Your favorite cha-cha

what is your favorite song for cha-cha? (can be more than one)
The one that portrays the character of the dance and that makes you want to cha-cha to it when you hear it?
could you please post the title and the name of the performer?

I was listening through a cha-cha CD that I borrowed from my dance teacher and out of 25 cha-chas only found 2 that sound "cha-chaish" to me. the other ones sound "social" to me, meaning they are not powerful nor flirty nor playful. They sounded like random songs with a cha-cha beat (if you can call comething that is at the right tempo and with syncopation but sounding weak or not "cha-chaish" a cha-cha beat).

Great topic. I can't think of any at the moment, but my head is heavy, my sinuses are clogged, I feel warm, I have rueda prcatice....Actually, I'll ponder and get back to you soon.

I dont go by the words in a song..... I go by the beat. I have lots of favorite songs that I dont know a single word to even though I know it very well. The words dont have to make any sense to me as long as I enjoy the beat

Having said that now.. My favorite cha chas are:

Chilli Cha Cha- Jessica Jay (there are a few versions around but I prefer this one) its funky and done to death everywhere but I just love it.

Sway - Michael Buble , another song with 50 versions going around,and done to death, but the Buble one has a very clear beat.

Hot Stuff - Ross Mitchell (off the CFD16 album) Just makes me wanna move!

Love Potion #9 - Ross Mitchell , although there are a few more versions of this too...this is really fun to dance too

Fresh Goes Better - Ross Mitchell once again (can you guess who one of my favorite artists is? :lol: ) This is just lots of fun and I always laugh while dancing it as they use thsi song in a commercial for mentos here :lol: Has the easiest beat in the world to follow.

At the moment my favourite song is "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera. Thinking about it, it would make a good cha cha, slow and strong.

Could be good for a routine .......... hmmmmmmm ......

ok since d-f brought Christina up ... Come On Over is a really fun cha cha too!

Ill have to listen to fighter, Im not much of a fan of hers.. Im after some good slow cha chas to practice to.

"cha cha" --in my country many people learn to it also

Favourite C3

There's a little-known C3 remix of Brooklyn Funk Essential's "Big Apple Boogaloo", which is not at all like their CD - neither is it on it. If you can get it on a single, you won't be disappointed.

Loo

Ultimate Latin 4 has a lot of my favorite cha-chas right now.

Other than that, Besame by Andreas Ballas is very popular among our group down here. I like "Smooth" by Santana.

I'll have to get on my laptop and look through my cha-cha practice playlist....

I like:

Let's Get Loud
(Let's Make Love and) Dance the Night Away
Sway with Me
Can You Shake it Like That?

(Not sure I got all the names right).

Me Vuelvo Guajiro - Tam-Tam 2000
Pata Pata-Miriam Makeba
Volver a verte(?)-Oscar DeLeon
Son con Son-Tito Puente

For some reason Pink's "get the party started" just makes me want to break out the cha cha. It has a lot of energy in it.

mamboqueen said:

I like:

Let's Get Loud
(Let's Make Love and) Dance the Night Away
Sway with Me
Can You Shake it Like That?

(Not sure I got all the names right).

Click to expand...

(Let's Make Love and) Dance the Night Away - this is strictly speaking a tango/cha-cha but we have used it for a showcase number. Agree, it is a great song. The title slipped my mind....

Yes, part of the reason I like it is because of the tango beginning.

An another rythym....there's a really good WCS song (although I think it's on a regular swing CD; I'll check) and it starts out with a small segment of Clair de Lune piano music and then "swings" into this really nice bluesy swing tune. I absolutely LOVE it.

I like a lot of the ones listed here. I also like:

I like it like that (yeah...baby...)
Rico
Boom Chaka lak (from the Threesome soundtrack)
Walking on the Sun (Smashmouth)

Because Cha Cha has such sharp movements I prefer songs that allow this aspect of the dance to be emphasized in syncopation. I also like songs that have lyrics that work well with the flirtatious nature of the dance. My current favorites:

"Besame" by Andres Ballinas. This was a huge radio hit in Germany. It's found on the album "The Latin Mix." The singer's emotional styling and the lyrics make a perfect Cha Cha.

"Banca Banca" by E-Type, found on Casa Musica's "Vivo Latino" album. Lots of energy.

"In These Shoes?" by the late Kirsty MacColl, from the album "Tropical Brainstorm." Delightful lyrics, all about a woman's ability to pick and choose any guy she wants and call the shots.

"Arriba" by Joee, a big radio hit a couple of years ago and also found on "Vivo Latino." Nice staccato sound.

"I Like it Like That" by Blackout Allstars, found on Dancelife's "Very Best Part 7" album. About 2 bars per minute faster than typical Cha Cha music but lots of energy and good lyrics, nice to dance to.