HISTORY OF DANCE
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in the slum districts of Buenos Aries in the 1700s,
the Tango is a dance that was brought to Argentina
by African Slaves and became popular worldwide
in the early 1900s as it swept across the ballrooms
A Brief History
are many stories about the exact origins of tango:
the truth is, that in 1770, African
slaves were brought to Argentina and began to
influence the local culture. The 1778 census shows
of Buenos Aires residents
50 percent native
peoples (indios), and
immigrants (mostly single men from Europe.) The
word tango may derive from Portuguese (and from
the Latin verb tanguere, to touch) and was picked
up by Africans on the slave ships. It
is more commonly thought that etymology of tango
is from Niger-Congo origin, where tamgu means
'to dance'. Or in other parts of Africa where
its meaning is "closed place" or "reserved ground."
In some tribes in parts of Africa (Congo and Sudan)
tango means an enclosed area or a circle. During
most of the nineteenth century, more than fifty
organized African nations existed in Buenos Aires
with the official name of African Associations.
Africans were especially visible in and around
the city of Buenos Aires, as domestic servants,
day laborers, urban slaves, militia members, or
as gauchos (cowboys), field slaves, and peons
in the countryside. They were known by the popular
names of tambos, tangos and, later on and more
loosely, of candombes. Whatever its origin, the
word "tango" acquired the standard meaning of
the place where African slaves and free blacks
gathered to dance and was widely used among Black
communities. The name was also applied to the African dance form that is known world wide as Argentine Tango.
tango was born in African-Argentine dance venues
attended by compadritos, young men, mostly native
born and poor, who liked to dress in slouch hats,
loosely tied neckerchiefs and high-heeled boots
with knives tucked casually into their belts.
The compadritos took the tango back to the Corrales
Viejos-the slaughterhouse district of Buenos Aires-and
introduced it in various lowlife establishments
where dancing took place: bars, dance halls and
brothels (prostitutes served a dual economic function:
one for their sexual and dancing skills, and second
for enticing and stimulating their customers to
consume alcoholic beverages. Where ever you go
prostitutes learn quickly the language of their
customers and at that time tango was the language
of the consumer. Tango was offered as a way of
entertaining patrons before or after a sexual
encounters.) It was in
the bars, dance halls and bordellos
that the African rhythms met the Argentine milonga
music (a fast-paced polka) and soon new steps
were invented and took hold.
tango music and dance evolved from many different
influences beginning in the arrabal. Arrabal is
a lunfardo word with several meanings. It refers
to the Africans or someone from the slums, i.e.
low class. It also describes a gathering where
blacks from the slums dance. It is also a certain
way to perform or dance the tango with a slum
attitude. Finally, it is a rhythmic effect created
by Leopoldo Thompson by hitting the string of
the contrabass with the hand or the arch of the
1802 a black establishment 'House of Tango' was
functioning in Buenos Aires and by 1821 blacks
were collecting money to support an organization
called "Tango de Bayle" and that in Montevideo
(Uruguay) public dancing of tangos by blacks was
forbidden as prejudicial to society.
is another name for a style of tango. It is a
very old style of tango from the 1800s danced
by the descendants of African slaves that lived
in the working class areas in towns such as La
Boca and San Telmo (but also in other catchment
areas of the Rio de la Plata, including Montevideo,
in Uruguay). In fact, in Montevideo, very interesting
forms and variations of it survive even to this
day. In this dance, there are lots of quebradas
and movements of the upper torso which are rooted
in the African dances.
the eighteen hundreds; towards the end of the
twenties and the beginning of the thirties another
social class, consisting mainly of the white population,
began to be interested in this dance of the blacks,
or 'morenos', and with them, slowly, the Canyengue
orillero evolved. Canyengue orillero is another
name for a style of tango. It is called orillero
because these descendants of European immigrants
lived in the orillas, or outskirts, of the towns,
where they came into close contact with the mixed
race families who were mixtures of white and black,
or of white and native peoples (indios).
was undergoing a massive immigration during the
later part of the 1800s and early 1900s. In 1869,
Buenos Aires had a population of 180,000. By 1914,
its population was 1.5 million. The intermixing
of African, Spanish, Italian, British, Polish,
Russian, Jewish and native-born Argentines resulted
in a melting pot of cultures, and each borrowed
dance and music from one another. Traditional
polkas, waltzes and mazurkas were mixed with the
popular habanera from Cuba and the candombe rhythms
from Africa. The early tango was accompanied by
mixes of African drumming rhythms, Spanish and
Italian melodies. As the musical accompaniment
evolved, an instrument known as a bandoneon (a
type of small accordion) was introduced which
is now a key element of the Tango sound.
immigrants were single men hoping to earn their
fortunes in this newly expanding country. They
were typically poor and desperate, hoping to make
enough money to return to Europe or bring their
families to Argentina. The evolution of tango
reflects their profound sense of loss and longing
for the people and places they left behind. The
separation from wives and female partners during
their stay in Argentina is a key element of the
tango which exudes passion, desperate longing
and sexual innuendo.
high society looked down upon the activities in
the barrios, well heeled sons of the porteño oligarchy
were not averse to slumming. Eventually, everyone
found out about the tango and, by the beginning
of the twentieth century, the tango as both a
dance and as an embryonic form of popular music
had established a firm foothold in the fast-expanding
city of its birth. It soon spread to provincial
towns of Argentina and across the River Plate
to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, where it
became as much a part of the urban culture as
in Buenos Aires.
