When dancing your cha cha or rumba one should aim to develop a good neat leg and foot action during your basic movement, working "into" your floor to create the correct hip and leg action. Some beginners struggle to keep their feet in contact with the floor when doing a rumba or cha cha basic, the result being incorrect leg and hip action and often making it difficult to keep proper time. This simple excercise will help you get into the habit of staying "into" your floor, brushing your feet and developing a more controlled basic action in cha cha and rumba.
Some of my private students will be well aware of my sometimes unconventional teaching methods using all sorts of analogies, objects and eccentric behaviour to explain and demonstrate dancing concepts. This time, take two serviettes/tissues or pieces of paper and place them under the balls of each foot (please NOT the expensive napkins that come out only on special occasions!!) . Now try and do a Cha cha and Rumba basic (forward and back) making sure that you don't leave either serviette behind as you move your feet through the floor. This simple excercise will automatically make you brush your feet, straighten and bend your legs at the right time, and make sure that you draw forward and back with the ball, then heel then flat of your foot. You'll probably also find that you will take smaller steps and also get more hip action as you work more "into" your floor.
You can also extend this excercise to your Rumba walks (forward and back), forward walk turns, Alemanas and Spot turns. Try to not look down at your feet when doing this but rather concentrate on working your feet into your floor throughout the movement and keeping a good posture.
Hope this helps.
Yours in dancing,
John
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