Basic Merengue Dance Steps with a Partner

Video Transcript

"Ok so Mirriam is here to help me. This is Mirriam Suavizar again I am Christina Haggerty and we're actually going to show you merengue and now we're going to show you what the partnering is going to look like when your together. So I'm going to start in close position. Close position I'm going to create a frame with my hand that I actually place around my partner. Placing my hand as close to the center of her back as I can and then the right hand again just open here and Mirriam puts here hand in mine and she places her right hand on my shoulder. Rest her arm gently on my frame. So now let's come back into our basic merengue step. Generally the leader is the one that starts on the left foot, the follower on the right and then from there you just go into your merengue step keeping the rhythm. Now with my frame I can lead a turn or I can lead a turn going back the other way. All we're doing is we're traveling the merengue steps both of us in a circle. Leaders your frame is very important. I'm using my hand, my arm to actually lead my partner with me. I'm taking her with me. So I am leading with my whole body and to come back. I would say eighty percent of the lead is on this arm for all for that step. So again smoothing it out we are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. That's the basic in merengue."