Fun and Easy Merengue Dance Lessons

Want to take a great Merengue dance class in Los Angeles? Well, you have come to the right place! By Your Side Dance Studio provides fun and enjoyable Merengue dance lessons and Merengue dance classes in Los Angeles that improve your dance skills and make you look great on the dance floor!

Learn To Dance the Merengue From The Best Dance Instructors in LA

By Your Side Dance Studio provides you with the best Merengue dance instructor in a private setting so that you receive one-on-one personal Merengue dance instruction custom-tailored to your particular needs. We also provide group dance classes.

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About Merengue Dancing

The Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic and, to some extent, its island-sharing neighbour, Haiti. Merengue has existed since the early years of the Dominican Republic, around the time of the Spanish-American War (1898).

Merengue is a combination of two dances, the African and the French Minuet, from the late 1700’s – early 1800’s. The black slaves saw the ballroom dances in the Big Houses and when they had their own festivities started mimicking the “masters’ dances”. But the Europeans dances were not fun, they were very boring and staid, so over time the slaves added a special upbeat provided by the drums which was a slight skip or a hop.

The original Merengue was not danced by individual couples, but was a circle dance, each man and woman faced each other and holding hands – at arm’s length. They did not hold each other closely and the original movements of this dance were only the shaking of the shoulders and swift movement of the feet. There was no blatant movement of the hips like there is today, as native African dances do not move the hips. In fact, African dances, as well as other Indigenous dances throughout the world, consist of complicated steps and arm movements. So, the origin of the Merengue is very similar to that of the “Cake Walk” dance of the American South

Our Students Love Us!

LOVE this studio!!!! The instructors love to dance and are vested in your becoming a better dancer. No matter what your dance goals are, this is the place to go.

Dawn B.

By Your Side is the best dance studio. The teachers are fantastic dancers and excellent instructors. They strive for excellence, precision, and elegance, and do so with great encouragement and motivation. I always leave dance class feeling wonderful!

Silvia

We worked with Laura to choreograph our wedding dance. We started out with zero moves and no confidence but after four sessions we were tearing up the floor and having the time of our lives.

Zara A.