Hold your partner in a vals-like position and step to the side. This is known as a "paso de la empalizada" or "stick-fence step." You can then turn clockwise or counterclockwise. This is called ballroom merengue in which couples are never separated.
Make turns individually but never part hands with your partner. This is a figure merengue (meringue de figura).
Use the "Cuban Motion" method, which is the way your body moves in all Latin dances. When one knee bends, the same hip drops. When the knee straightens, the same hip is pushed up and out, making the hips move up and down.
Practice the up and down hip action by standing in place and then alternately bending and straightening your knees.