The merengue’s ancestors
are the calenda and the chicha, dances of the
tribes that were taken as slaves to America. These
are couple dances danced outdoors. In the Dominican
Republic it was incorporated into the more popular
social classes due to the dance’s simplicity.
In the 20th Century it became the country’s
national dance. The higher class however, did
not accept this dance until well into the 20th
Century, due to its links with African music and
due to the erotic aspect of the lyrics. There
are various types of merengue: cibaeño,
apambichao and coeño. The musical structure
has a 2x4 timing and is made up of three parts:
the paseo,
the merengue and the jaleo.
In
order to dance merengue, the basic step is
a pattern of two extremely easy steps, although
a right hip movement is required that can be a
little hard to learn at first. When dancing merengue
the man and woman stand in a position similar
to that in the waltz and from that position take
a step to the side in what is called "paso
de la empalizada", and then turn left or
right. This is called ballroom merengue, in which
the dance couple never separates. There is also
another style called figure merengue in which
the dancers turn separately but always touching
their partner’s hand.
