Definition of Latin American dances
In addition to standard dances, Latin American dance is part of the world dance program , which includes samba , rumba , cha-cha-cha as well as jive and paso doble . Although only the first three really come from South America, these five dances are grouped under the term Latin , as their technical elements are very similar. Jive originated in North America while the Paso Doble originated in Spain and France. The main differences from the standard dances ( slow waltz , Viennese waltz , foxtrot , quickstep, Slowfox and Tango , which incidentally also comes from South America) consists in the communication of the couples – the two bodies separate more often, you don’t just dance as a unit, the coordinated figures become more visible and there are far more twists and turns.
Fashion or ballroom dances such as salsa , bachata , cumbia and merengue do not belong to the collective term of Latin dances , although they were invented in Latin America. While the so-called International Style (see above for dances) has prevailed at tournaments in Europe , in the USA, besides the Rumba and Cha Cha, people dance the Bolero from Spain, the East Coast Swing and the Mambo (instead of Samba , Jive and Paso Doble).
Despite these different affiliations, we now take a look at all the important dances that really come from South and Central America, regardless of whether they are danced in tournaments or not.
Definition of Latin American dances
In addition to standard dances, Latin American dance is part of the world dance program , which includes samba , rumba , cha-cha-cha as well as jive and paso doble . Although only the first three really come from South America, these five dances are grouped under the term Latin , as their technical elements are very similar. Jive originated in North America while the Paso Doble originated in Spain and France. The main differences from the standard dances ( slow waltz , Viennese waltz , foxtrot , quickstep, Slowfox and Tango , which incidentally also comes from South America) consists in the communication of the couples – the two bodies separate more often, you don’t just dance as a unit, the coordinated figures become more visible and there are far more twists and turns.
Fashion or ballroom dances such as salsa , bachata , cumbia and merengue do not belong to the collective term of Latin dances , although they were invented in Latin America. While the so-called International Style (see above for dances) has prevailed at tournaments in Europe , in the USA, besides the Rumba and Cha Cha, people dance the Bolero from Spain, the East Coast Swing and the Mambo (instead of Samba , Jive and Paso Doble).
Despite these different affiliations, we now take a look at all the important dances that really come from South and Central America, regardless of whether they are danced in tournaments or not.
Important dances from Latin America
Samba
The samba has its origins in dance forms that slaves brought to Brazil in the 19th century from countries such as Sudan , the Congo and Angola . The basis was always an African drum rhythm. Through many influences, such as another dance, the Maxixe , which is similar to Tango Argentino , today’s samba was created, which is not only an integral part of the world dance program, but also the most important form of expression of the Brazilian carnival due to its provocative and exuberant nature . Especially in Rio de Janeiro a competition between the city’s samba dance schools has established itself at carnival time.
Mambo
The Mambo originated from the Cuban musical style Son Cubano and the Cuban dance Danzón , which in turn is based on a French dance ( Contredanse ). The musician Pérez Prado in particular shaped this dance style by giving his songs a new rhythm . Since this rhythm and the sequence of steps are considered to be somewhat complicated, the mambo has not established itself very well to this day, but has been replaced by the simpler Cha-Cha-Cha and Rumba . It peaked in popularity in the mid-1950s in New York and Europe.
Rumba
The origin of this Cuban couple dance lies in the Habanera , a style danced in Cuba in the early 19th century, mainly by Afro-Cubans. This then influenced other dances such as the milonga (a subspecies of tango ) and the bolero . From this, the rumba was created by making slight changes and slowing down the musicwhich has since been forgotten, but then experienced a renewed upswing, especially in New York, before and after the Second World War, and has since been part of the world dance program to this day. Particularly characteristic of the rumba is the flirting of the couple, who turn away from each other every now and then and want to be conquered by their partner through loving, erotic and dreamy dance sequences. By telling this story, the audience is often drawn in.
Cha-Cha-Cha
Also influenced by other dances, the Cha-Cha-Cha was created in Cuba between 1948 and 1955 . The Mambo is from the origin of the Cha-Cha-Cha, only by removing the syncopation in the bars and introducing the typical Cha-Cha-Cha rhythm , this new way of dancing was created. This was then further adapted to the technical achievements of rumba , so that in the end a cheerful mixed dance came out, in which the couple played cheekily with each other.
Tango
The Irish playwright Bernard Shaw once said “Tango is the vertical expression of a horizontal desire” – this perfectly describes the sizzling eroticism of a dancing tango couple. The Tango Argentino was created over a long period of time, due to the many influences of immigrants from different countries in the 19th century. The Creole candombe (dance movements of African slaves), the habanero from Cuba , the polka from Bohemia and the German musical instrument bandoneon , later a symbol of the tango, contributed to its creation.
Salsa
Similar to the music that goes with it, salsa combines Afro-Caribbean and European dance styles. As with the mambo , they have their origins in the French-English contredanse of the 17th century. The French and Spanish colonial rulers brought their guitar music to Hispaniola (today’s Haiti and Dominican Republic ). When the locals rebelled against the French and they then went to Cubafled, it was mainly the dances of the French that mixed with the guitar music of the Spaniards, as well as the African drum music. Other dances and styles of music combined to form a sauce (“salsa”), from which the modern salsa emerged in the end (once again in New York, among other places).
Cumbia
Cumbé , a popular African circle dance from Guinea , is the origin of the cumbia . cum means “drum” and generally means “to move / shake”. During the colonial period, African slaves brought it to the Colombian coast , from where it spread further and further inland as a folk dance. In the course of time, the cumbé mixed with the indigenous music and dance elements as well as the Spanish rhythm, so that at some point today’s cumbia emerged, as it is danced in pairs. Today it is very similar to salsa , both are typical dances on 4/4 time.
Merengue
Exactly where the merengue comes from is controversial. Since the middle of the 19th century, the simple dance was mainly danced by the rural population at village festivals. In the 1930s, the then dictator of the Dominican Republic , Rafael Trujillo , discovered the merengue for his purposes as a propaganda medium, organized dance festivals and had merengue music instrumentalized in more complex ways and played on the radio. This promotion paid off not only for him, but also for the common people. Even after his death, people were still busy dancing and the merengue became a cultural asset of the republic. Since then, the Dominicans have identified themselves with the merengue, which is indispensable there even today.
Bachata
At the beginning of the 1960s, guitar music was popular in the Dominican Republic for couples in love, reminiscent of the mariachi music in Mexico . With an increasingly brisk rhythm and influences from merengue music, the beat accelerated and people began to dance bolero elements to the music. The Bachata was particularly popular for the first time during the time of Juan Luis Guerra’s album “Bachata Rosa” ; previously the dance was considered vulgar because it is danced very tightly and erotically. It was not until the 2000s that bachata experienced a real boom in the Hispanic-Caribbean countries, from where it conquered the whole world.