population of Argentine continued to grow the
largest group of immigrants came from Italy staring
in 1870. While the migration from Europe peaked
Africans disapeared from Bueos Aries. The city
census of 1887
showed only 8,005 blacks, 1.8 per cent of Buenos
Aires' population. Most had been lost during the
endemic warfare of the nineteenth century. Beginning
with the English and French invasions of Buenos
Aires in the century's first decade and continuing
through the wars of independence, the civil wars,
and culminating with the war against Paraguay
(1865-1870), African-Argentines volunteered for
and were conscripted into the military. Census
data for the period 1810-1865 in Buenos Aires
would suggest a disproportionate recruitment and
deaths among African households (even after the
official abolition of slavery, many blacks were
still slaves and were granted manumission only
by fighting in Argentina's wars); disease was
a second major factor in the disappearance of
African-Argentines (the yellow fever epidemic
of 1871 took a heavy toll in the black community)
Third many Africans relocated to Montevideo, which
had a larger black community and seemed less hostile
politically than Buenos Aires and fourth miscegenation.
the typical Argentine about what he or she knows
of Argentina's black population or that country's
African heritage and one is likely to receive
the response of a categorical denial on the part
of most Argentines of the existence, past or present,
of African-Argentines. This opinion is especially
common among residents of Buenos Aires; ironically,
it was the port of Buenos Aires which served as
an entry point for African slaves.
process of the tango being taken over by a higher
social class was repeated many times in the social
and formal development of the tango. During the
forties (the golden age of tango), a new richer
social class, the middle class, began to emerge
that wanted to distinguish itself clearly from
the other, lower, classes. As a result the music
and dancing of tango evolved in a new direction.
Lunfardo was the slang and first dialect of tango.
In its early days tango lyrics used the language
of the people who were connected, played or danced
this type of music. It was the language of members
of lower socioeconomic strata. The common denominator
was many tango titles had sexual or obscene connotations.
For instance, there were 18 slang words in reference
to a woman and 16 in reference to money. The use
of Lunfardo dialect was so pervasive that immediately
after the extreme right military coup established
a Junta, on June 4, 1943, the government under
the influence of a notorious anti-Semitic writer
Hugo Wast (A.K.A. Gustavo Gonzales Zuviria) appointed
Minister of Interior and Education Affairs, issued
an edict forbidding the use of these words in
the tango lyrics in order to preserve the purity
of the Spanish language. The Jews and Lunfardo
in tango lyrics became his common enemy. Not only
did he dismiss Jewish teachers and professors
from their positions but he also implemented the
obligatory teachings of Religion and Moral in
all public schools, meaning that non Catholics
(Jews) had to be segregated to other classrooms.
The censorship in tango lyrics lasted until 1949.
It was an indirect attempt by the upper class
to discredit tango music, its origins and its
lyrics but after many years of its use, it was
already too late. Lunfardo language was already
part of Argentine culture but the orgins and the
history of tango suffered a lost.
Gardel has been accepted and adored by all segments
of society and his image and voice have remained
unaltered, like suspended in space for eternity,
with his smile, attractive face, peculiar hairdo,
and his tuxedo. Even today, many years after his
airplane crash--accidental death, people would
say "that he sings better every passing day".
Gardel receives flowers, and candles daily at
his resting place. Even his birthplace is clouded
in mystery. He had an Argentine passport stating
he was born in TACUAREMBO (Uruguay) on December
11, 1887, but a will or testament found after
his death marks his native city as TOULOUSE (in
France) on December 11, 1890. No wonder since
he was a child his nickname was El Francesito
(the French boy). He had a great public appeal.
He dressed and behaved well, had charm, was caring
and loyal to his friends and was always surrounded
by many beautiful women. But he never married
and because of that and other facts, there were
conflicting stories about his sexual orientation.
Gardel rapidly achieved fame and wealth. From
1912 to 1925 he was singing in duets with Jose
RAZZANO and many records made then for Columbia
and Victor Records had been mastered and reissued.
In 1928, he went to France as a solo singer for
tangos. He achieved fame in Paris, sang with Josephine
Baker, and became accepted by the upper class
for his singing, distinctive personal qualities
and elegant presence. Gardel participated in 1929
in the "BAL DES PETITES LITES BLANCS" at the Opera
Theater in the presence of the President of France
and its entire cabinet. He apparently obtained
help from SADIE BARON-WAKEFIELD, the heir to the
fortune of a tobacco tycoon Mr. BERNARD BARON.
