With the Dancing Illini competition coming quite soon (October 21), and
since I know that the Dancing Illini focuses on International style rumba
and cha-cha than U.S. style, let me tell you how you can stop the dance
rhythm and go back to it in those two dances. It is called "guapacha
timing".
After watching the Dance Vision videotapes in Advanced Rumba and Cha-cha,
I was hooked on guapacha timing. According to Ron Montez (the teacher in
the videos), it is a way of holding 3 1/2 beats in rumba or 1 1/2 beats
in cha-cha. I have created a short list so you can see the difference in
the two timings--the regular and the guapacha. The parentheses in the
'guapacha' means that you hold
the first half of the 2nd beat. Guapachas usually start on the 4th beat
in rumba and on the 1st beat in the cha-cha.
Regular timing Guapacha timing
Cha-cha 2 3 4 and 1 2 3 4 and 1 2 3 4 and 1 (2) and 3 4 and 1
Rumba 2 3 4-1, 2 3 4-1 2 3 4-1 (2) and 3 4-1
I was introduced to 'guapacha' about 3 years ago when I took a
Intermediate cha-cha class with David Lin. By my good memory, the
'guapacha' occurred in the fifth breaks in non-contact open facing
positiion. Remember Mindy Gilkinson and Yuan Gao doing that in last year's
Dancing Illini competition, in the cha-cha? It looked very pretty! I
remember it very well.
It seems like purpose of guapacha is to make what used to be basic rumba
or cha-cha moves in International style look more advanced.
-------------------------
Charles Joseph Smith
cjsmith2@students.uiuc.edu
(217)332-2425
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