Cha-Cha

The dance was originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha. In 1951, Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín introduced the Cha-Cha-Cha to Cuban dance floors while playing with Orquesta América. According to Jorrín, the sound made by the shoes of the dancers on the floor sounded like "cha-cha-cha", while they tried to follow the new rhythm. The dance is an offshoot of the Mambo.

As in the slow Mambo tempo, there was a distinct sound in the music that people began dancing to, which was then called the "Triple" Mambo. Eventually it evolved into a separate dance, known today as the Cha-Cha. The dance consists of three quick steps (triple step or Cha Cha Cha) and two slower steps on the one beat and two beat. The tempo of the Cha-Cha is 128 beats per minute which makes it a medium tempo Latin dance.

Jive

Jive is a dance style in 4/4 rhythm that originated from African-Americans in the early 1940s. Among its influences are the Lindy Hop from the 1930s, Blues Swing, Boogie Jive Woogie from the 1940s and the Jitterbug and the Rock'n'Roll from the 1950s.

American soldiers brought these dances to Europe around 1940, where they swiftly found a following among the young. However, it was never far from criticism as a foreign, vulgar dance. The famous ballroom dancing guru, Alex Moore, said that he had "never seen anything uglier". Jive was adopted in 1968 as the fifth Latin American dance.

In competition it is danced at a speed of 44 bars per minute, otherwise at between 32 and 40 beats per minute. English instructors developed the elegant and lively Jive, which was then danced to slightly slower music.

Salsa

Salsa refers to a fusion of informal dance styles having roots in the Caribbean (especially Cuba), Latin America and North America, even if there is also a strong African influence in the music and the dance.

The name "Salsa" is the Spanish word for sauce, suggesting (in American Spanish) a spicy flavour. Salsa is a slot or spot dance, i.e. the partners do not need to travel over the dance floor but usually occupy a fixed area of the dance floor, rotating around one another and exchanging places. Travelling is not ruled out, but is more used in a staged Salsa performance.

Salsa is danced on a core rhythm that lasts for two measures of four beats each. The basic step typically uses three steps each measure. Typically, the music involves complex African percussion rhythms and can range from slow at about 120 beats per minute to its fastest at around 180 beats per minute.