In 1931, Gardel was invited to sing at a party
Sadie gave in Nice (France) in honor of Charlie
Chaplin for his success in his new movie CITY
LIGHTS. She was instrumental in financing one
of Mr. Gardel's first films - Buenos Aires City
Lights - with a title very similar to Chaplin's
movie. Gardel achieved what he wanted to be, an
International singer, and he used his talent as
an actor to participate in movies to complete
this goal. He was a born musician who had composed
several tangos, but now at this stage of his career
he needed a good lyric writer which he found in
ALFREDO LE PERA, a former medical student and
journalist. While in Paris he connected Gardel
to the Paramount Studios through his American
friends. In order to bring tango to International
level, Le Pera eliminated the use of slang words
and wrote in a Spanish that could be understood
in all of South America and other Spanish speaking
countries. Gardel's accidental death in 1935 cut
short his stellar career.
great singers include AGUSTIN MAGALDI, IGNACIO
CORSINI and CHARLO. Corsini was remembered not
only for his unique voice, but for the political
and Nationalistic themes, for the absence of slang
words in lyrics and for the intense melodic lines
of the songs.
was subsequently a long list of great singers:
FIORENTINO, MARINO, F. RUIZ, DANTE, MARTEL, HUGO
DEL CARRIL, A. VARGAS, E. RIVERO, JULIO SOSA,
GOYENECHE. None of them were as picturesque as
ALBERTO CASTILLO, who started singing during his
days in medical school. He later became a gynecologist.
He sided with the working class, dressed in exotic
attire of wide lapel suits, large hanging handkerchief
in his front upper pocket, wide pants, wide ties
with large knots. It was a new fashion of bad
taste that went along with the political influence
of Peronism. He scorned the upper class and his
lyrics had a Nationalistic color.
other two singers who made a mark in the history
of tango were J. Sosa and E. Rivero in the 40s
to the early 60s. Their distinctive low, grave
baritone voices added an unusual tone to the singing
of lyrics, since up the 1940s the register of
the singers were tenor or alto tenor, a timbre
that identified itself with tango singing.
role of women in tango was related to the bordellos
where prostitutes had a dual role as dancers too.
The lyrics reflected that type of life and was
demeaning to women. Women started to sing tango
without shameful feelings in the 1920s when the
lyrics were written without sexual connotations
such as LA MOROCHA (the brunette). They displayed
their singing talents first dressed and smoking
like the men. It was in essence an early manifestation
of what later on would be part of the sexual revolution
and female liberation movement in the 60s. These
singers even ventured to travel to Spain and France
to sing tangos dressed as man or in gaucho attire.
Gradually this changed to regular female attire.
Their participation in radio programs made the
activities legitimate and respectable.
the past 70 years---from the 1920s, the shining
stars were AZUCENA MAIZANI, ROSITA QUIROGA, MERCEDES
SIMONE (from the 1920s to 1930s), ADA FALCON,
TITA MERELLO (from 1930s to 1940s). AMANDA LEDESMA,
SABINA OLMOS, AIDA LUZ, SOFIA BOZAN, NELLY OMAR
and TANIA (there were more actresses in movies
than singers during the 30s to 50s). AMELITA BALTAR
and SUSANA RINALDI were the stars from the 40s
to the 70s. Of them all, only three would stand
out. One not mentioned is LIBERTAD LAMARQUE; the
two others, are Tita Merello and Susana Rinaldi.
Libertad Lamarque was a class in itself. Daughter
of a second wave of immigrants, she was unrelated
to the ill-reputed origins of tango. Starting
in 1930, she tried to imitate the upper class
with her refined behavior and demeanor, her elegant
female attire, the absence of smoking during performances
and an exquisite soprano voice that made her the
darling of the middle and upper class women. In
her lyrics she did not want to sing about the
sins of the illiterate and the demeaning life
of single women of the 1910s and 1920s. She chose
to sing the grief, frustrations, aggravations
and humiliations suffered by married women, the
homemaker, the mother of many children, the victim
of infidelity, male abuse and economic insecurity.
She also sang about the women's ability to change
their status by becoming self-supporting in the
working place, something that was unthinkable
and anathema for Argentinean males to accept in
the 30s to the 50s. Unfortunately, her quarrels
with Eva Peron obligated her to emigrate and take
residence in Mexico City where she continued to
sing and perform in movies and became an idol
there too. She is still alive today, but retired
from musical activities.
MERELLO came from a very poor upbringing in an
Italian slum. She had great sex appeal and played
even dramatic roles in radio programs and movies,
but it was the humor used in her lyrics that was
her vehicle to make a point or express social
criticism. She gained popularity during the Peronist
regime and fell into oblivion after the dictator's
fall. She had a short-lived success in theaters
thereafter that rapidly faded away.
RINALDI has become the preferred singer of the
60s and 70s. Extremely beautiful with great modulated
voice and ability to time the words with the same
precision of Frank Sinatra. She made movies and
is currently the host of a well-known TV talk
show program in Buenos Aries
in 1936, Juan D'Arienzo (violin), Anibal Troilo
(bandoneon) in 1937, Carlos Di Sarli (piano) in
1938 and Osvaldo Pugliese (piano) in 1939 set
the tone for what was going to be one of the greatest
periods in tango. They were followed by many other
orchestras conducted by Osmar Maderna, Miguel
Calo, Raul Kaplun, Alfredo Gobbi, Jr., Ricardo
Tanturi, Jose Basso, Francisco Rotundo, Alfredo
D'Angelis, Carlos DiSarli, Francini-Pontier and
Osvaldo Frededo, all of which participated in
the further evolution of tango. Troilo and Pugliese
dominated the 40s and onward. Salgan was a shining
star in the 50s and 60s and finally Piazzola the
great innovator was the preeminent musician from
1960 until today. Of them all, five merit special
Troilo born in 1914, began playing bandoneon at
age 13 in a trio with another great musician and
pianist, Miguel Nijensohn. Found his first orchestra
in 1937 (at the Marabu dancing) but it was from
1956 until his death in 1975 that he became one
of the greatest interpreters, conductors and composers
of his generation. (He recorded 40 of his own
compositions). He was instrumental to surround
himself with the best group of musical arrangers
that gave his presentations a "concert quality"
and the best group of singers who were able to
emphasize the music played by all.
