How to Do the Basic Step in Merengue. The merengue is first taught as a marching dance with flat-footed steps lifting the knees upwards, and its steps can become more fluid with practice. In Merengue you move on every beat! Your basic step, it's just a transfer of weight. In this video you will learn Merengue Dance Steps for beginners. The origins have many myths! Since men wear a standard of dark slacks with a button down shirt, it’s usually the women who translate merengue’s high-spirited moves through their costumes. It is mainly a non-progressive dance but can also travel counter-clockwise around the floor. *General descriptions of the dance—as an easy party dance … How to Dance Merengue Step by Step. Introduction. This dance encourages creativity as it’s fun and easy to create arms movements to go with the simple steps. Merengue dancing is light and playful, making it a great dance for beginners and experts alike. This a Merengue basic step instructional video. Merengue is a type of Latin dance style that uses the hips to accentuate a two-beat marching step. Fun and energetic, this dance is one of the foundational dances of Latin America. Merengue is a fun, fast and easy dance made up of simple steps. Weisman is a Latin dance instructor at Mangos at the Milky Way, a dance studio located in Boston, MA. Merengue is one of the easiest dance forms to master, mainly because of the simple basic step that it follows. Merengue is a couple dance from the island of Santo Domingo (i.e., The Dominican Republic and Haiti), which made its lasting debut on the worldwide stage when the new Dominican ambassador to the United States, General Manuel A. de Moya, and his wife introduced it at an embassy party in late December 1953 []. The basic Merengue step is taking small steps to the side with the partners holding each other in closed dance position. Dance: Merengue Step: The Basic Step Level: Beginner Learn more Merengue dance steps & moves from expert, Amy Weisman de Mamani of Salsa Art. Merengue tipico is the oldest style, and is mostly played using traditional instruments. The closed dance position is danced in open embrace or if the couple so desire in close embrace. How to Dance Merengue Step by Step. Like most modern music, Merengue is written in 4/4 time (4 beats to a bar of music, and therefore four dance steps to a bar of music.) Get advice & more lessons from this Latin dance lover by searching Wonder How To! While the merengue’s steps may seem simple, it’s the hip movements that are essential for giving the dance its flair. It has just a few steps, focusing on weight shifting and hip-swaying to produce movement. In merengue tipico, both the music and dance sections start off with a slow pace, and gather pace as the music progresses. Fun Fact The name "merengue" might have come from the similar word "meringue," the … The beauty of the dance form comes from the stylized elements many dancers add to the dance form and the Cuban hip movement, which is a natural result of the weight change that the dance step depends on. Merengue de guitarra is a modern style, which relies on the presence of guitars, both acoustic and electric. Transcript. Merengue, French mérengue, couple dance originating in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, strongly influenced by Venezuelan and Afro-Cuban musical practices and by dances throughout Latin America.Originally, and still, a rural folk dance and later a ballroom dance, the merengue is at its freest away from the ballroom.It is danced with a limping step, the weight always on the … Learn how to do the basic step in merengue from professional dancers Ernesto Palma and Crystal Rodriguez in this Howcast dance video. To perform it really well, all you need to remember is the most popular story relating its origins.