How to dance without grinding

Say Bye to Being Shy By Learning to Do the Sensual Grind Dance

For learning grind dance, one needs to do away with inhibitions. Or on the contrary, if one is a shy individual, this type of dance can prove to be a fantastic ice breaker. Scroll down to know how to get those steps right!

Christine was always enthusiastic for dancing. She knew salsa, tango, cha cha and a few more styles. Her favorite was club dancing. She used to impress one and all with her dancing skills. There was however, one thing which she did not have in her dancing kitty. That was how to freak dance or do the grind dance. Seeing the people in a club doing the grind one day, she finally made the decision to learn it.

Has this happened to you? Did you feel something is amiss when you went to a club just because you did not know how to grind dance or what is called freak dancing? Well, that would not happen the next time you go as you would surely be getting to learn it through this text below!

Learn How to Grind Dance

Shall We Dance

You cannot do the grind if you are not with a partner. So when you go to a club or any place where you may do that, a partner is required. The fun begins after you get a partner.

Dirty Dancing, Part I

After you get a partner, get into the act and the position. Facing in the same direction, with the guy behind or in front (either ways), one individual’s groin should be in contact with the other’s butt. That is one of the basic things. Then you have to grind or rub your groin and hip area against your partner’s.

Dirty Dancing, Part II

Once you get in the groove, get some flattering and seductive moves in. It is time now to face your partner and straddle in each other’s laps. Ideally the girl supports her weight on the floor using her hands and the partner has to be standing directly behind. He holds her legs or feet up.

Dance with Me

Bending your knees and swaying rhythmically to the music is the next in the line up. Continue with the grinding motions, that is pressing together front to back and back to front. Eventually, the girl should make grinding moves around the crotch of the guy and follow a pattern. It could even be the case that the girl leads off, with hip movements and the guy follows.

These are the basic things involved in the process. It is just grinding or rather rubbing your pelvis and groin area onto your partner. There are, of course, variations where a chain of dancers either mixed or single sex dance to the tune or 2 dancers of the same-sex have a member of the opposite sex in between. In case you really want to build up more on how do you grid, here are some grind dancing tips.

Few Tips

Number 1

It is all in the hips my dear gals and guys, particularly for the girls. It is imperative to know how to move your hips in clockwise and counter clockwise movements to the music beats.

Number 2

Another important factor when it comes to grind dance is to pop your shoulders back and forth or up and down. That helps in regulating the beat of the song. It also allows to have better hip movements. Moreover, it is also imperative to keep your moves subtle to avoid coming across as vulgar or slutty or cheap.

Number 3

For a guy, if you ask a stranger to dance with you, it is better to begin standing behind the girl. A stranger would not normally want you to move in closer immediately. Thus, technically it is a better option to play it safe till you are sure that she does not mind and is liking it.

Number 4

A sure shot mantra to be a good grind dancer is to dance a little, move away from your partner. Again come back, do the grind, move away once more. Then do the front grind a bit and then again do the jog together with the guy behind! That will make you an instant hit on the dance floor and will also show that you respect your partner!

All in all, you cannot be shy to learn this dance form. You need to have that spunk in you and one has to be comfortable with such a concept! That is where the last thing comes in and that is to enjoy dancing in this manner! I say adios for now! Meanwhile you go and have a hearty grind!

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Girls, Learn How to Grind Dance In Minutes, Right Now!

This dance is simple, but its implications are not. It’s quite the package of contradictions: a public display of intimacy, a common sight that retains an air of taboo sexuality, a product of newfound sexual liberty that still perpetuates age-old heterosexual gender roles. Grinding exists wherever young people, pulsing music and alcohol intersect. You can witness it happening in house parties, concert venues, music festivals and clubs with flashing strobe lights. Now, gender roles, silent signals and awkward body-to-body interactions govern the dance floor.

Grinding is a form of dancing that is typically found at a club or a party where a man typically dances behind a woman while they both move their hips in the same circular motion.