Pugliese--if playing at Carnegie Hall is the sign
of ultimate achievement in classical music, to
play at the "Colon Theater" (the Carnegie Hall
equivalent) is an event of equal significance,
especially since we talk about a tango orchestra
conducted by Pugliese in 1985, when he was 80
years old, an event similar to Benny Goodman playing
at Carnegie Hall. He started playing piano at
age 15 in a trio and then with small groups until
he founded his orchestra in 1939. He gave to the
music a particular rhythm, tone and accent, a
sound that was the basis for his own composition
entitled, "LA YUMBA". Pugliese's base of support
was the working class since he was a supporter
of Communist causes and spent many days and months
in jail because of his political views. During
the Peron's regime his music was paradoxically
in demand because of his identification with the
working class but not necessarily with the Peronist
Salgan--found his orchestra in 1944 and played
until 1957 when he switched to quintet. He was
one of the first to incorporate in tango the influence
of jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Art Tatum
or Fats Walker. His characteristic piano sound
was sharp, brilliant and surprising in his execution
with some jazz color included.
Mores--a very short note should be made of M.
Mores who was an extraordinary pianist and excellent
composer, who had his own orchestra in the 50s
and 60s, and whose music tried to bridge tango
with the best period of piano romanticism of the
19th century. His compositions melodically and
structurally appeared to have been written by
Chopin or Liszt for the flavor and color of the
music, not quite proper for an Argentinean tango
the name who achieved International recognition
and is now the baby pet of orchestras and soloists
is Astor Piazzola. He represents the change, a
new and different style that opened the door to
tango musical experimentation and challenges.
Born in 1921, lived in NewYork since age four
where later studied with the best musicians, Bela
Wilda (student of Rachmaninoff), in Buenos Aires
with Ginastera, and in 1954 with Nadia Boulanger
in Paris. It was she who influenced him to continue
writing his new style which by 1960 was called
"Jazz tango". In 1968, composed the opera Maria
de Buenos Aires recently premiered at Symphony
Hall in 1998, and wrote cello music dedicated
to Rostropovich. His "Adios Nonino" and "Balada
Para Un Loco" are now classic tangos. He moved
from the 2/4 rhythm to the 4/4 rhythm and added
syncopated rhythms that became the basis of his
well-known music for which he paid a heavy price
initially since nobody in Argentina was willing
or ready to accept his style in 1960s. His music
was a reflection of influences received in the
U.S. during his childhood and adolescent years.
In 1974, made recordings with Gerry Mulligan (saxophonist).
He died in 1992 and it was actually after his
death and just recently that he achieved National
and International recognition. His music is now
acclaimed in all music halls. The guitar player
Oscar Lopez Ruiz said, "that Piazzola gave a universal
dimension to the tango music and elevated it to
eternity". As a result, he has created a legion
of a new generation of musicians who played his
style of music and Gustavo Fedel and Rodolfo Mederos
(who played with Barenboim) are the best representatives
of the new wave. .
worldwide spread of the tango came in the early
1900s when wealthy sons of Argentine society families
made their way to Paris and introduced the tango
into a society eager for innovation and not entirely
averse to the risqué nature of the dance or dancing
with young, wealthy Latin men. By 1913, the tango
had become an international phenomenon in Paris,
London and New York. There were tango teas, tango
train excursions and even tango colors-most notably
orange. The Argentine elite who had shunned the
tango were now forced into accepting it with national
tango spread worldwide throughout the 1920s and
1930s. The dance appeared in movies and tango
singers traveled the world. By the 1930s, the
Golden Age of Argentina was beginning. The country
became one of the ten richest nations in the world
and music, poetry and culture flourished. The
tango came to be a fundamental expression of Argentine
culture, and the Golden Age lasted through the
1940s and 1950s.
fortunes have always been tied to economic conditions
and this was very true in the 1950s. During this
time, as political repression developed, lyrics
reflected political feelings until they started
to be banned as subversive. The dance and its
music went underground as large dance venues were
closed and large gatherings in general were prohibited.
The tango survived in smaller, unpublicized venues
and in the hearts of the people.
necessity of going underground combined with the
eventual invasion of rock and roll sent the tango
into decline until the mid-1980s when the stage
show Tango Argentina opened in Paris. Once again
Paris was ground zero for igniting tango excitement
worldwide. The show toured the world and stimulated
a revival in Europe, North America and Japan that
we are part of today. The evolution of the dance,
the quaint names that come with each transformation
and new step continue to this day as the dance
once again experiences a resurgence of popularity.
of Swing Dancing By: Lori Heikkila
history of swing dates back to the 1920's, where
the black community, while dancing to contemporary
Jazz music, discovered the Charleston and the
March 26, 1926, the Savoy Ballroom opened its
doors in New York. The Savoy was an immediate
success with its block-long dance floor and a
raised double bandstand. Nightly dancing attracted
most of the best dancers in the New York area.
