom and the Cha Cha Cha is the bride. Because it is essentially just a slower, more rhythmically pronounced form of Mambo or Salsa music, it serves as a magnifying glass giving us a deeper understanding of the subtleties of the faster Son based rhythms. The basic step is executed almost exactly the same as the Mambo basic with the addition of the signature shuffle step bridging the front and back half's of the pattern. The sound of the feet during this shuffle gave rise to the term "Cha Cha Cha".

Cha Cha Cha is the secret. It is the other side of the coin that gives us the complete view of the unique flavor of this music and it's physical manifestation. To understand Mambo and Salsa is to study Cha Cha Cha. The person who is well versed in Cha Cha Cha exhibits a soulfulness and musical connection that is the doorway to becoming a physical representation of this music.

Cha Cha Cha practice is run in the Open Work format and includes Boogaloo. Boogaloo is simply the fusion of African American Soul and Funk music in the Cha Cha Cha structure, giving it a unique sound and feeling and often using English lyrics.

Pricing: $25 for Drop In or Class Card Registration Available

Call 212-244-0011 to register by phone or Click here for online registration.

Download the style guide