Grinding can be a bit intimidating for girls. They may not know how to let a guy know they want to grind, where to put the guy’s hands, or how to move their hips. But don’t worry – grinding doesn’t have to be hard and you don’t have to get too intimate with your dance partner, especially if you don’t know him. If you want to know how to grind with sexiness, class, and style, just follow the next steps.

Another incredible dance technique is the Shuffle Dance. Learn How To Do It In 5 Minutes in our guide here

*note that we’re discussing this type of dancing in the common heterosexual setting between a guy and a girl but this works in any couple situation, and we intend no discrimination or exclusion of anyone.

Photo Credit: Elvert Barnes via Flickr

Where did it start?

Grinding goes back to some cultures in the Caribbean. We can trace it back to hip-thrusting dance moves labelled as “whining,” “wining” or “djuking”.

but it is it’s adoption by the hip hop culture that brought this dance style to mainstream America. It eventually “moved to high school and middle school dances (especially proms) in the US and Canada where there have been cases of administrators attempting to ban it due to its explicit nature” as one Wikipedia entry noted.

“Everywhere, boys in baggy pants and girls in tight ones gripped each others’ hips, from the front or the rear, and pushed, pushed. Pairs of girls entwined thighs and swiveled low to the ground. Groups of dancers formed “freak trains,” lines of tightly pressed bodies undulating through space.

All the moves had two elements in common: hips and friction.” As this article on Education Week noted back in 2001.

In 2015, a high school principal in Maine cancelled school dances because of students’ dance moves and the, “culture of grinding,” reports CBS Boston. “It is by no means the students’ fault, but the dancing they have witnessed on MTV/VHS/movies involves primarily only sexually suggestive grinding,” Record explains in the letter.

A predecessor to grinding as a sexually charged high-contact social dance was “The Bump”, which was popular in the 1970s, in which the contact between partners generally involved the hips or buttocks of one dancer “bumping” those of the other dancer in temporary contact. Other predecessor elements of grinding may be attributed to the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, and the famous lambada dance which became famous in the 1980s that featured grinding actions.

One additional note to keep in mind is that grinding is a form of dance that overlaps with a multitude of genres. You’ll see hip hop fans grinding, but also on dance music festival grounds with Trap music, Dubstep, and many others sub-genres including EDM.

Time To Learn How To Grind

You need to learn to grind dance (sometimes people call it freak dance or freaking) if you want to be able to get a little freaky on the dance floor. If you’re a beginner and want to know how to grind with a guy, or how to grind with a girl, this is section is for you.

First and foremost we need to mention that sometimes this form of dance will lead to unwanted actions that would happen without the partner’s consent. Please make sure there’s a sort of agreement with the other person before proceeding with such a dance as it is quite intimate in nature as we have just discussed.

The beginning of the dance

Unless you already know the guy you want to dance with and he’s led you to the dance floor, you’ll have to approach the dance floor on your own first. But if you already have a guy, then you can skip this section. Start by dancing with a friend or two. Someone you trust and from your initial circle. Here, it’s all about doing your own thing and having a good time.

Even when you’ve found your target, avoid looking around desperately. Instead, you’ll make sure the guys see that you’re having a a great time and they’ll come to you. Positivity like this is infectious and you’ll want people who want to be with you on the dance floor. Add to the attraction by showing off your dance moves with your friends. Let the guys see how you can work your body, follow the rhythm and enjoy your time.

Move Closer

Found your guy? Great! Maybe it’s a good idea to lock eyes with him from across the room, this will show your interest without much effort (we’re pretty sure you know what we mean here). You’ll want to start moving closer to him, do it with the group altogether, that way it will look like a natural, gradual move, and nothing very creepy. Then, it will be a matter of waiting for him to come closer to you, too. If you lock eyes from across the room for one second and then one inch away from him the next, you won’t look cool. So avoid that.

Extra tips to keep in mind: move towards him during the course of a song, it looks better and more natural that way and avoid crowding the guy, so maybe your friends would follow but keep some distance.

At this point, some sort of physical move needs to be done.

Photo Credit: Freepik.com

The Brushing Up

You should look at him and start some sort of interaction with him. Lock eyes with the guy, and maybe even give him a cute smile and then look away. Then, move even closer to him and let your body brush up against his, whether you’re facing him and touching him with your hands, or turning away form him and occasionally brushing up against him. This will communicate your interest and signal to the guy you intend to dance.

