Some refer to them as Hispanic dances , and there are many of these famous Latin dancers that have become celebrities on the dance floor. Salsa is regarded as one of the most entertaining and practiced social dances in the world today. Also, the Salsa dance originated as a social dance. The swift turns and basic footwork are used to create a fun dancing experience, not only to participate but also to watch.
Bachata is another Latin dance that originated in the Caribbean, more specifically, the Dominican Republic. Bachata is known for being slow and sensual. Like salsa, it has a four-beat pattern. The dancers move side to side with three steps, followed by a short pause. The pronounced hip movements the dancers make form the essence of Bachata. The dance is more about moving the body in a fancy style. Bachata is also known as one of the most popular social dances. Volvio el Dolor is a great album to listen to!
Both stars are responsible for dominating the Bachata scene back in the early s after its darker years, contributing to the success of both the music and the dance. Merengue is another of the popular Latin dances that originated in the Dominican Republic and actually the official dance of the island.
The dance and music of merengue originate in the Dominican Republic. Despite the fast-paced music, the basic steps are fairly easy to grasp. When a couple dances Merengue , partners hold each other in a closed position, and the basic movement goes to the front, back, and side. It is said that the workers, connected to one another by a chain, were strapped by their ankles and had to drag one leg as they walked.
Also called Cha Cha in the United States, it was born in Cuba like many other popular Latin American dances, such as Mambo, and is very similar in style. The dance became very popular in the dance halls of Havana and was popularised by the music that is played with the dance. The interesting thing for me is that the dance is danced with the music of the same name.
Yet another significant type of Latin dance to add to the list, the Tango is a dance of seduction and improvisation. Because of the forgotten history of African culture in Buenos Aires , many people do not regard Tango as an African Latin dance. The origins of the dance come from the many candombes that would take part in the street of Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires.
But like most Latin dances, it needs two people to participate; hence the saying it takes two to tango. Argentine tango , known as Latin dance music, is a musical genre that traditionally accompanied the dance. In later years, the tango dancers began dancing tango steps to alternative music.
A sub-genre of tango dance called Tango Nuevo can be attributed to this. Not all Latin dance originates from Spanish-speaking countries.
Samba is a Brazilian dance, which is also danced with the same music. There are many different styles of Samba that have developed in Brazil. Originating in Cuba during the s, its signature move is a three-beat step moving forward and then backward while shifting weight from one foot to the other.
The samba is known for requiring quick feet and high energy. It can be danced as an individual or as a couple. Paso doble is known as the dance of the bullfight. This is a strong dance that originated in France but was adopted and molded by the Spanish and Portuguese. It isn't commonly danced in social settings but rather reserved for competition.
Jive dancing originated in the U. It is performed with high energy similar to swing dance. This dance originated in Cuba during the s. Perez Prado is credited as having created the dance, although modern mambo is starkly different from the mambo that was started by Prado. Mambo is less structured than other disciplines in the genre and heavily emphasizes feeling the music.
The Argentine tango was birthed in Argentina and Uruguay, and although it originated in those countries, its influences span the globe. Around the turn of the 16th century, seagoing explorers like Amerigo Vespucci went back to Portugal and Spain with tales of native peoples Aztec and Inca performing intricate dances. Just how long these dance traditions had already been established is unknown, but when they were observed by European explorers, the dances were already developed and ritualized, suggesting a significant base.
These indigenous dances often centered around everyday concepts such as hunting, agriculture, or astronomy. In the early 16th century European settlers and conquistadors like Hernando Cortes began to colonize regions of South America, and absorbed the local dance traditions into a new version of the local culture.
Known as assimilation, the Catholic settlers merged the native culture with their own, keeping the movements but adding Catholic saints and stories to the dances. Aztec dances greatly impressed the settlers because they were highly structured and included large numbers of dancers working together in a precise manner.
Over the centuries, European folk dances and African tribal dances would mix with these indigenous roots to create modern Latin dancing. Since European folk dances that traveled to the Americas with the settlers prohibited male and female dance partners from touching one another, the practice of having a dance partner was new. While the indigenous dances were group dances, many, but not all, of the European dances that were exported to the Americas were performed by a male and a female as a couple.
These European dances combined a mixture of musical appreciation and social opportunity, which were both integrated into the developing Latin dance genre. Much of the storytelling element disappeared from the genre as the focus moved toward the rhythm and the steps. In terms of movement, the European influence brought a certain daintiness to the indigenous dances of Latin America because the steps were smaller and the movements were less forceful.
Combining this finesse with the irresistible beat of the African drums is one of the defining features of Latin dance. Movement styles and especially musical rhythms of Africa left a lasting mark on dances of Latin America. With the European settlers came African slaves, whose dances and music survived better in South America than in North America. The following elements of Latin dance can be traced to African influences:. Different dances developed in separate countries, with some dances spreading over several regions and others being limited to one city.
Many popular dances of today that are associated with Latin America were largely developed in social spheres, in an organized fashion, and with professional musicians providing the beat. This is the case for the following dances:. While folk dances like the Mexican Hat Dance developed in more rural areas, Latin dances developed into full-fledged genres after
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