So pardon my ignorance in trying to understand this thread, but does the musical interpretaion of counting 123 and 4 infer breaking on 1? I'm still very new to the world of dance, but musicality and ryhthm are more important to me, than learning patterns. I'd rather look and feel good doing a basic, than move "un-musically" as a beginner, through advanced patterns.

Sorry, didn't mean to start a new thread.

Yes it does, and that was the way it was danced in the UK back in the 1960s when Wheels was a hit.

I'm not sure when, but some time later the interpretation and the music changed to the current style of breaking on 2 which is often counted 234&1.

Some cha cha music is still played using the 123&4 count, typically much of that used in the UK for sequence dancing which breaks on 1 when danced socially. I would argue that that is the correct interpretation allowing for the music used though the scripts break on 2 as does any competitive sequence dancing.

Many teachers of beginners have developed the habit of over-emphasising the break on 2 to keep a class together by shouting 2! 3 4&1 and this can result in the cha cha feel being lost. That is why I prefer to count 1234& where the 1 is the last step of the chasse thus retaining the break on 2 but putting more into the chasse. (I cannot find a nice way to indicate emphasis in these posts.)

For your own interpretation I suggest you listen to the music and pick out the two quick half-beats in the rhythm backing. That is where the first two steps of the chasse should fit.

Have made many posts about the construction of latin music.. simply put...

music with a syncop within the bar, as in 1.2 3 and4.. is guajira.. this is the ORIGINAL latino form of which also transpired into Cha.written with a different accent .

the " form " is tied up with Danzon .. the structure that evolved from that ( the current style of Bolero and Intern Rumba ) was transformed from the originator of mambo music... Cachao... it became a clave driven 2 bars known simply as rumba clave.

the dance sequence became Triple Mambo to Guajira to Cha .


The cuban singer Guillermo Portabales was responsible for refining the rhythm to " salon guajira " .( done in a 3/4 and 6/8 time sign.)

many cubans today, still break on 1 irrespective of the clave change .They incidentally call the mambo, Systemo Cubana .

to add to this, it is all underpinned in " son " rhythm brought to cuba by 2 dominican sisters in the 1800s .This the driving force behind ALL latin rhythms .

the history and origins are very complex,so one should read and research why we use the rhythms we choose ( santeria, the religion , has a large part to play in the mix )

As one can see.. just saying oh.. break on 1 or 2, it doesnt matter , is contrary to all that the genre is based upon. Even the direction in which we start is important .

if you need Guajira songs, they crop up from time to time in salsa recordings.
the latest " Classic " is by Cachao, which was recorded just before his death early this yr . ( it has a DVD set ).

This is a truly amazing experience, introduced by none other than a famous Cuban Hollywood star .

so does the histotical development of the dance technique (ie where you break) correlate with the music used at the time and where the syncopated beats were within the structure of that music ?

I think that it would be more accurate to say that dance reflects music; the relationship is not correlative (i.e. the influence is in one direction).

jj