Begin The Grind Dance

Step in front of him so that you lock eyes and know you’re going to dance with each other. Spend a minute dancing in front of him, moving to the beat, and then slowly begin to turn so he can start dancing behind you and you can officially begin to grind.

First, you have to get in grinding position so step in front, facing away from him. Though you can mix it up once in a while, the typical grinding position is when a guy stands behind a girl. You can leave about a foot between your bodies and don’t have to get incredibly intimate to start grinding (especially if you don’t know him).

Next, both you should bend your knees so that you’re lower to the ground. If the guy is much taller than you, then you won’t have to bend your knees very much. If the guy isn’t much taller than you, however (happens if you’re wearing high heels for example) then you should bend your knees a bit further so he’s a bit above you.

Now it’s time to move your hips and butt in one continuous circular motion, continuing to move from side to side while moving your legs up and down just a bit while keeping your knees bent. If the guy knows what he’s doing, then his hips should find a similar rhythm to yours. Both your hips should be moving in the same direction to the beat of the music.

Feeling bold? Know the guy you’re dancing with? You can touch the guy’s front side with your butt as you move it from side to side. But you can also maintain your distance. There are no obligations, keep in mind this is your move, and the dance is under your control.

The next thing to do is to move your arms and chest to the beat of the music, rotating your arms and chest in the same fluid motion. Look ahead or slightly down as you continue to work your arms and chest while you move your hips. You can bring your arms down so they’re on your knees or near your waist, and wait for the guys hands to land on top of yours or around your waist as you continue to dance.

These are the basics in general. To help make things even more clear and give you extra pointers, we’re providing below some additional training:

Learn These 3 Simple Grinding Moves

Guys, These Important Secrets Are A Must-Know!

What about the guys? Most men are beginners and somewhat clueless when it comes to grinding on the dance floor. The video below will show you some secret moves that will have you grinding with the best of them!

Grinding can be very tasteful and not raunchy at all, dancing partners don’t have to be very touchy while grinding especially when they don’t know each other. Bottom line, respect each other and have fun!

Joking aside: 5 tips on how to dance for your favorite striptease and not look funny

Love and sex

00:30, February 26, 2019

Striptease is a real art that can spice up the sex life of both partners. If you want to give a man such a surprise, but are afraid to seem ridiculous or look ridiculous, heed the advice of experts and coaches from the Secrets family and sex education center on how to dance a striptease and be on top of it.

1. Practice in front of a mirror

Read on the topic:

Training and having at least a rough plan of action is not only 50% success, but also a guarantee of your own confidence. It is not necessary to put on real choreography and learn the movements by heart, but it will be much easier for you yourself if you imagine in advance what and how you want to do. Otherwise, if you want to dance for a partner without being prepared, you run the risk of getting nervous, withdrawing into yourself and becoming “numb”. In advance, you need to take care of the props, if any. It could be, for example, a chair. Check it for stability, figure out what you're going to do with it. Why is a mirror needed at this stage? Because with its help you will be able to find out from which angles you like your own view more. This will help during the dance, because in the process you will most likely ask yourself the question “How do I look right now?”.

2. Choose simple movements

Striptease is an erotic dance that does not require the presence of acrobatic elements or spinning around a pole. If you are afraid that you lack flexibility in movement or stretching, concentrate on simple movements. For example, swinging the hips along the figure-eight trajectory and smooth sliding movements of the hands over the body can excite a man no worse than transverse twine. Choose movements that suit your physical abilities and don't try to impress a man. Believe me, he will already be delighted with the very fact that you are dancing for him. Here are some basic movements that you can repeat, even if you do not have special body plasticity:

Lap dance

Striptease is needed primarily to tease a partner, to bring him to the peak of excitement. But that doesn't mean you can't touch it. On the contrary, if you alternate movements at a distance and the opportunity to touch you, you will get a very interesting effect - from desire to possession, and vice versa. In order to repeat a man's lap dance, you need to stand with your back to him so that you are close enough to him. It is better to put a chair in front of you, on the back of which you have to lean with your hands. In a smooth motion, begin to lower yourself down, bending your knees until you feel that your buttocks are touching the man’s knees. Now you can make circular movements with your hips or move back and forth. Look back over your shoulder and glance at the man, you can give him permission to put his hands on your buttocks or even unbutton your bra if you haven't had time to get rid of it yet.

Spanking and stroking the buttocks

This is a very simple move that can drive a man crazy with its frankness. In order to perform it, it is enough to stand with your back to the man and slowly bend over, allowing him to see your buttocks. After you bend as low as possible (try to do it so that your back is straight), you can start stroking your thighs and buttocks with your hands. Returning to the starting position, playfully slap your buttocks.

On a chair

A dance that requires a chair becomes both harder and easier at the same time. This, firstly, creates the need to use a piece of furniture in the dance (otherwise why is it needed?), and secondly, it gives you a point of support (you can sit or hold on to the back). What can you do with a chair while dancing? At least imagine that you are Sharon Stone, seductively shifting your legs. At the same time, you can not only show your partner your legs, but also take off their stockings, erotically stroking them.

3. Choose the right clothes in advance

The requirements for the clothes that you will get rid of during the dance are quite simple. It should give you self-confidence, emphasizing your dignity, and be easy to remove. In general, one of the most important rules in striptease is not to let a man get bored. Therefore, we advise you to choose the minimum number of items of clothing. It is best to make a choice in favor of erotic lingerie, throwing on a dressing gown so that a man, when he comes home or gets out of the shower, does not even suspect what sweet pleasure awaits him. The bathrobe can be thrown off almost immediately - this will not be a big deal, but then it will be more difficult.

Let's start from the bottom: shoes, stockings and a belt

If you are going to wear them, you should also take care of a chair, sitting on which these items can be removed. We advise you to take off your heels almost immediately or not to put them on at all, because striptease itself is a rather energy-intensive process, and dancing in heels can take more energy than it seems. Getting to the stockings, do not rush to take them off immediately. Slowly unfasten each clasp on the garter belt, but do not remove it yet (this can be done at any time after). We have already mentioned above how to take off stockings. To summarize: the main thing is to do it sitting and slowly.

Bra

It is better to remove it following a clear sequence of actions. To begin with, you can lower the straps from your shoulders - this will serve as a signal for the man that now the bra will disappear from the battlefield, which means that he will again focus his attention on you if he suddenly managed to get bored while you were pulling off the stockings. You can squeeze your chest in your hands, lift it, lean close to your partner's face. When unfastening the clasp, it is better to turn your back on the man so that he can observe the process from all sides (except if the clasp is located in front). After unbuttoning the bustier on the back, holding the cups on the chest, turn to face him again. After that, you can play with the breasts a little more and finally throw the bodice into the far corner of the room or into the lap of a man.

Panties

The most long-awaited and desired part of the show. Now only this piece of clothing separates you from sex with a partner. You can remove them yourself by lowering them to your knees and then stepping over them first with one and then with the other foot. And you can leave this part to the conscience of the man. He will be happy to take part in the process of your exposure.

4. Choose the right music

Music creates most of the atmosphere, is responsible for the mood and pace with which you take off your clothes and generally move. Choose smooth, melodic compositions and form a playlist of them in advance so that in the midst of the dance you do not have to frantically flip through a hundred tracks in search of the desired melody.

By the way, during the rehearsal you will be able to find out approximately how long it will take you to undress, but it is better to make a playlist with a margin. It's even better to loop it so that after the last song is played, it starts over. Then sex, if you lead everything to it, will take place to the music, and this also changes a lot.

5. You are unlikely to look funny, so there is nothing to be afraid of

Feeling shy, constrained and afraid of being laughed at is completely normal. But, if we are talking about striptease, such emotions are better thrown aside, and here's why.

