Merengue is a style of music and dance originated in the Caribbean, specifically in the Dominican Republic in the late nineteenth century. Originally, the merengue was played with guitars. Years later, the guitars were replaced by the accordion complying, with the calabash, and the drum, the structure of the whole instrumental tipico.

This set, with three instruments, represents the synthesis of the three cultures that formed the idiosyncrasies of the Dominican culture. The European influence is to be represented by the accordion, African by tambora (drum two patches), and the aboriginal Taino or calabash.

To dance merengue, the basic step is a pattern of two steps extremely simple but requires a movement of the hip to the right that is a bit difficult to learn. When dancing the merengue, the men and women stand in a position similar to the waltz, and from that position to take a step aside in what is called "crossing the fence", and can then turn to the right or the left. This is called merengue lounge, in which couples never separated. There is also another style which is called merengue figure in which dancers spin apart, but always touching the hand of their partner.