Search - Strictly Dancing, El Gatos Rhythm Orchestra :: Cha Cha

Great Cha cha CD

03/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you want Cha Cha music with a beat that is easy to feel, then this CD should work just fine. I bought this CD because my spouse was having trouble finding the Cha Cha beat while we danced together. Dancing the music from this collection has made it easier and more enjoyable for us. All of the tracks are well-suited for Cha Cha and fun to dance to."

A poor choice for practicing cha cha

J. Wakefield | SLC, Utah | 04/14/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"El Gato's Rhythm Orchestra is very hit and miss. Some of this is fun. Except for the first track, I like much of this as music. But this is NOT a good disc for most dancers, and a terrible disc for beginners. Many of the tracks have radical tempo changes (as noted below). Tracks 9-12 are faster than competition tempos, and so better as slow mambos for beginners.



Here are the titles, durations, and tempos:



1. El Musico, 3:22 (21 bpm). Too slow, and painfully sour trumpets.

2. Tea For Two, 3:15 (28 bpm).

3. Dance Of The Hours, 3:33 (28 bpm). There is a radical rhythm change to a fast samba from 1:25-1:55 in this track.

4. Vendedor De Bananas, 4:39 (29 bpm). This is too long for most beginners, and not all that interesting.

5. Amada Mia, 3:26 (30 bpm). There is a radical rhythm change to mambo from 1:20-1:40 in this track.

6. Ojos Oscuros, 2:54 (32 bpm). Beware, the tempo increases toward the end.

7. Swanee River, 3:03 (32 bpm). Odd beginning with no cha cha beat.

8. Vacaciones En Caracas, 3:06 (33 bpm). There is a radical rhythm change from 2:00-2:20 in this track.

9. Volaré, 3:36 (34 bpm). Some odd changes in tempo at random points.

10. Tiritomba, 1:49 (34 bpm).

11. Hello Dolly, 3:12 (34 bpm).

12. Blue Cha Cha, 3:45 (35 bpm). Again, some odd changes in tempo at random points."

Perfect for Basic Ballroom Dancing

V. Jackson | Goodyear, AZ | 01/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I teach basic ballroom dance to High School students and had been looking for C.D.'s of basic Latin rhythms to teach cha cha. This was a perfect C.D. for that, as the cha cha beat was well pronounced, and the kids could easily count it out. I would recommend it to anyone, particularly if you are just learning cha cha. One of my student athletes really enjoyed learning cha cha to this C.D. He said, "Emmitt Smith, hear I come to challenge you." He was really enthused about Latin dance."