Cha Cha

(Cha Cha Cha)

Library of Dance Favorites

» Basic
» Spot Turn (One Hand)
» Dishrag Sunburst
» Cross-Body Lead
» Cross-Body Inside Turn
» Double Inside Turn
» Sombrero
» Fallaway Breaks with Body Catch
» Crossover Breaks with Rollaway Exit
» The Chase

Complete List of Demo Videos

Basics
» Basic

Spot Turns
» Spot Turn (One Hand)
     » Spot Turn (Closed Position)
» Dishrag Sunburst
» Double Spot Turn

Turns Down the Tracks
» Inside Turn
     » Double Inside Turn
     » Quintuple Inside Turn
» Outside Turn
     » Double Outside Turn
» Braced R-in-R Double Turn Combo

Cross-Body Leads
» Cross-Body Lead
     » Cross-Body Lead, Crossover Break, Spot Turn
» Cross-Body Inside Turn

Crossed-Handed Figures
» Sombrero

Break Steps
» Fallaway Breaks with Body Catch
     » Fallaway Breaks with Hand Catch
» Crossover Breaks with Rollaway Exit
     » Crossover Breaks with Spot Turn Exit
     » Crossover Break to Fallaway Break

Shine Steps
» The Chase

Alternate Timings
» Break on 2

About the Dance

Cha Cha is a Latin dance with Cuban origins, which developed in response to Cuban violinist Enrique Jorrín's creation of Cha Cha music in the early 1950s.

Cha Cha can be danced "On 1" or "On 2," which means that the break steps happen on count 1 or count 2, respectively. On this page, you'll mostly see us dancing "On 1," in the original social style, not the later competition style.

Despite what some may claim, "On 1" Cha Cha is not "incorrect." In fact, ever since its introduction in the 1950s, Cha Cha has been described as being danced both "On 1" and "On 2," with the majority of the early sources actually describing the "On 1" version. While competition dancers may prefer "On 2," when dancing socially, both options are equally correct.

Cha Cha Music

Here are some of our favorite Cha Cha songs, arranged by tempo:

If you or your community is interested in learning Cha Cha, .

For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.

For full-length teaching videos, visit: University of Dance.

For help crafting a life you love, visit: Project Quartz.

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