11. CHA CHA CHA

Actually the Cha Cha Cha is three beats taken with feet close together or In place. It is a quick shift of weight from one foot to the other foot, and then back to the original foot. When used with the Mambo, it fills in the pause. The Cha Cha Cha should not be thought of, or considered, as a dance in itself; it should be re­garded only as a tool one can use to give added zest or sparkle to a Mambo which may be slow-tempoed.

When used to syncopate the Mambo, the Cha Cha Cha rhythm starts on the end of one measure of music and carries through Count 1 of the following measure. Since the rhythm is so vitally important, study the following line and repeat it aloud several times, making sure that you understand it and feel it before starting the step. In this line, we will assume that you have been dancing the Mambo with the pause and then suddenly decide to incorporate the Cha Cha Cha thus:

After you have learned this rhythm, practice the following movement:   (Keep in mind that you are still doing the Mambo, but now it has been jazzed up a bit.)

BOY'S PART:

GIRL'S PART:

This Cha Cha Cha principle may be used in all of the Mambo Steps, including those that turn. It is not advisable to use the Cha Cha Cha when the music is fast-tempoed. Also it is more effective to use it in spurts—that is, do it for awhile, then go back to pausing on your open beat. There is no way for the boy to actually lead the girl into a Cha Cha Cha, since the steps are In place. Therefore, the boy must start the movement first, and when the girl sees her partner doing it, she should imme­diately do likewise.

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