Newcomer Waltz & Merengue

Simply graceful and elegant, those are words that describe the Slow Waltz. The smooth progressive dance has been danced to slow ballads and instrumental music in 3/4 time since the early 1800s when it was introduced into the English ballrooms. 

The Viennese Waltz is considered a dance with aristocratic glamour and not without good reason. The dance form is steeped in history when it comes to ballroom dancing. It is the primary form of ballroom dancing in continental Europe and is in no way inferior to other forms of international ballroom dancing thanks to its glamour and tradition.

Merengue is often considered the national dance of the Dominican Republic and has strong African roots. The Dominican Merengue is sung in Spanish while the Haitian Mereng music is sung in Creole. It is also influenced by Cuban music and a dance called Upa Habanera, which makes Marengue a truly multicultural dance form. Merengue music was the favorite of Dominicans although its popularity in the Western world is recent. Some styles of the dance form are attributed to a war hero who had a wooden right leg, a style that was copied by the rest of the population on Dominican beaches.