merengue originated in the dominican republic and could not be more suited to the carioca way of dancing and generally living life - during the dance, partners hold each other very close and the leader holds the follower's waist while both bending their knees slightly, moving in circular and sideways motions - it is verging on erotic.

in rio de janeiro, the beats and rhythm of merengue soon caught the attention of musicians and during the eighties the genre was fused with samba - the genre is not the most popular style, but it has caught o n, helped by dzi croquettes, who adopted merengue in many of the routines.