The Merengue

Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. It has its origins there and in Haiti. There are two theories about the origin of the dance. One says that it was stared by slaves who were chained together and dragged one leg as they cut sugar cane to the beat of drums. The other theory is that a Dominican war hero was injured in the leg during a revolution. Upon return to his native city a celebration was held. Out of sympathy everyone dragged their legs as he did while they danced.

Merengue is danced at all events in the Dominican Republic and is very popular throughout the Caribbean and South America and has made its way into the United States where it is also popular.

Today the Merengue is a very popular social dance.