Move · Videos · Technique · 5 min

Merengue Basics: Knee Bend, Travel and Partner Hold

Merengue Basics: Knee Bend, Travel and Partner Hold — video by Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning Play · 5:11

Video by Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Latin dance teachers Ricardo Loaiza and Elba Garcia show the easy merengue step: bend one knee at a time on the beat, travel, then add a partner and a simple turn. Short, friendly and fine for beginners.

  • 5 min
  • Beginner
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • No equipment
  • Latin

Good forDancing for fun

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Step by step 6

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Basic step: straight shoulders, hands on your waist; bend one knee at a time to the drum, feet flat. 0:38
  2. More knee bend gives more hip movement; to travel, drag your feet in small steps forward and back. 1:16
  3. Partner hold: an imaginary partner first, then a loose hug; leaders start on the right knee, followers the left. 1:36
  4. Stand slightly offset, the follower's leg inside, so your knees don't bump; then travel with half turns. 2:30
  5. Underarm turn: a loose palm-to-palm hold and a clockwise turn, with both partners' elbows kept down. 3:10
  6. Dance it all with the band: the knee-bend basic, travelling and the turn. 4:03

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Keep your feet flat and bend one knee at a time to the drum beat
  • Take small steps and drag the feet to travel; more knee bend gives more hip movement
  • With a partner keep a loose hold, elbows down and no tight grip for turns

What it works

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Joints it uses light on the joints

  • Hips moveship sway from the knee bends, travelling
  • Knees movesalternating knee bends, dragged steps, half turns
  • Ankles & feet movessmall dragged steps with the feet flat

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety