The Merengue is one of the most popular latin dances and the national dance of the Dominican Republic, and also to some extent, of Haiti. There are two popular versions of the origin of the Merengue. The first story alleges the dance originated with slaves who were chained together and, of necessity, were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second says that a great war hero was wounded in the leg during one of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. He was welcomed home with a victory celebration and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obligated to limp and drag one foot.
The Merengue is a spot dance, meaning it doesn't move around the dance floor so it is ideally suited to small, crowded dance floors. It is also employed during classes as a fun party dance requiring participants to rotate partners and dance in sequence to the rhythm. The Merengue is a fun dance with simple steps and easy to learn quickly, the "1-2" march-like rhythm makes it a favourite throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. The Merengue is here to stay.