Striptease is not only a dance way to get rid of clothes, it is also a process of seduction, it is an opportunity to demonstrate your beauty, confidence and sexuality. Remember that you are dancing for your partner, husband, beloved man. He has probably seen you naked more than once, so the sight of your naked body will definitely not make him laugh. And the movements that you will do, even more so, because he will be fascinated by your beauty and courage. Of course, you are afraid that something might go wrong: you will get tangled in your own panties, trip or lose your balance. Even if this happens (and it will not happen if you follow our advice), then do not lose your temper and continue as if it never happened.

If you do not draw your partner's attention to some misunderstanding during the dance, he is unlikely to notice it. Take striptease as an ode to love for your body, because you not only give a man the opportunity to admire your dance, but also allow yourself to feel sexy and desirable, and these feelings play an important role in a woman's life.

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Photo : Shutterstock/VOSTOCK

Video : a scene from the film "From Dusk Till Dawn"

Head spins more than rum: how the merengue dance is the main dance of the Dominican Republic

Travel History

Rumble. Looks like they knocked down the door on the floor above. "Baylar contigo!" (“Dance with you!”) shouts Enrique Iglesias from someone’s smartphone. Laughter, screeching, rhythmic knocking. The ceiling is trembling. Are they dancing? I sleepily stare at the display of my mobile phone: two in the morning. Actually a three-storey villa Gansevoort in the town of Sosua near Puerto Plata is an elite retreat and retreat for wealthy introverts. Even the staff speaks in whispers...

I listen to fragmentary phrases from above. It turns out that a Dominican diplomat descended on my neighbors in the company of the concierge and the driver Daniel, who brought me here. I cover my head with a pillow. But sleep is still not possible.

- You probably tasted rum all night? I ask Daniel the next morning.

— What are you! I'm driving. And why drink? As soon as I hear the rhythms that are close to my heart, my legs begin to dance on their own,” the driver laughs. And suddenly, releasing the steering wheel at full speed, he starts clapping his hands and jumping to the beat of a fast farcical song coming from the car radio. - It's merengue!

Heartbeat

Merengue is the main dance of the Dominican Republic. Since November 30, 2016, it has been included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. It has a stronger effect on Dominicans than 10-year-old añejo rum. Still: the merengue has an aging of five centuries.

“Merengue flows in our blood, its rhythm coincides with the beating of our hearts,” says Daniel.

According to one version, the dance was created by the ancestors of the Dominicans - African slaves of the Spanish and French colonizers. They worked in the sugar plantations and gold mines of the island of Haiti with chains on their feet. Movements were limited: small steps left and right and tilts. The overseer urged on the slaves with rods - they jumped. And so the rhythm was born.

The gradual abolition of slavery began in the 1790s. Not all French and Spaniards supported the liberation movement - some tried to strengthen their positions as slave owners and colonizers. The slaves were finally freed in 1822, and in 1844 the Spanish political community "Trinitaria" proclaimed the eastern part of Haiti an independent Dominican Republic.

Blacks, mulattos and white Europeans became citizens of the young state. And the composer Juan Bautista Alfonseca set the rhythm of plantations to major music. It turned out to be a light life-affirming dance, which was given the name merengue . Why this is so is unknown. The Dominicans themselves associate the name of the dance with an airy meringue (meringue) cake: the movement of the whisk when whipping proteins and the dance steps are somewhat similar.

Probably, the Dominicans considered the merengue the beginning of a new, sweet life. But it was too early to dance with joy: the young republic did not have enough strength and resources for self-government. Spain, France and the United States fought for the Dominican lands. Neighbors from Western Haiti periodically attacked. The country is mired in debt.

In 1861 the Dominican Republic was annexed by Spain, in 1916 it was occupied by the USA. The West did not want any reminders of slavery and African culture. Activists tried to ban the provocative dance, but to no avail.

And in 1930, Rafael Trujillo came to power. The ruler returned to the Dominicans the merengue tipico (a version of Alfonseca's times), ordered them to compose variations - new melodies and words - on the theme of the merengue and declared the dance a national treasure.

