Danzón Danzón is the official musical genre and dance of
Cuba. It is also an active musical form in
Mexico and is still beloved in
Puerto Rico. The danzón evolved from the Cuban
contradanza (also known as the
habanera). In Cuba, these dances were influenced by African rhythmic and dance styles and so became a genuine fusion of European and African influences. The danzón developed in 1879, and has been an important root for Cuban music up to today. Its precursor is the habanera, which is a creolized Cuban dance form. The danzón was developed, according to one's point of view, by either
Manuel Saumell or
Miguel Faílde in
Matanzas. The form of danzón created by
Miguel Faílde in 1879 ("Las alturas de Simpson"), begins with an introduction (four bars) and
paseo (four bars), which are repeated and followed by a 16-bar melody. The introduction and
paseo again repeat before a second melody is played. The dancers do not dance during these sections: they choose partners, stroll onto the dance floor, and begin to dance at precisely the same moment: the fourth beat of bar four of the paseo, which has a distinctive percussion pattern that is hard to miss. When the introduction is repeated the dancers stop, chat, flirt, greet their friends, and start again, right on time as the paseo finishes. Early danzón was played by groups called
orquestas típicas, which were based on wind instruments. They had several brass instruments (
cornet, valve
trombone,
ophicleide), a
clarinet or two, a violin or two and tympani (
kettle drums). At the beginning of the 20th century, the lighter and somewhat more elegant sound of the
charanga emerged (see
Early Cuban bands). Initially, they were small orchestra of two violins, a cello, flute,
timbales,
güiro, and
doublebass. Charanga and típicas competed with each other for years, but after 1930 it was clear that the days of the típica were over.
Mambo Mambo is a musical form and dance style that developed originally in Cuba, with further significant developments by Cuban musicians in Mexico and the USA. The word "mambo" means "conversation with the gods" in
Kikongo, the language spoken by
Kongo slaves taken to
Cuba. Modern mambo began with a song called "Mambo" written in 1938 by brothers
Orestes and
Cachao López. The song was a
danzón, a dance form descended from European
social dances like the
English country dance, French
contredanse, and Spanish
contradanza. It was backed by rhythms derived from African folk music.
Cha-cha-cha The
cha-cha-cha, or simply cha-cha, is the name of a dance of Cuban origin. It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist
Enrique Jorrín in 1953. This rhythm was developed from the
danzón by a
syncopation of the fourth beat. The name is
onomatopoeic, derived from the rhythm of the
güiro (scraper) and the shuffling of the dancers' feet. Styles of cha-cha-cha dance may differ in the place of the
chasse in the rhythmical structure. The original Cuban and the ballroom cha-cha-cha count is "two, three, chachacha" or "four-and-one, two, three". The dance does not start on the first beat of a bar, though it can start with a transfer of weight to the lead's right. Nevertheless, many social dancers count "one, two, cha-cha-cha" and may find it difficult to make the adjustment to the "correct" timing of the dance.
Bolero The Cuban
bolero dance originated in
Santiago de Cuba in the last quarter of the 19th century; it does
not owe its origin to the Spanish music and song of the same name. In the 19th century there grew up in Santiago de Cuba a group of itinerant musicians who moved around earning their living by singing and playing the guitar.
Pepe Sánchez is known as the father of the
trova style and the creator of the Cuban bolero. Untrained, but with remarkable natural talent, he composed numbers in his head and never wrote them down. As a result, most of these numbers are now lost, but two dozen or so survive because friends and disciples wrote them down. He was the model and teacher for the great trovadores who followed. The Cuban bolero has traveled to Mexico and the rest of Latin America after itsconception, where it became part of their repertoires. Some of the bolero's leading composers have come from nearby countries, most especially the prolific
Puerto Rican composer
Rafael Hernández; another example is Mexico's
Agustín Lara. Some Cuban composers of the bolero are listed under
Trova.
Salsa Salsa dancing originated in Cuba and
Cuban salsa is danced around the world. It evolved from earlier dance forms such as Cha cha cha and Mambo which were popular in New York, and incorporated elements of
Swing dancing and
Hustle, as well as elements of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean dances such as
Guaguanco and
Pachanga. In many styles of salsa dancing, as a dancer changes weight by stepping, the upper body remains level and nearly unaffected by the weight changes. Weight shifts cause the hips to move. Arm and shoulder movements are also incorporated. The Cuban Casino style of salsa dancing involves significant movement above the waist, with up-and-down shoulder movements and shifting of the ribcage. The arms are used by the "lead" dancer to communicate or signal the "follower," either in "open" or "closed" position. The open position requires the two dancers to hold one or both hands, especially for moves that involve turns, putting arms behind the back, or moving around each other, to name a few examples. In the closed position, the leader puts the right hand on the follower's back, while the follower puts the left hand on the leader's shoulder.
Ballet Cuba has ballet schools across the country. The
Cuban National Ballet School (Escuela Nacional Cubana de Ballet) in
Havana, with approximately 3,000 students is the biggest ballet school in the world and the most prestigious
ballet school in
Cuba. It is directed by Ramona de Sáa. The
Cuban National Ballet is also a renowned ballet company located in
Havana. Today a government subsidized preprofessional ballet school operates in each of Cuba's fifteen provinces. ==See also==