merengue

/meuh reng"gay/, n., v., merengued, merenguing.

n.

1. a ballroom dance of Dominican and Haitian origin, characterized by a stiff-legged, limping step.

2. the music for this dance.

v.i.

3. to dance the merengue.

Also, méringue.

[1935-40; < AmerSp]

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Couple dance from the Dominican Republic or Haiti, danced throughout Latin America.

Originally a folk dance, it has become a ballroom dance, where it is danced with a limping step, the weight always on the same foot. Varieties include the jaleo and juangomero. Dominican merengue music became widely popular in the late 20th century.

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▪ dance

French  mérengue  

      couple dance originating in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, strongly influenced by Venezuelan and Afro-Cuban musical practices and by dances throughout Latin America. Originally, and still, a rural folk dance and later a ballroom dance, the merengue is at its freest away from the ballroom. It is danced with a limping step, the weight always on the same foot. The music is in ⁴/₄ time with three sections: paseo, merengue, and jaleo. There are several varieties, some with other names, e.g., jaleo and juangomero. The traditional accompaniment, which often combines duple and triple metres and sometimes produces ⁵/₈ effects, is an ensemble consisting of guitar, metal scraper (charrasca), and two drums (one single-headed, the other double).

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