I like them Latin girls

About two weeks ago, I enrolled in a late-start Latin dance class at AWC. At first, I was dreading the class because it's held from 8:45-10 PM, which is normally my bedtime, but I've actually been enjoying myself. So, I wanted to share with you a little about the three styles of Latin dance I've learned thus far:

BACHATA -
Bachata is a Latin dance originating in the Dominican Republic. It is a romantic dance, as partners hold each other close and sway to the music.

MERENGUE -
The Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic, and also to some extent, of Haiti, the neighbor sharing the island.

There are two popular versions of the of the origin of the Dominican national dance, the Merengue. One story alleges the dance originated with slaves who were chained together and, of necessity, were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second story alleges that a great hero was wounded in the leg during one of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. A party of villagers welcomed him home with a victory celebration and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp and drag one foot.

SALSA -
Salsa is a dance for Salsa music created by Spanish-speaking people from the Caribbean and their immigrant communities in the US. Salsa dancing mixes African and European dance influences through the music and dance fusions that are the roots of Salsa: SonGuaguancó, Rumba, Boogaloo, Pachanga, Guaracha, Plena, and Bomba.

So far, I've enjoyed the Bachata dance the most. Merengue hurts my hip sockets after a while, and Salsa just plain confuses me, because it's opposite of the grapevine.