Stimulated by the presence of great dancers and
the best black bands, music at the Savoy was largely
Swinging Jazz. One evening in 1927, following
Lindbergh's flight to Paris, a local dance enthusiast
named "Shorty George" Snowden was watching some
of the dancing couples. A newspaper reporter asked
him what dance they were doing, and it just so
happened that there was a newspaper with an article
about Lindbergh's flight sitting on the bench
next to them. The title of the article read, "Lindy
Hops The Atlantic," and George just sort of read
that and said, "Lindy Hop" and the name stuck.
the mid 1930's, a bouncy six beat variant was
named the Jitterbug by the band leader Cab Calloway
when he introduced a tune in 1934 entitled "Jitterbug".
the discovery of the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug,
the communities began dancing to the contemporary
Jazz and Swing music as it was evolving at the
time, with Benny Goodman leading the action. Dancers
soon incorporated tap and jazz steps into their
the mid 1930's, Herbert White, head bouncer in
the New York City Savoy Ballroom, formed a Lindy
Hop dance troupe called Whitey's Lindy Hoppers.
One of the most important members of Whitey's
Lindy Hoppers was Frankie Manning. The "Hoppers"
were showcased in the following films: "A Day
at the Races" (1937), "Hellzapoppin" (1941), "Sugar
Hill Masquerade" (1942), and "Killer Diller" (1948).
1938, the Harvest Moon Ball included Lindy Hop
and Jitterbug competition for the first time.
It was captured on film and presented for everyone
to see in the Paramount, Pathe, and Universal
movie newsreels between 1938 and 1951.
early 1938, Dean Collins arrived in Hollywood.
He learned to dance the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug,
Lindy and Swing in New York City and spent a lot
of time in Harlem and the Savoy Ballroom. Between
1941 and 1960, Collins danced in, or helped choreograph
over 100 movies which provided at least a 30 second
clip of some of the best California white dancers
performing Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy and Swing.
the late 1930's and through the 1940's, the terms
Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy, and Swing were used
interchangeably by the news media to describe
the same style of dancing taking place on the
streets, in the night clubs, in contests, and
in the movies.
the end of 1936, the Lindy was sweeping the United
States. As might be expected, the first reaction
of most dancing teachers to the Lindy was a chilly
negative. In 1936 Philip Nutl, president of the
American Society of Teachers of Dancing, expressed
the opinion that swing would not last beyond the
winter. In 1938 Donald Grant, president of the
Dance Teachers' Business Association, said that
swing music "is a degenerated form of jazz, whose
devotees are the unfortunate victims of economic
instability." In 1942 members of the New York
Society of Teachers of Dancing were told that
the jitterbug (a direct descendent of the Lindy
Hop), could no longer be ignored. Its "cavortings"
could be refined to suit a crowded dance floor.
dance schools such as The New York Society of
Teachers and Arthur Murray, did not formally begin
documenting or teaching the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug,
Lindy, and Swing until the early 1940's. The ballroom
dance community was more interested in teaching
the foreign dances such as the Argentine Tango,
Spanish Paso Doblé, Brazilian Samba, Puerto Rican
Merengue, Cuban Mambo and Cha Cha, English Quickstep,
Austrian Waltz, with an occasional American Fox-trot
the early 1940's the Arthur Murray studios looked
at what was being done on the dance floors in
each city and directed their teachers to teach
what was being danced in their respective cities.
As a result, the Arthur Murray Studios taught
different styles of undocumented Swing in each
the early 1940's, Lauré Haile, as a swing dancer
and competitor, documented what she saw being
danced by the white community. At that time, Dean
Collins was leading the action with Lenny Smith
and Lou Southern in the night clubs and competitions
in Southern California. Lauré Haile gave it the
name of "Western Swing". She began teaching for
Arthur Murray in 1945. Dean Collins taught Arthur
Murray teachers in Hollywood and San Francisco
in the late 1940's and early 1950's.
the late 1940's, the soldiers and sailors returned
from overseas and continued to dance in and around
their military bases. Jitterbug was danced to
Country-Western music in Country-Western bars,
and popularized in the 1980's.
the music changed between the 1920's and 1990's,
(Jazz, Swing, Bop, Rock 'n' Roll, Rhythm & Blues,
Disco, Country), the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Lindy,
and Swing evolved across the U.S. with many regional
styles. The late 1940's brought forth many dances
that evolved from Rhythm & Blues music: the Houston
Push and Dallas whip (Texas), the Imperial Swing
(St. Louis), the D.C. Hand Dancing (Washington),
and the Carolina Shag (Carolinas and Norfolk)
were just a few.
1951 Lauré Haile first published her dance notes
as a syllabus, which included Western Swing for
the Santa Monica Arthur Murray Dance Studio. In
the 50's she presented her syllabus in workshops
across the U.S. for the Arthur Murray Studios.
