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The Merengue is
the national dance of the Dominican Republic, and also to
some extent, of Haiti, the neighbor sharing the island.
There are two popular versions of the of the origin of the
Merengue.
One 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 story
alleges that a great hero was wounded in the leg during one
of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. A party
of villagers welcomed him home with a victory celebration
and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp
and drag one foot. Merengue has existed since the early
years of the Dominican Republic (in Haiti, a similar dance
is called the Meringue).
It is
possible the dance took its name from the confection made of
sugar and egg whites because of the light and frothy
character of the dance or because of its short, precise
rhythms. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the
Merengue was very popular in the Dominican Republic. Not
only is it used on every dancing occasion in the Republic,
but it is very popular throughout the Caribbean and South
American, and is one of the standard Latin-American dances.
There is a
lot of variety in Merengue music. Tempos vary a great deal
and the Dominicans enjoy a sharp quickening in pace towards
the latter part of the dance. The most favored routine at
the clubs and restaurants that run a dance floor is a slow
Bolero, breaking into a Merengue, which becomes akin to a
bright, fast Jive in its closing stages. Ballroom Merengue
is slower and has a modified hip action. Merengue was
introduced in the United States in the New York area.
However, it did not become well known until several years
later. Ideally suited to small, crowded dance floors, it is
a dance that is easy to learn and essentially a "fun" dance.
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