Latin dance engages your entire core, your abdominals, back, hips and pelvic muscles. To effectively execute a samba, cha-cha, merenge, salsa or other latin dance you need to be able to isolate your hips from your torso, which requires a strong core. To get the most out of your latin dance workout, focus on maintaining correct posture and engaging your abs at all times. Keep your shoulders upright over your hips and pull your navel in toward your back.
The Cha-Cha
The cha-cha engages your lower body and core with emphasis on your obliques, the muscles that form your waistline. To do this dance move individually, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your torso in upright posture, engaging your abdominals. Listen to the music and feel the rhythm by counting one, two, cha-cha-cha. Once you are comfortable with the cha-cha rhythm, step your right foot across your left one, shift your weight back to your left on two, then bring your right foot back to center doing a triple step on cha-cha-cha. Repeat this movement on the opposite side. Alternate bending and straightening your knees during your foot movement for Latin style, according to BallroomDancers.com.
The Mambo
The mambo engages your lower body and core with emphasis on your hips and obliques. The dance moves require strong hip-to-core engagement and isolation. To do this move individually, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, pulling your torso tall and engaging your core by pulling your bellybutton in toward your back. Relax your shoulders and lift your chin as you bend your knees and step your right foot forward on count one. Swivel your hips in then out as you place your right foot down and lift your left foot up slightly. Shift your weight back to your left leg and push your hips to the left as you bring your right foot back toward the center. Pass through center and step your right foot back on three. Push your hips in and then out to the right on this count. Bring your right foot back to center on the fourth count. Repeat the entire sequence on the opposite side.
The Merengue
The merengue is a subtle movement that engages the core and emphasizes and isolates the oblique muscles. This dance move is very effective for toning the waist. To do this move individually stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your spine in tall alignment. It is essential to keep your shoulders up over your hips while executing this dance move. On the count of one, take a small step to your right, bend your right knee and shift your weight to the right while pushing your torso as far to the right as possible. Your ribcage should be over your right leg as you shift to the right, according to Salsa-Boot-Camp. Bring your weight back to center on count two. On count three bend your left knee and shift your weight to the left while pushing as far to the left as possible. Bring your weight back to center on count four.
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