Ballroom Guide

Most dancers know that starting in Silver, dancers may use a new timing in their Cha Cha called Guapacha, but few dancers know about Habanera timing (no, not Habanero like the type of pepper). Understanding these two timings can have a drastic impact on your dancing while keeping you in Syllabus, and the ability to use these timings properly will be vital once you move beyond the Syllabus level. This article will explore both timings: what they are, when to use them, and how they can change your dancing.

What They Are

As far as timings go, Cha Cha and Rumba are extremely boring (compare them to Samba, with its nine different rhythms). Almost all figures in Rumba use the timing 2 3 41, and almost all the figures in Cha Cha use 2 3 4&1. Guapacha and Habanera timings simply change the beat you step on. In both cases, instead of stepping on 2, you will step on the & following the 2, but in Cha Cha this timing is called Guapacha (pronounced WAH-pa-cha), and in Rumba it is called Habanera.

Take a look at the basic timing for a Closed Basic Movement in each dance, next to the syncopated timing.

N.B. According to the basic timing in Rumba, the final step lasts two beats, however, if the following figure uses Habanera timing, that final step will last an additional half beat. Likewise, according to the Habanera timing chart above, the final step lasts two and a half beats, but if the following figure is danced with basic timing, this will last half a beat less. The same is true of Cha Cha.

When to Use Them

You should use Guapacha and Habanera timings sparingly. While it is true that using the basic timing for an entire routine is boring, it is just as true that using these syncopated timings for the entire routine is boring. The trick is to use the timings to make your dancing slightly unexpected, and therefore more interesting. For example, if in Cha Cha you are dancing an Open Hip Twist, use the basic timing for the first five steps, and then use the Guapacha timing for the next five.

There are certain figures where it is very common to see Guapacha Timing used, namely the Time Steps and the Cross Basic. This is because the syncopated timing adds excitement to otherwise (sorry to say) dull figures.

How they Can Change your Dancing

By adding syncopated timings into your routines, you make them more exciting to dance, more exciting to watch, and more exciting for judges, too! Deciding when to use these timings is the first step into dynamics, the art of making slow parts of your dancing slower, and fast parts faster. By understanding how to apply these changes in rhythm, you gain insight into the correct use of dynamics, which is an integral part of dancing at any level beyond the basics. Have you ever seen the pros dancing, when it looks like they are in slow motion half the time, and on fast forward the other half? This is the correct usage of dynamics, and this is what your goal should be. However, it is important to take things one step at a time, and the first brick you should be laying is deciding for yourself how to best use these syncopated timings to make your routines more exciting.