cha cha step? help anyone?

Well, I am a novice in cha cha and I just know the basic and the crossover steps. Recently, my dance instructor introduced me to the step (I don't know the name), where the guy basically stands and the lady moves from one side to another. During the pose, both the man and the lady face the same way. What step is that? What is the correct way to do it? Is there a tutorial or something that I can learn from????

Hi Sanjeev. Welcome to the DF. It sounds like swivels but I'm not sure. I'm strictly Salsa and know only the basic cha-cha myself. Anyone else?

Hello and welcome, Sanjeev!
I believe I (David) am the instructor you are referring to (at Georgia Tech).

This step is often referred to as the sweetheart. The man dance the first half of the cha cha basic (side-back-rock-cha-cha-cha) as he changes to a hand shake hold. He rocks back on the left foot and then returns the weight to the right foot. He dances 2 steps in place as the lady dances chachacha into to the man's right side. Now both partners are standing sided by side.

Hopefully, some others will help answer this question also. I've explained how to get the step setup. I will say that you will learn more in class as we practice again next week and the step will become easier.

Do you understand the crossover breaks and the basic pretty well now?

DanceMentor said:

Hello and welcome, Sanjeev!
I believe I (David) am the instructor you are referring to (at Georgia Tech).

This step is often referred to as the sweetheart. The man dance the first half of the cha cha basic (side-back-rock-cha-cha-cha) as he changes to a hand shake hold. He rocks back on the left foot and then returns the weight to the right foot. He dances 2 steps in place as the lady dances chachacha into to the man's right side. Now both partners are standing sided by side.

Hopefully, some others will help answer this question also.

Click to expand...

i will add and take more words and end up saying less - the point being to compliment the previous brevity:


- and as the rock back takes place the leaders hand should gently pulse forward so as to remain in the same vertical plane
- the leader rock back should be fairly small (step size)

(this is what i call an 'open break')

- because you don't want your arms to ever go completely straight yet you want to maintain compression/tone/tension in your connection;
- in a social situation i like to help keeping my partner from taking too large a step by aiming my pulse directly towards her right hip . this tends to invite my partner to rotate slightly on her back step (and give her a hint that there's an imminent turn/rotation to her left by prepping her looking slightly to her right)
- so if the follower is completely unfamiliar with the move you can help guide her remaining footwork by doing a backwards "J" with your right hand during the follower's chachacha to your right side so that you are now facing the same direction;

hope this helps.

DanceMentor said:

Hello and welcome, Sanjeev!
I believe I (David) am the instructor you are referring to (at Georgia Tech).

This step is often referred to as the sweetheart. The man dance the first half of the cha cha basic (side-back-rock-cha-cha-cha) as he changes to a hand shake hold. He rocks back on the left foot and then returns the weight to the right foot. He dances 2 steps in place as the lady dances chachacha into to the man's right side. Now both partners are standing sided by side.

Hopefully, some others will help answer this question also. I've explained how to get the step setup. I will say that you will learn more in class as we practice again next week and the step will become easier.

Do you understand the crossover breaks and the basic pretty well now?

Click to expand...

Hey David,

I am indeed from your class. I think I have a decent handle on the basic
and crossover. I think I am still missing something. I understand till the half basic step. Then I understand the "step back on the left foot", return weight to the right foot, and then do a "march-march" two step. What after that though? Is it repetition of the above to the other side, or what? Also this makes only 4 steps. Usually, in cha-cha there are 5 steps.

What do you do after this step?

Welcome to df sanjeev. Small world, isn't it!

While there indeed are 5 steps for the cha cha basic there are quite a few instances where two steps are taken over the cha-cha-cha instead of three. What is important is staying correctly with the count of the music, which is done. The step step in place is done on 4 1, instead of doing side, together, side for 4 & 1.

Once you are set in the sweetheart position you do rock step, cha cha cha leading the follower to your other side, left. Then you can do a rock step, cha cha cha, while leading the follower to your right side via a turn. To get out when follower is on your right side you do rock step, step step in place while leading her out via a turn. Then you are back on your correct foot to do the step forward, back, cha cha cha to the left of the cha cha basic. I've glossed over many details as I am really preoccupied right now, but this should give you a general idea of what is done.

Hope it helps.

Question.......

Do the dance steps have different names in the US????

From reading that description from sanjeev, it sounds like a Fan to me :roll:
Or mabye I havent learnt the sweetheart step yet...but then again I have just finished the routine for bronze level Cha Cha, Is it a more advanced step?

There are different names for the same steps all over the place, depending on studio, syllabus, etc. There are also similar steps in Latin and Rhythm with different names and technique. To me, that step sounds like "shadow positions."

That sounds like sweethearts.

Done the way Mentor describes; his description of the footwork the man does as he brings the lady in to his side is called a "fake" step by the instructors here.

I do a variation where the man brings the lady to his side and reverses this position facing the other side with the lady to the mans left. He then takes her back over to his right and reverses again - brings her again to his right and takes her back out using the "fake" step. 8)

Shy... sounds like a pattern from American Rhythm cha cha, which does not include the fan. The international Latin and Ballroom steps go by the same names here in the U.S., i.e., fan, alemana, natural opening out, reverse turn, whisk, etc., but the American style dances have their own terminology for most things.