Merengue Haitian, Havana, 2012

The Merengue is a musical genre and dance that originated in the Dominican Republic, a Caribbean island. It started to become well known around 1850, specifically in the northern region of El Cibao, and today its popularity has spread to other nations such as Puerto Rico, Venezuela and the U.S. cities of New York and Miami. Its origins are very vague. One hypothesis states that the origin of the Merengue was the result of a dance called the Upa Habanera, which has a step called the Merengue. Another staes that it could be an adaptation of a Haitian dance which is called the Méringue.