4/22/2012

The History of Rumba

By Susan Todd


Rumba is among the most popular ballroom dances. The interesting point about Rumba is that it is a universal term that stems from the verb "rumbear". Rumbear means going to parties, dancing and having a good time.

While there is a recognized form of American Rumba for professional dancers, it came from many different dances. Son, Danzon, Guagira, Guaracha, Naningo are all West Indian music dances from various Caribbean islands.

The origins of the West Indies dances are from Spain and Africa. In the 16th century, African slaves were delivered to the Caribbean islands and they brought together with them the native Rumba influence. The first folk dance was a sex pantomime. It was danced swiftly with exaggerated hip movements. The man's part was to have a sensually aggressive attitude and the lady played a defensive part. The movements were dynamic and animated.

The main growth of the Rumba happened in Cuba. The "Son" dance was very popular in the middle class of Cuba. It was slower than the conventional folk dance brought from Africa. The wealthy Cubans also had a version of the Rumba called the "Danzon" which was even slower than the "Son". Not only was the dance slower, the exaggerated movements were much more delicate.

The American Rumba came from the "Son" dance. It was originally established in the U. S. in 1913. Ten years later, rumba musicians and rumba dancers came to New York and found out that New Yorkers truly didn't know what Rumba all meant. Latin music started to become more popular in the 1920's in L. A. when Xavier Cugat's Latin American orchestra began to play. In the 1930's, the orchestra started playing in New York.

In Europe, Monsieur Pierre contributed to Rumba's popularity in the 1930's. He performed the true "Cuban Rumba" and this turned into the official recognized version of Rumba in Europe.




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