The original Lauré Haile Arthur Murray Western
Swing Syllabus has been taught by Arthur Murray
studios with only minor revisions for the past
the mid 1940's to today, the Lindy Hop, Jitterbug,
Lindy, and Swing, were stripped down and distilled
by the ballroom dance studio teachers in order
to adapt what they were teaching to the less nimble-footed
general public who paid for dance lessons. As
a result, the ballroom dance studios bred and
developed a ballroom East Coast Swing and ballroom
West Coast Swing.
the late 1950's, television brought "American
Bandstand", "The Buddy Dean Show" and other programs
to the teenage audiences. The teenagers were rocking
with Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and Chuck
Berry leading the fray. In 1959, some of the California
dance organizations, with Skippy Blair setting
the pace, changed the name of Western Swing to
West Coast Swing so it would not be confused with
country and western dancing.
the 1990's, dancers over 60 years of age still
moving their Lindy Hoppin', Jitterbuggin', Swingin',
and Shaggin' feet.
Swing: a style of Swing popular in the New York
Savoy Ballroom in the 30's and 40's originally
danced to Swing music. The Savoy style of swing
is a very fast, jumpy, casual-looking style of
style is a smoother-looking dance.
Coast Swing: a style of Swing emphasizing nimble
feet popular in California night clubs in the
30's and 40's and voted the California State Dance
a style of Swing popular in Houston, Texas, emphasizing
moves spinning the follower between dance positions
with a wave rhythm break.
a style of swing popular in Dallas, Texas, emphasizing
moves spinning the follower between dance positions
with a rock rhythm break.
Swing: a style of Swing popular in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Swing: a style of Swing popular in St. Louis,
Shag: a style of Swing popular in the Carolinas
emphasizing the leader's nimble feet.
Hand Dancing: a Washington, DC synthesis of Lindy
Coast Swing: a 6 count style of Lindy popular
in the ballroom dance school organizations.
West Coast Swing: a style of swing popular in
the ballroom dance school organizations and different
from the style performed in the California night
clubs and Swing dance clubs.
Swing: a style of Jitterbug popularized during
the 1980's and danced to Country and Western music.
Swing: a Louisiana Bayou style of Lindy danced
to Cajun music.
Swing: a Country Western style of Cajun Swing.
the International Style version of the dance is
called Jive, and it is danced competitively in
the US and all over the world.
Foxtrot began with a man named Harry Fox, a longtime
star of the vaudeville. By 1914, Fox was appearing
in the New York vaudeville scene. A dancer for
the New York theater, he married Yansci Dolly
of the Dolly sisters and the two were seen doing
a sprightly dance between regular shows at the
theater. The result was a crowd pleaser, and the
audience deemed Fox's dance the "Fox Trot." That
same year, the American Society of Professors
of Dancing standardized the steps of the Foxtrot.
The dance was introduced to the public with Oscar
Duryea, an established choreographer of the time.
His dance team introduced the Foxtrot as a rolling
smooth glide that moved in large steps across
was this dance named the Foxtrot? Harry Fox's
original dance was a series of trotting steps.
When Durynea prepared his premiere, he deemed
the trotting step too much for ladies, and turned
it into a smooth glide. Therefore, the Foxtrot
was known by this name, although the trot did
Dolly sisters soon began dancing through New York
in their own review. The dance quickly spread
to London through the efforts of one American,
G.K. Anderson. While performing the dance in London
and American competitions, he solidified to dance
for the audience. The Foxtrot was a smooth dance
that would remain in a certain section of the
floor. This made it easier to dance in social
settings, and more appealing to the watcher.
Foxtrot has a regular step of slow-slow-quick-quick.
It is done in square step, in a circular motion.
Music for the Foxtrot has a flowing, perky quality
and adhered to 4/4 time, so that steps are regular.
Because of its mixed slow and fast steps, it is
easy to keep the steps in a contained area. This
does not mean that the Foxtrot cannot cover a
lot of ground, however. Anyone who has watched
a dance competition knows that couples can clear
a room when dancing in earnest. Dancers who do
the Foxttrot have noted that there are an unusual
number of variations that can be performed. For
some, it is the hardest of the ballroom dance
series. It is not uncommon for a dance team to
espouse this one dance alone, making it their
versions of the Foxtrot exist. Faster foxtrots
turn into Swing and Jitterbug. A fast Foxtrot
known as a One Step is today the Quickstep, and
faster version of the original set to waltz music.
The Foxtrot itself can be known as the Peabody
and the Roseland Foxtrot. The Foxtrot has a reputation
for being an incredibly social dance, because
of these variations and their popularity.
mambo is a very popular and sensual dance, with
African and Cuban rhythms.
is actually a name for a bantu drum. The word
"mambo" means "conversation with the Gods," and
these drums were used for sacred and ritual purposes.
The mambo is a spinoff of the English country
dance, which made its way to Cuba through immigrants.
It was named the danza, or the dance of Cuba,
and gradually its beat and movement became saturated
with African and Cuban rhythms, creating an entirely
new beat and style.
origin lies in the early 1900's in Cuba. Oresta
Lopez, a composer and cellist, created a piece
known as the "mambo" mixing everyday Cuban rhythms
with the African and south American aspects on
the street. The result was a new fusion, and one
that supported a continuous beat. Mambo became
ever more popular when Prado Perez, a famous bandleader
and a friend to Lopez, marketed his music under
the name "mambo." It contained big brass and drum
sound, and incorporated fast beats and runs on
the instruments. In 1951, Perez Prado and his
Orchestra took a tour of the United States, establishing
Perez as a mambo king and mambo's as America's
latest craze. Perez was actually the first to
market the "Mambo #5," now popular again in the
1990's! Dancing houses and clubs began to improvise
steps to the beat created, and the mambo was born.
popularity spread to the United Stated very rapidly.