Trujillo came from the lower Dominicans. In addition, he wanted to win over the people with the help of merengue, to show that "life has become more fun." However, the dictator considered the white and “not too dark” population of the country to be the people. Trujillo hated his African roots. On his orders, the soldiers massacred thousands of blacks. When at 19On the 61st, Trujillo was killed by the conspirators, the merengue turned into a dance of freedom and equality. And the Dominican Republic — to the dance floor…

Houses of all colors of the rainbow with openwork architraves and white balconies are crowded on the streets of Puerto Plata. They were built by the Spanish colonizers. Exhausted citizens hide under the umbrellas of street cafes. An artist with an easel in the shade of a flamboyant (“fire tree”) draws a colonial house, and his legs move continuously left and right. This is because the wandering musician, sitting on the stone porch of the house, strums the merengue guitar.

A police officer at a road junction pulls a ringing cell phone out of his pocket, but is in no hurry to answer. Ringtone - merengue! And the elderly stocky law enforcement officer suddenly begins to wriggle to the beat, like an iguana.

Surfers on the ocean coast and they dance.

— How are you? Good! - swarthy surf instructors Jerry and Dauri improvise rap in Russian to the rhythm of merengue, having learned that I am from Russia. Their colleague, the German Markus Bohm, dances with them. He came from prosperous Germany to the Dominican Republic to “catch a wave” and stayed for 28 years.

— In the Dominican Republic, celebration and joy all year round, explains Markus.

He is not the only white foreigner who voluntarily gave up European comforts for an endless dance party. Here is another downshifter - Italian Andrea Attus. He quit publishing in Milan and now works on a cable car in Puerto Plata.

— In the Dominican Republic, no one cares who you are and where you come from. Dancing gradually blurs the lines between races and social classes, says Andrea. “Even the representatives of the lower strata do not feel hurt and enjoy life.

The pride of the poor

The lower classes of Dominican society are farmers, fishermen, fruit merchants, workers in national parks. Almost the entire territory of the country is occupied by forests, fields, gardens, limestone caves. Many villages are located right in the nature reserves.

On the path of the reserve El Choco , in the suburbs of Cabarete, a milk truck with a beaten canister is dragged on a donkey. In the thickets of giant ferns hide shacks, hastily knocked together from rough palm boards. There are gaps between the boards. In one hut, a door was knocked off its hinges and tied to a post in the opening with a rope.

Inside, on four pegs, there is a sheet of iron covered with ashes, apparently from a landfill, on top - red-hot bricks and charred saucepans. An elderly woman in a faded dress sits on a shabby makeshift stool. In front of her, bean pods are laid out on limestone. Apparently, he cooks la bandera, a favorite dish of the local poor, reminiscent of the Dominican tricolor flag. Meat is red, a symbol of independence. Rice is white, salvation. Blue-violet beans - blue, freedom ... Seeing me, the hostess introduces herself as Petrulencia and smiles cordially. She is missing her front teeth.

— Yes, we live in poverty. But we have much to be proud of. After all, it was we, the poor, who invented bachata, which is now danced even in secular society! Petrulencia assures me.

The bachata dance ( bachata - "party", "drunk") was born in the time of Trujillo. It was also called the music of bitterness - amargue . The peasants slowed down the rhythm of the merengue and composed minor melodies: this option was more suitable for their lifestyle.

It was considered bad manners to perform amarge in the highest circles. But at 19The popularization of this musical style began in the 70s. The prejudice against bachata was finally broken in 1990, when the Dominican pop singer Juan Luis Guerra released the album "Pink Bachata", the songs of which immediately became hits even among the upper strata of society.

Simultaneously with bachata, the image of a simple woman in curlers came into fashion. When going to dances, peasant women curl their hair in hairdressers. Small curls (African heritage) are considered ugly. If you look bad, they won't invite you to dance.

In 2016, during the election campaign of the current President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, posters were hung all over the country: Danilo, as his fellow citizens call him in a brotherly way, hugging a lady in curlers. The Dominican leader made the right bet. From the point of view of the people, a good president is one who honors dancing.

We don't complain. After all, no one encroaches on our freedom anymore. This thought is easy to live with. For example, for a whole week I think about how I will go to a disco on Friday night. The weekend is ahead, dance till you drop,” a resident of the village of Carlos tells me. And in the meantime he dances. Getting ready.

