Rumba

The rumba is a genre of traditional music that originated in Cuba during the 19th century. With African roots, the Cuban rumba is considered the mother of numerous Latin rhythms and dances, such as salsa, and has derivatives in various Latin American countries. In November 2016, Unesco inscribed The Cuban rumba, a festive mix of dance and music, and all inherent cultural practices as a member of the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

It is danced in couples or alone. The dancers dance to the rhythm of the clave. They produce rhythmic patterns with their hip and pelvic movements, which one of the drummers reproduces on his percussion.

All the musical instruments used in the Cuban rumba are percussion. The main ones are three drums called tumbadoras. The melody in the Cuban rumba is carried by the singers. In Cuba, both a family of musical rhythms and a style of dance are known as rumba. There are three types of rumba: the yambú and the columbia, from Matanzas, and the guaguancó, from Havana.

The instrumentation for the rumba includes three tumbadoras (the tumbadora or Congas is a drum invented in Cuba that, unlike the African ones, has keys). Two of the drums (the prima tumbadora and the second or three) mark the basic rhythm; the third tumbadora, called the fifth, which is tuned higher, gives the improvised blows, the flourishes directed at the dancers.

Dance technique

The rumba can be danced in various ways depending on the style of the rumba player.

In the case of the guaguancó, it is danced in a position with legs semi-bent, back bent and alternating arms and legs according to the foot that we will move naturally. Example: If we move the right foot, we will move the left arm, to then take out the left and move the right arm. The basic step consists of moving the pelvis and hips in a figure 8, which creates a "illusion of bouncing" while moving the entire body (arms, feet, hips/pelvis, and shoulders). This is the misnamed "dock" (obsolete technique for many, since it is not practical in a real dance).

In the case of the Columbia, the basic step is the same. It will be danced in a more upright and less "flirty" but because it is a style that wants to show elegance and dexterity, the movements will be slow at times and excessively fast at other times, thus playing with the times and the astonishment of whoever observes. Sometimes knives or machetes are used to demonstrate manhood/virility/feat/skill or 'obstacle' utensils on the floor such as bottles.

In yambú, there is usually little movement...

Rumba ballroom

The international modern style of rumba dance stems from studies conducted by dance teacher Monsieur Pierre (Pierre-Zurcher Margolle), who partnered with Doris Lavelle. Pierre, after London, visited Cuba in 1947, 1951 and 1953 to find out how and why Cubans danced at that time.

The international rumba ballroom is a slow dance, of around 120 beats per minute, which corresponds, both in music and dance, to what Cubans of the previous generation called bolero are. It's easy to see why, for ease of reference and for marketing purposes, rumba is a better, albeit inaccurate, name; it is the same type of reason that later led to the use of salsa as a general term for popular music of Cuban origin.

All social dances in Cuba involve a hip-sway on the supporting leg and, although this is barely noticeable in fast salsa, it is more pronounced in slow rumba ballroom. This style is authentic, as is the use of the free arms in various figures. The basic figures are derived from dance movements observed in Havana in the pre-revolutionary period, and have developed their own lives since then. Figures in a competition are often complex, and this is where dance competition separates from social dance. Details can be found in the programs of dance teaching organizations and from standard texts.

Rumba in Spain

The varieties of rumba in Spain, called Rumba flamenca, Rumba catalana and Rumba gallega, are the original rumbas and have acquired their own entity as a musical genre.

Rumba in Argentina

Rumba arrived in Argentina at the time of the splendor of tropical music in the 1960s. Several sectors listened to this music, and in the community that had the strongest impact was the Afro-Argentines of the colonial trunk of Greater Buenos Aires, especially in those of the Party of the Slaughter. The fact that some Cuban musicians of "música tropical" They stayed to live in Greater Buenos Aires. With the passage of time, the Cuban rumba became "Afro-Argentinized", especially influenced by the Buenos Aires candombe, and it evolved in its playing and came to be called open rumba. The most recognized musical group of this rumba subgenre, the open rumba, is La Familia Rumba Nuestra. the sauce; This genre is especially liked by Afro-Argentines from the Partido de la Matanza (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina).