Dear Sirs,

I have just started dancing, we are doing the Cha Cha and I find that I am forgetting the sequence of the steps. I even forget what steps i practiced when i try to practice at home. Is is normal for a beginner or am I panicing pre-maturely?

Marlene

It's perfectly normal, so don't worry.

Make use of the Learn the Dances video clips on this site, and any other helpful sources you can find, to reinforce your understanding of the basic direction and timing of the steps, and repeat them until you don't need to "think" step by step anymore.

You need to get the basic patterns into your memory, and repetition is the best strategy.

You'll be okay. Everybody forgets. Find a memory aid that works for you, video, writing stuff down, how-to books...whatever works for you.

Telemark is right. It really all comes down to practice. You'll get it. Some dances and sequences of steps will be easier, others will be hard. Don't get down on yourself and personal advice, if you don't remember and can't figure out how the steps went don't try and work it out for yourself. You'll end up teaching yourself something wrong and that can be hard to undo.

Try calling your instructor. Most of them are more than happy to talk you through a problem :~}

The cha cha seems to be the hardest of the latin dances for beginners to remember, at least that's my experience teaching at our studio. So don't feel bad, as the others said, it will come and once you have the muscle memory it will be second nature. Everyone has a dance that causes them grief - in our case (hubby and I) it was the Viennese waltz.

She's right. I hated the Cha Cha because no matter what I did the syncopations killed me. I've got it now, but it has taken forever.

Take notes. Write down the steps and sequences in a fashion you will understand later. It really does help. If you go a few days without review or practice, it is quite common to forget. You didn't mention your age, but if you are young, you should be able to grasp it fairly quickly. If you are older, you will find it a little tougher to do that Latin motion properly and not feel a little sting in the knees.

Theclamh45. Cha Cha Chasses. Its worth remembering that when you check forward with your left foot the Chasses will be to your left, and when you check back on the RF the Chasse will be to your right. This remains the same whether it be a New York or a Spot Turn. I hope this helps