Cha-Cha musik is 4/4 time, and also has 4 steps to a bar of music. The last bar screams for you to step to the left and close your feet so this step has the characteristics of moving the foot to the side and closing the feet, which in turn produces the "cha-cha" sound, which is the name of the dance.

Some teachers count the Cha Cha movement as slow, slow, quick-quick, slow but this can be confusing to the beginner. Its probably better to think of the movement as Rock, Rock, Side-Close, Side.

In most Latino dances, you commence your steps on the 2nd beat of the music and change weight from one leg to another between the beats. In Cha Cha your feet only move on the 1st, 2nd and 4th beats. The change of weight which gives the dance its look and feel occurs half way through the 1st and 2nd beats, on the 3rd beat, half way through the 4th beat and on the 1st beat.

Counting from the 2nd beat of the music, my preferred count is 2 & 3, Cha-Cha, 1 - try the basic movements and this will become meaningful.

There are two parts to timing. The first is the static parts of the beat that is through an entire track and dictates when to move your feet. Another one is the tempo of the music. The tempo determines how fast you should make a spin/turn, tells you to move, take a step or pause. If you grasp all of these secrets you'll be a master cha-cha dancer.

You can't mistake a Cha Cha beat in a song. You hear the two slow beats and the three quicker beats. Then when you hear the quick beats you move side and close, cha cha cha.