By Francisco Parodi, Wailuku, Maui
Rumba dates back to over 600 years. Many years before the arrival of the first illegal aliens. Of course it was not exactly the same thing and danced a little different according to the different islands in the Caribbean. With the advent of bolero, it slowed somewhat and evolved into the Son and Danzon and others similar dances. Gradually, as more people mingled from one island to another, it took on the name Rumba in the cities. The sailors that went up and down the Caribbean were the ones that standardized it even thought is was a solo dance.
Prior to the Second World War. what was exported was really the local Rumbas slowed down by the Bolero and reprocessed by the American and British dance teachers. The fast Mambo-Rumba went back to the sticks and reemerged after the WWII and was introduced as Mambo by Perez Prado in Mexico City. However in Cuba, Mexico City, and New York it was completely different to the modern dance that New Yorkers eventually call "Mambo." The original Rumba dance contains mostly basic steps and not easily accepted by many professional dance teachers.
Cuban dancers would describe mambo as "feeling the music" in which sound and movement were merged through the body. They went for the even step, the rock step and occasional chasse. But they could go forward, backward, side ways, turn left, turn right and all the time changing the movement of the leg, hip, upper torso, arms and heads. Professional dance teachers in the US saw this approach to dancing (naturally) as "extreme," "undisciplined," and thus, they saw it necessary to standardize the dance to present it as a sell-able commodity for the social or ballroom market. What Rumba is danced in the modern Oahu night club?
Rumba dates back to over 600 years. Many years before the arrival of the first illegal aliens. Of course it was not exactly the same thing and danced a little different according to the different islands in the Caribbean. With the advent of bolero, it slowed somewhat and evolved into the Son and Danzon and others similar dances. Gradually, as more people mingled from one island to another, it took on the name Rumba in the cities. The sailors that went up and down the Caribbean were the ones that standardized it even thought is was a solo dance.
"Social dancers know that opportunity may knock, but you gotta open the door."
Prior to the Second World War. what was exported was really the local Rumbas slowed down by the Bolero and reprocessed by the American and British dance teachers. The fast Mambo-Rumba went back to the sticks and reemerged after the WWII and was introduced as Mambo by Perez Prado in Mexico City. However in Cuba, Mexico City, and New York it was completely different to the modern dance that New Yorkers eventually call "Mambo." The original Rumba dance contains mostly basic steps and not easily accepted by many professional dance teachers.
Cuban dancers would describe mambo as "feeling the music" in which sound and movement were merged through the body. They went for the even step, the rock step and occasional chasse. But they could go forward, backward, side ways, turn left, turn right and all the time changing the movement of the leg, hip, upper torso, arms and heads. Professional dance teachers in the US saw this approach to dancing (naturally) as "extreme," "undisciplined," and thus, they saw it necessary to standardize the dance to present it as a sell-able commodity for the social or ballroom market. What Rumba is danced in the modern Oahu night club?
"Social dancers believe that to be happy, they must be concerned about others."
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