Home » TNFD Dances » Info & Learning Pages » (Line Dance) » Jimmy Copacabana – Line Dance – Canada & USA {Latin}

Jimmy Copacabana is a modern line dance choreographed by Stéphane Beauchamp & Maryse Gagnon (Canada) and Ira Weisburd (USA) to the Latin hip-hop clubbin’, partyin’ hit “Live at Jimmy’s” by Angie Martinez off her 2001 album Up Close and Personal. The choreography has spawned a multitude of YouTube postings and racked up thousands of views since its inception in July 2023. Not to miss out on a trend, Tuesday Night Folk Dancing got in on the action too, but without a YouTube posting. The music has a Dominican merengue beat, and one can manage the obligatory Latin hip action of the merengue drive throughout almost all the steps.

Re­source Links:
Dance Name:Jimmy Copacabana
Cho­re­o­graph­ers:Stéphane Beauchamp, Maryse Gagnon, & Ira Weisburd
Year:2023
Coun­try of Or­i­gin:Canada & USA
Mu­sic Gen­re:Latin Dominican Merengue Hip Hop
Dance Type:Line Dance: Individuals in lines
Dance Cat­e­go­ry:Recreational, Non-Ethnic
Skill Lev­el:Intermediate
En­er­gy In­ten­si­ty:Moderate
Song:“Live at Jimmy’s” by Angie Martinez, feat. Big Pun,
Cuban Link, Domingo, & Sunkiss
“Tomando Mamajuana” by Mamajuana
– various covers & remixes
Time Sig­na­ture:2/4 Merengue beat
Pat­tern/Rhythm:32 Count, 4 Wall
Danc­er For­ma­tion:Individuals in Lines
Hand Hold:none
Leads to:Fwd w/ R; Always R each 4-count pattern
Date Taught:07/25/23
Teach­er:David
Pub­lished:July 20, 2023
Up­dat­ed:September 12, 2024

Fun Facts

  • “Jimmy Copacabana” or “Jimmy Copa Cabana” is the first line of the chorus of the song.
  • “Tomando Mamajuana” comes from a line in the song, “tomando Mama Guana” [Mama Juana] which means “drinking Mama Juana.” Mama Juana is an exotic Dominican aphrodisiacal drink made by infusing a mixture of rum, red wine, and honey with tree bark and herbs.
  • Who is Jimmy? I’m asking. From the lyrics, it would seem to be the name of a club in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, but I can’t find any source for that claim.

Angie Martinez was born in New York to a Puerto Rican father and a mother of Puerto Rican, Cuban and Dominican descent. As a teen, Angie like to party, and her mother thought that sending her to live with her aunt in Miami would be better?!?! Although she had good success as a rapper, she quit the music biz after less than a decade to focus on her true passion of being a radio personality and to try her hand at some other ventures.

Mamajuana was created by the Dominican composer and arranger Eddy Gonzalez. Named after the Dominican exotic, aphrodisiac drink Mama Juana, Mamajuana combines Afro-Caribbean and contemporary rhythms with romantic lyrics. Their debut album, distributed by Sony International, included the hits “mamasota” and “SIn un Beso suyo.” In just two weeks in the US market, Mamajuana sold 20,000 copies of this album. In 2007, Mamajuana became one of the first Dominican groups to perform in China.

Lyrics

Many websites list the lyrics to “Live at Jimmy’s,” such as GENIUS for Angie Martinez’s version and SongLyrics for Mamajuana’s version.

Step Sheet

A step sheet and links to way too many demo and teaching videos is at CopperKnob Stepsheets.

Each 4-count pattern starts on the right foot, which is a helpful reminder if you miss a step.

Dancing Examples

Demo & Teaching: Ira Weisburd, Florida, USA
Demo: Min LineDance Korea
Demo & Teaching: LineDanceDallas, Plano, Texas, USA
This is what Merengue, the dance, looks like

Teaching Examples

Ira Weisburd. Teaching @ 2:38
LineDanceDallas Teaching @ 2:35

Music Examples of “Live at Jimmy’s”

You will also find a few remixes of the song on YouTube, but the original is always better. NSFW Warning: the full, unedited versions are NSFW/Parental Advisory…

Line Dance version: Angie Martinez, safety & length edited to first verse only
Mamajuana
Angie Martinez, extended version
Frenesí Orquesta