It was actually not the first Cuban-African dance
to achieve popularity in the United Stated. The
rumba was introduced in the 1930's to the American
public, and it took on like wildfire. During the
mid-1900's, people danced up a mambo storm in
Miami, New York and San Fransisco. The mambo was
especially popular in New York dance halls, where
dancers twisted and turned and threw their partners,
arms, legs and hands in the air to win dance competitions.
Mambo bands developed intense rivalries as to
who could create the best mambo rhythm. Players
like Ellington, Gillespie and Bob Hope were all
part of this friendly competition.
is written to music in 4/4 time, but some of these
beats call for the partner to hold. The first
step on every 4/4 beat has no movement, followed
by quick-quick-slow beats. Mambo is characterized
by the hip movements that it entails. While moving
forward and backwards to the beat, dancers "sway"
with the hips, creating a fluid motion that flows
with the music. The mambo can exist in different
forms. One form, the triple mambo, is so fast
that the beat is accelerated to three times its
normal rate. Out of this fast-stepping dance came
another genre, the cha-cha. What many people do
not know is that the cha-cha is actually still
a form of the mambo. It's music and beat structure
make it a surefire relation.
mambo is considered a New York creation. The fluidity
of the dance entered the mambo scene shortly after
its emergence into New York. The five note, two
bar rhythm pattern known as the clave was the
backbone of the dance, and from this New Yorkers
like Lenny Dale, Cuban Pete and Killer Joe Piro
added steps from jazz, tap and swing. By the mid
1970's, the hustle also became a favorite dance
form in New York, and Latin moves were added to
create the "Latin hustle." This dance form was
the rage in the late 1970's, encompassing mambo
with quicker rhythms and steps.
today exists mainly in competition. When dancing
the mambo with a partner in competition, many
couples strive for a sensual, Latin look. The
mambo is quite different form other dances because
it is blatantly sensual, instead of dramatic,
fast or flowing. To win a competition in this
genre, a full understanding of the sensual capabilities
of this dance must be exhibited. For this reason,
couples that win in this area tend to do slower,
simpler dances with less flashy moves and more
graceful simultaneous motions while staring into
each other's eyes.
the modern mambo dancer, while performing the
mambo, certain rules of dance etiquette should
be used. Public dance halls often have a raving
mambo scene, meaning that dancers are moving closely
in a crowded area, stepping on each other and
executing moves that occasionally put another
dancer at risk. To observe the proper rules of
etiquette, be aware of the other dancers and the
space that you have. Execute your moves accordingly.
Practice moves beforehand, so that you don't do
anything that may put another dancer at risk.
Get a feel for your partner. Can they follow the
moves that you are leading? If not, don't lead
them. Move on to easier steps as to avoid embarrassment
is both a family of music rhythms and a dance
style that originated in Africa and traveled via
the slave trade to Cuba and the New World. The
so-called rumba rhythm, a variation of the African
standard pattern or clave rhythm, is the additive
grouping of an eight pulse bar (one 4/4 measure)
into 3+3+2 or, less often, 3+5 (van der Merwe
1989, p.321). Its variants include the bossa nova
rhythm. Original Cuban rumba is highly polyrhythmic,
and as such is often far more complex than the
examples cited above.
Rumba and Rhumba There is a ballroom dance, also
called Rumba, based on Cuban Rumba and Son. Also,
still another variant of Rumba music and dance
was popularized in the United States in 1930s,
which was almost twice as fast, as exemplified
by the popular tune, The Peanut Vendor.
type of "Big Band Rumba" was also known as Rhumba.
The latter term still survives, with no clearly
agreed upon meaning; one may find it applied to
Ballroom, Big Band, and Cuban rumbas.
Rumba In the 1990s the French group Gypsy Kings
of Spanish descent became a popular New Flamenco
group by playing Rumba Flamenca (or rumba gitana,
Catalan rumba) music. African Rumba A style called
"Rumba" music has been popular in Africa since
the 1950s. Some of the more well known Rumba artists
include Franco Luambo, OK Jazz, Dr Nico Kasanda,
Sam Mangwana, and Tabu Ley Rochereau. Later, the
music evolved into Soukous.
Cuban Rumba: Rumba arose in Havana in the 1890s.
As a sexually-charged Afro-Cuban dance, rumba
was often suppressed and restricted because it
was viewed as dangerous and lewd.
Prohibition in the United States caused a flourishing
of the relatively-tolerated cabaret rumba, as
American tourists flocked to see crude sainetes
(short plays) which featured racial stereotypes
and generally, though not always, rumba.
because of the mainstream and middle-class dislike
for rumba, danzón and (unofficially) son montuno
became seen as "the" national music for Cuba,
and the expression of Cubanismo. Rumberos reacted
by mixing the two genres in the 30s, 40s and 50s;
by the mid-40s, the genre had regained respect,
especially the guaguanco style.
is sometimes confused with salsa, with which it
shares origins and essential movements.
are several rhythms of the Rumba family, and associated
styles of dance: · Yambú (slow; the dance often
involving mimicking old men and women walking
bent) · Guaguancó (medium-fast, often flirtatious,
involving pelvic thrusts by the male dancers,
the vacunao) · Columbia (fast, aggressive and
competitive, generally danced by men only, occasionally
mimicking combat or dancing with knives) · Columbia
del Monte (very fast) All of these share the instrumentation
(3 conga drums or cajones, claves, palitos and
/ or guagua, lead singer and coro; optionally
chekeré and cowbells), the heavy polyrhythms,
and the importance of clave.
rhythm: The rhythm which is known now as "rumba
rhythm" was popular in European music beginning
in the 1500s until the later Baroque, with classical
music era composers preferring syncopations such
as 3+2+3. It reappeared in the nineteenth century
is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean
dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.
