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Where salsa comes from

7.Cousin #4: cha-cha-chá

Cha-cha-chá slowed mambo down so social dancers could follow it more easily. It was created in Havana in the early 1950s, and its name copies the sound of the dancers' three quick steps.

Salsa borrowed rhythm, instruments, and dance moves from all four of these cousins: danzón, rumba, mambo, and cha-cha-chá.

ListenLa EngañadoraOrquesta América · 1953Enrique Jorrín wrote this for Orquesta América in 1953, and it is usually called the first cha-cha-chá. Hear the slower, steady beat that made it easy to dance to.