The Merengue is the easiest Latin dance to learn. It's so simple that even a caveman can do it. (Ooops, sorry Geico). No, I kid you not..it is the one dance that anyone can chassse' on the dance floor and dip with the upbeat music. There's no slows and quicks like the other Latin dances....just numbers for each footstep.
So where did the Merengue originate from? Well, I've heard three versions of how the dance originated. The most popular legend is about a Dominican high ranking war hero who was the guest of honor at an official party. When he rose to dance, his one wounded peg leg dragged after each step taken with his good leg. The other guests sympathetically emulated his limp, thus creating a new dance.
The second legend comes from Haiti which describes a crippled son of a ruler who loved to dance and would drag his lame leg along the floor to the music. The courtiers, either from courtesy or demand, took to emulating the prince by dancing as though they suffered from the same affliction.
And the third legend is that the dance orignated with slaves who were chained together and were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar cane to the beat of drums.
Now you may think with the above history that the dance is a bit of a drag (pardon the pun). But if you can walk with a lame-duck limp you'll find the Merengue easy to master and lots of fun.
