How to Hold Partners in Merengue Dancing

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village, my name is Rodney Lopez and this is my lovely partner Amelia Maldonado. We're here at Dance Manhattan Studios here in New York City, and today we're going to teach you the merengue. The first thing you want to think about when talking about merengue is how you hold your partner. The hold for merengue is very similar to many ballroom dance holds. What you're going to do is take your partner in your arms like this. Gentlemen, your left hand's is going to hold her right hand, and your right hand is going to go right here sort of on her upper back. Now, the thing about merengue is that it's generally danced a little bit closer than most ballrooms dances. Maybe you want to get her a little bit closer. Maybe your right thigh in between here legs a little bit. The idea is you want a comfortable dance hold. Nothing that's too close and uncomfortable, but nothing that's too far because then now you can't really feel your partner. Negotiate that with your partner. Figure out what's comfortable for the both of you. The most important thing with your dance frame is that you're holding each other, you're nice and close, and now we're ready to dance."