History of Latin American Dance

The Origin of the Latin American Dance

The history of Latin American Dance is linked to the popular worldwide dances, which had their roots in Latin America, for example the Salsa, Bolero, Rueda, Conga, Carimbo, Merengue, Macarena, Cueca, Mambo, Cumbia, Lambada and Joropo. However, three of these dances have been separated from the entire lot, like the Rumba, Cha Cha and Samba and some other two from Europe and North America called Paso Doble and Jive respectively. This is because these dances are globally performed as Latin American dances socially, in international DanceSports and competitions. The dances are for man-and-lady couples. In the dances, the holds differ from one figure to the other with either dancers holding one another using one hand or in closed ballroom holds. Conversely, the history of Latin American Dance figures are categorized and standardized to diverse levels for coaching, with globally agreed techniques, tempos, vocabularies and rhythms. However, that was not always the case. These dances, specifically launched in the 20th Century to the Western European societies, have varied origins in past eras.

Romantic languages (such as Rumanian, French, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish) originated from prehistoric Latin languages. These languages also identify a society that spread over extensive regions of the Americas. From this region came three dances which with another dance from France/Spain and another one from America comprise the dance sets that are currently known as ‘Latin-America’ dances internationally. It should be noted that, ‘Latin-American’ here stands for Latin and America and does not refer to Latin America geographical regions.

In the history of Latin American dance, there are three Latin American dances developed to a combination of native, Negro and European forms. Captors from Europe brought in Negro slaves from different West African regions to larger American areas at early stages mostly since Europeans had difficulties convincing Indigenes to be in their service. Therefore, by 1553, African slaves were then brought in and outnumbered Europeans living in Mexico, and Luis de Velasco the Viceroy, advised Charles V of Spain not to allow further influx.

In the seventeenth and eighteen centuries ongoing fusions of these three societies took place to come up with a new society known as Creole. As soon as European dances were introduced in Latin America; immediate adoption took place and they became creolized. Contradance, then changed to be Contradanza Habanera in Cuba (was initially Havana) with the implementation of syncopated rhythms.

History of Latin American Dance has it that as the years passed, as that dance developed, the identity was shortened to ‘Danzon’. Afterwards, the music was syncopated and included rhythm and bars. Multifaceted syncopated rhythms are presently an aspect of every Latin-American dance. A slower and advanced version then developed using the ‘Son’ as an abbreviated name. In the history of Latin American Dance, the rhythm was used in a love song (Modinha) that had become widespread in the 19th Century in Europe.