The cha-cha is a
tourista dance that's used in
North America but not in
Latin America where the
salsa and
meringue are preferred. It's a
rhythm dance, a.k.a.
box step - it stays in one place rather than following
Line of Dance around the floor.
Basically a
chassé step back and forth with a
rock step on either end (back when leading right, forward when leading left). But the many attractive
variations make it a fun social dance.
So named from the sound of
maracás in the music.