Basic movement

The basic movement has ten steps. The steps for the man and the lady are similar but time-shifted: man's steps on the first measure are indentical with lady's steps on the second measure, and vice versa.

Foot animation

Measure	Beat		Man	Lady
1	1	one	Right foot to side	Left foot to side
	2	two	Left foot forwards	Right foot backwards
	3	three	Weight back on right foot	Weight back on left foot
	4	cha	Left foot to side	Right foot to side
		cha	Right foot closed to left foot	Left foot closed to right foot
2	1	cha	Left foot to side	Right foot to side
	2	two	Right foot backwards	Left foot forwards
	3	three	Weight back on left foot	Weight back on right foot
	4	cha	Right foot to side	Left foot to side
		cha	Left foot closed to right foot	Right foot closed to left foot
3	1	cha	Right foot to side	Left foot to side

The last step in the table is also the first step of the next cycle. This is an exception on the usual form of the tables, but the omission of the last step would be more confusing. The "cha cha cha" or 4&1 are called a chassé.

Common problems

1. The rhythm on cha cha cha is relatively difficult compared to other dances. The main difficulty is the recognition of the bars, or measures. If you do not find the rhythm crystal clear, it is advisablle to spend some time to just listen to the music without dancing.
2. Since the basic movement is composed of no less than ten individual steps, catching the rhythm again after a mistake is more difficult than in most dances.