Salsa is similar to Mambo in that both have a
pattern of six steps danced over eight counts
of music. The dances share many of the same moves.
In Salsa, turns have become an important feature,
so the overall look and feel are quite different
form those of Mambo. Mambo moves generally forward
and backward, whereas, Salsa has more of a side
to side feel.
look at the origin of Salsa By: Jaime Andrés Pretell
is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit
to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation.
It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance)
of England/France, later called Danzón, which
was brought by the French who fled from Haiti,
begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin
(Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban
people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour
(sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora
and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the
syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and
with variations in other countries like the Dominican
Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others.
Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico
City in the era of the famous films of that country
(Perez Prado, most famous...). Shortly after,
a similar movement to New York occurred. In these
two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred
and more commercial music was generated because
there was more investment. New York created the
term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance.
The term became popular as nickname to refer to
a variety of different music, from several countries
of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha,
Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop,
Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo,
Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained
their individuality and many were mixed creating
you are listening to today's Salsa, you are going
to find the base of són, and you are going to
hear Cumbia, and you are going to hear Guaracha.
You will also hear some old Merengue, built-in
the rhythm of different songs. You will hear many
of the old styles somewhere within the modern
beats. Salsa varies from site to site. In New
York, for example, new instrumentalization and
extra percussion were added to some Colombian
songs so that New Yorkers - that dance mambo "on
the two" - can feel comfortable dancing to the
rhythm and beat of the song, because the original
arrangement is not one they easily recognize.
This is called "finishing," to enter the local
market. This "finish" does not occur because the
Colombian does not play Salsa, but it does not
play to the rhythm of the Puerto Rican/Post-Cuban
Salsa. I say Post-Cuban, because the music of
Cuba has evolved towards another new and equally
as a tree, Salsa has many roots and many branches,
but one trunk that unites us all. The important
thing is that Salsa is played throughout the Hispanic
world and has received influences of many places
within it. It is of all of us and it is a sample
of our flexibility and evolution. If you think
that a single place can take the credit for the
existence of Salsa, you are wrong. And if you
think that one style of dance is better, imagine
that the best dancer of a style, without his partner,
goes to dance with whomever he can find, in a
club where a different style predominates. He
wouldn't look as good as the locals. Each dancer
is accustomed to dance his/her own style. None
is better, only different. ¡¡¡Viva la variedad,
¡¡¡Viva la Salsa!!!
people consider tango to be the world's first
"forbidden dance." This is not so. The first dance
to earn this distinction was the waltz, due to
its nature and origins.
comes from the German word "waltzen," which means
"to turn." The turn is the essence of the waltz
step. The waltz is done in 3/4 time with an accent
on the first beat of every measure. Each series
of movements is a turning step and a close. Today,
it is often danced on a light foot, although this
was not always the case.
to the waltz were the allemande and the minuet.
The allemande was a stately dance done in two
lines. Partners faced each other and moved back
and forth, sometimes going under the arms of the
other line, or processing down the middle. The
minuet was a square-step dance performed in a
rigid and stately manner. The waltz itself is
Viennese, and it evolved in Austria and Bavaria
under such names as the Dreher, the laendler and
the Deutscher. It was created as a peasant dance
in early Austria, and involved robust moves and
lots of space. Often, partners were hurled into
the air in moves that occasionally led to injury
and miscarriage. Because peasants wore loud, thick
shoes, it was also very noisy. When it first became
popular in Viennese dance halls in late eighteenth
century, these aspects began to change.
waltz was termed the "forbidden dance" for one
reason. When it moved into Viennese dance halls,
partners were allowed to touch! This was unheard
of, and led to the dance being slandered by many
officials of the church and leaders of the Austrian
community. Because it was a favored dance of the
young, however, it continued to be danced. Because
of its transition to dance halls and city gathering,
it evolved into a light dance for polished floors
and parties. Its music also changed, becoming
more refined and orchestrated. Notable instruments
used to play it were the piano, the violin and
the bass. In 1787, it was brought to the operatic
stage, inviting huge debate. Mozart was a huge
fan of the waltz, and in one of his operas, Don
Giovanni, three waltzes are played at once in
one scene! Clearly, the dance could not be stopped.
By the 1800's, Paris had fallen in love with the
waltz. It did not arrive in England until later,
where it was first denounced, and then accepted.
A final public acceptance of it in 1819 allowed
the waltz to reach the popularity that it still
the waltz is danced in all corners of the world.
Its predecessors have mostly died away, but in
their place the waltz is acclaimed in Asia, Australia,
America, Canada and South America as a favorite
dance. Its label as the "forbidden dance" has
been taken instead by the tango, a dance that
arose from the slums of Argentina.