GuacaMusic: Rico Merengue
posted in: Features • Latin • Reviews & Playlists
Are you in the mood for dessert? Try a rico merengue!
Don’t get confused. You could mix whipped egg whites with sugar and a touch of vanilla to get a taste of meringue, or you could play a tambora and maintain a 2/4 beat to savor merengue, a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic that could have gotten its name from this delicious dessert. 
There are many theories behind the name of this music, but our favorite is the one that insists it has to do with how the movement on the dance floor reflects an egg beater in action.
If movement is what you are looking for, you have come to the right place. Here on OurStage, we have some mouth-watering merengue songs that will get you dancing before you can say egg whites.
Put your dance shoes on and listen to this playlist that includes the greatest merengue on OurStage: “El Vergel” by KORA, “Caña Dulce” by Nelson Polanco, “Having a Party” by Sugarcane Rush, “Perdiste Tu” by Juan Esteban & The Premium Band, and “Hasta que termine la noche” by KAMPA.
After that, read on for some facts about merengue dancing!
If you played these songs and aren’t dancing already, get motivated by these fascinating details:
- Traditional merengue dancing is characterized by a stylized limping step. Legend tells that the style was developed to imitate a wounded war hero who danced with a limp.
- Merengue is a combination of two dances, the African and the French Minuet.
- The original merengue was not danced by individual couples, but rather as a circle dance.
- Merengue music is closely related to the similarly named méringue, native to Haiti.
- Dictator Rafael Trujillo, who came to power in the Dominican Republic in 1930, declared merengue dancing and music as the official national forms.
Enjoy this savory treat ¡Provecho!