Red day

Friday evening. On Columbus Square in Santo Domingo, the "merengue gang" performs - musicians in simple checkered shirts. They play on some boxes and graters. Bursting, chirping, rattling sounds are reflected from the walls of the fortress. Feeling like I'm inside an old music box.

“The Box” is our marimba,” explains my guide from the Dominican Ministry of Tourism, Prudencio Ferdinand, a native of Santo Domingo. - Metal plates are attached to the front wall of this box, and there is a hole under them. The plates are tapped with hands or sticks, a sound with resonance is obtained. "Grater" - guira. Metal roller with pimples, which are driven back and forth with a scraper.

The obligatory instrument is the African tambora drum: it is beaten with both hands from the left and right. More guitars. And an accordion. Trujillo ordered to bring it from Germany in order to perform merengue in a modern way. The classical merengue ensemble has at least 15 musicians.

The crowd moves to the concert with the power of an ocean wave. People, like lizards, clung to the entire hill to the very foot of the fort. There is nowhere to dance, but that doesn't stop anyone.

A guy with a glass in his hand, spinning his partner, accidentally splashes rum on the head of a lady who has sat down to rest. She turns around angrily. “Sorry, I got carried away with the dance!” — the guy justifies himself. And the woman immediately breaks into a smile. A hunched old man is spinning with a young mulatto beauty. The obese pregnant madam bounces to the beat. Their movements are clear and harmonious.

- Nothing complicated. When you dance merengue, you need to follow your partner carefully. And bachata is completely danced close to each other, this is a sensual dance. You definitely won’t get off the beat,” Prudencio instructs.

Merengue and bachata sound, perhaps, from every courtyard, window, door of Santo Domingo. Dance clubs everywhere. There are elite: spacious multi-tiered halls with expensive bars, a stage, laser installations. There are "folk": gloomy little rooms on the first floors of peeling houses from the time of Columbus. A white-haired old man, dark as the night sky, runs out of one such room, grabs my arm and pulls me inside, into a cloud of cigar smoke.

- Don't be afraid! laughs Prudencio. He wants to dance with you. It's Friday. All the people are having fun!

Alas, I can't dance merengue or bachata.

Secret of Mamajuana

- Step with the right foot. Left step. Farther. Nearer. Turn. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro! - the animator teaches me at the Paradisus hotel in Punta Cana.

Punta Cana is a resort for foreigners. Almost all local residents work in the tourism industry. Dancing mostly in hotels. In Bahia Principe , for example, almost the entire staff, led by the director, starts dancing when tourists stop by. They sing a song of their own composition in the merengue rhythm: “This is Bahia Principe - a hotel!” Almost every hotel in Punta Cana hosts dance master classes in the evenings. Dominican businessmen believe that a hotel without merengue and bachata will lose to competitors.

I try to follow my teacher's steps. But I lack lightness, looseness, a sense of rhythm.

- So drink mamajuana! the dancer advises.

Mamajuana is a Dominican alcoholic drink. It is prepared from rum, red wine, tree bark, various herbs, roots and spices. According to the most common version, pot-bellied wicker bottles with a narrow neck were previously called mamahuana. They kept tincture. The locals are sure: mamahuana excites and invigorates. In addition, the national drink, like merengue, is associated with freedom and equality: mass production of mamajuana was established only after the death of Trujillo.

I knock over a glass. And now it seems that the merengue rhythm already coincides with my pulse.

A precocious porter in a black uniform jumps onto the dance floor, with which he almost blends in. He snatches a tourist from a group of spectators - a grand lady in diamonds. She leaves her bored husband with a glass of mamajuana and goes dancing with a smile.

“Dancing makes people happy,” Dominicans say. And all people are happy the same way. Regardless of origin, skin color and social status.

TERRAIN ORIENTATION

Dominican Republic

Area 48,670 km² (128th in the world)
Population 10,535,000 (86th)
Population density 216 inhabitants/km²
Capital Santo Domingo

SIGHTSEEING National park with three lakes Los Tres Ojos Amber Museum in Santo Domingo.