There are two popular versions of the of the origin of the Dominican national dance, the Merengue. One
story alleges the dance originated with slaves who were chained together and, of necessity, were forced to
drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second story alleges that a great hero was
wounded in the leg during one of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. A party of villagers
welcomed him home with a victory celebration and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp
and drag one foot.

Merengue has existed since the early years of the Dominican Republic (in Haiti, a similar dance is called
the Meringue). It is possible the dance took its name from the confection made of sugar and egg whites
ó because of the light and frothy character of the dance or because of its short, precise rhythms.

By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Merengue was very popular in the Dominican Republic. Not
only is it used on every dancing occasion in the Republic, but it is very popular throughout the Caribbean
and South American, and is one of the standard Latin-American dances.

There is a lot of variety in Merengue music. Tempos vary a great deal and the Dominicans enjoy a sharp
quickening in pace towards the latter part of the dance. The most favored routine at the clubs and
restaurants that run a dance floor is a slow Bolero, breaking into a Merengue, which becomes akin to a
bright, fast Jive in its closing stages. The ballroom Merengue is slower and has a modified hip action.

The Merengue was introduced in the United States in the New York area. However, it did not become
well known until several years later.

 Ideally suited to the small, crowded dance floors, it is a dance that is easy to learn and essentially a "fun"
 dance.

You can't help but get wrapped up in the social customs of the Dominicans.  Dancing is a very big thing in the Island.  Salsa, merengue,  and bachata are the three traditional dances of the Dominican Republic.  All are partner dances, and one, at least -- the merengue -- is easy enough to pick up on your own.  As an integral part of Dominican culture,  the native men and women are beautiful dancers.  Adults and children alike swing their hips to the toe-tapping rythm of these dances.

The Origin

The origin of merengue is still not clearly known. There are different ideas about it. According to Flerida de Nolasco, Alfonseca invented the merengue. Rafael Vidal says that it was born as a dominican melody after the dominican victory at the Talanquera battle. For Julio ALberto Hernandez, its origin and apparition is lost in the foggyness of the past. And finally, it seems that, according to Fradique Lizardo, merengue comes from a cuban music called UPA, which had a part called merengue. UPA arrived to Santo Domingo in the middle of 19th century from Puerto Rico.

The musical structure of what can be considered the most representative form of merengue consisted ofpaseo (walk), body and "jaleo". The addition of paseo to merengue in those times is wrongly attributed to Emilio Arti. All music is written at a 2 x 4 rythm and there is disagreement in the amount of beats each part should contain, because sometimes they were extended "ad infinitum".

Instruments

In it`s traditional form, merengue is played on accordeon, saxophone, box bass with metal plucked keys, a guayano (a metal scraper -transformed from a kitchen implement), and a two ended tambora drum, struck with hand and stick. It's rural music with close affinities to Haitian miringue - though the latter, sung in Creole, tends to have a slower, more nostalgic sound, based on guitar rather than accordeon.

Dancing It

This is how merengue is danced: Men and woman hold each other in a vals-like position and step to their side in what is know as "paso de la empalizada" or "stick-fence step". They can then turn clockwise or counterclockwise. This is called Ballroom Merengue (merengue de salon), in which couples never separated. There is also what is called Figure Merengue (Merengue de Figura) in which dancers also make turns individualy, but never letting go the hand of the partner.

Dominican music is rooted in the community festival, a street carnaval in which everybody takes part, either as a musician,  dancer or singer or as an indirect participant, simply enjoying watching the fun.

The merengue is the national dance (it's the French word with a lilting gay at the end . . . mare-rhan-gay). As a consequence,  much of the traditional music is fast-paced and happy. Dancing is in the blood, and just the very mention of Carnival starts the juices flowing.

Carnivals, festivals and fiestas are held often, in the largest cities and smallest rural communities.

Two of the top events of the year in Santo Domingo are the annual Merengue Festival in the summer and Carnival in the spring. There is also a Latin Music Festival, which attracts musicians, singers and dancers from throughout the Latin world,  entertainers like Juan Luis Guerra and Johny Ventura. All are held on the city?s main seaside thoroughfare, El Malecon, but spill over into hotel ballrooms, beaches, patios and even parking lots.

As in many Latin countries, Carnival is a traditional event, the culmination of pre-Lenten celebrations. It features competitions among dance groups, floats and costumes. The Merengue Festival draws the top merengue bands in the country for street dancing on the closed-off Malecon.

Puerto Plata, the major tourist destination on the Dominican Republic's north coast, has two major festivals each year, a Cultural Festival and a Merengue Festival. Besides arts and crafts exhibits, the Cultural Festival features traditional dances and music of several genres, including merengue, blues, jazz and Dominican folk. The Merengue Festival in October is a  week-long affair held on Puerto Plata's Malecon.

 The merengue is to Dominicans what the samba is to Brazilians. It has become world famous and closely identified with this country. Merengue was originally played by a group of three musicians, called a pri pri. They made music with a small drum, an accordion and a guira, a gourd scraped with a stick. Modern-day merengue orchestras and recordings have spread the rhythms  worldwide.

 Dominicans also enjoy regional dances, popular in their own areas of origin. In the peninsula of Samana, where former black African slaves and American Negroes were among the prominent settlers, the bambula is a popular dance. In San Pedro de Macoris, the ritmo guloya is still danced, and the carabine is typical of the region of Barahona, in the country's southwest.

Dominicans will dance to anything, however. Dance halls and discotheques can be found in virtually every town of any size, and they are a must in all major resorts and hotels.

An important part of culture is music. Music is the art of combining tones into a composition having
structure and continuity; vocal or instrumental sounds having rhythm, melody or harmony. Music, in
general, interprets the feelings from people. Such as every art, music is a means of communication and
expression, with it we can learn the own characteristics of each country and its culture.

Merengue, out of all dominican dances, is the most widely practiced and is popular throughout the whole
country from the rural areas to the cities and every kind of sitting. For its popularity, the merengue has
been considered the national song and dance from the Dominican Republic.

Dominican folk music, in its rythmic and melodic sophistications represents African, Colonial Hispanic
and Aborigene influences. As to the origin of the merengue, we do not have a clear idea. There was
definitely a danced called the upa, urpa or merengue whose appearance was reported for the first time in
Havana, Cuba, from where came the name upa habanera which circulated in the caribbean at about the
middle of the last century.

The choreograpry of the merengue is very simple. The couple dance together, the man with his right arm
around the lady's left shoulder and holding her right hand in his left, thus indicating the direction in which
they will turn. Couples dance in casual or traditional dress.

The merengue has been internationalized. It has been expanded all over the world. It brings the tropical
warmth and the gracefulness of the movement from a country that sways by the sea. A country that is
caresss by the breeze, colored by its beautiful auroras and its indiscribable sunrises and decorated by its
mountains,valleys and rivers.

The music awakes the love of a country, the happiness of life and the nessecity to share it. Through the
dominican music not only do we meet the country, also the men that create it. By their music, we know
about their feelings, such as, fear, love, courage, lyrism and sensuality. Their music transmits heat, color,
customs and has a tendency to influence a strong personality. Personality that endures through its history
and it is reconized through its infiltration, making Dominicans feel a strong emotion when it is heard far
away from the loved land from which it arises.