How Did It Come About?
Latin dances consist of Latin American ballroom dances and Latin American folk dances. Equipped with cultural elements, Latin dances were originally shaped by being influenced by local regions. These Glamorous Latin Dances, which are still popular today, are as interesting as the history of Latin America.
Latin Dance Styles and Types
Latin Dances are basically shaped by the influence of Latin American, European and African cultures and are derived from three styles. It has a very complex structure as it has gone through different phases by spreading over wide geographies. Local Latin dances were shaped by Aztec and Inca rituals and emerged as a different way of expressing daily routine activities for the people, activities such as hunting, astronomy and agriculture.
In this article, we will discuss the types of Bachata, Salsa, Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Swing, Merengue, Paso Doble which have Latin dance history and stories.
Bachata
Bachata literally means “sad love song”. It is a musical genre that was born in the early 1960s, was very influenced by the Cuban bolero, and was even born by the Cuban bolero.
While it emerged as a way of self-expression of the excluded and poor society in the history of Latin dance, it was shaped within the framework of stories describing poverty and unlighted underground lives. Today, it is frequently encountered in the field of romance with both dance and music genres.
Salsa
Salsa means sauce in Spanish and reflects a sauce that comes out with a mixture of many spices. Although it is based on Cuba as its origin, it emerged with the blending of many African dances. It is a very popular dance nowadays and it is spreading all over the world from the streets of Cuba.
Rumba
For the first time in Cuba, Rumba was officially exhibited in the social life of the slaves, their music and dances, which have an important place in Christian mythology and are called the “Three Kings Day” in the festivities.
Slave musicians and dancers, with the masks they wore and the different costumes they wore, aimed to show their culture humiliated by the colonialists by exhibiting their most harsh and aesthetic dances on the “Three Kings Day”.
Cha Cha Cha
Developed in the mid-1900s, Cha Cha Cha is the first dance to be named with the sound of the heel in the history of Latin dance. It is similar to Salsa but has a slower tempo than Salsa. Today, it manages to become the most famous dance in the history of Latin dance. It attracts attention with its impressive music.
Swing
Swing began to develop towards the end of the 1920s and continued its influence until the mid-1940s. Musicians in this period preferred rhythms with a sense of comfort and used the eighth note pattern. These are the important elements that bring out the “Swing Feeling”. Swing is the dance of those who can’t sit still and those who want to dance freely. This jazz music heard on the streets of Africa has reached the whole world.
Merengue
Merengue is the local dance of the Dominican Republic. It is a Latin dance performed in pairs or in groups. Quick footwork and shrug of the shoulders is the main character of the dance. The merengue is an easy-to-learn fun dance that is open to improvisation. It has agile movements like in salsa.
Paso Doble
Paso Doble literally means two steps. It is often described with the metaphor of a bullfight. In that regard, while the man represents a matador in the dance, the woman represents the cape used in bullfights.
A very powerful and passionate dance, Paso Doble has a dramatic and exciting spirit. The dance moves are extremely fast and take shape within the framework of pre-planned choreographies. For this reason, a dance choreography specific to music should be prepared.
