History of Rumba Dance Essay Example

One of the many ballroom dances that have captured America is Rumba. This dance is associated with catchy rhythms, high energy and sexual suggestiveness, among others. However, the Rumba we now know is already a product of an evolution of the dance from its early developments in Cuba and through its passage into cultures across time and space.

Rumba originated in Havana, Cuba in the 1890s, while dances with similar features were also found in other Caribbean islands and in Latin America (Romero, "Rumba History"). It is a result of several similar types of dances in the African culture that was used for various religious ceremonies. The Cuban bolero, guaracha, and the rural rumba, which have similar rhythms, are only a few of these (Ong). During these times, such dance primarily served a central community activity that formed a main part of ceremonies or gatherings that educated as well as entertained the community.

The Rumba was and is a dance famous for depicting the sexual interaction between man and woman. In its earlier forms, the dance featured slow rhythms, exaggerated hip movements, and a kind of sexual play between the dancers where the male depicts sexual advances while the female displays a defensive yet flirtatious attitude (Romero). The dynamics of traditional sexual relations and flirting is captured in the dance, where females are coy while males are aggressive when compared with each other. This is coupled with an engaging beat that captures the intensity of the dance. The music played had a staccato beat, with maracas, claves, marimbola and drums the usual instruments used (Romero, "Rumba History").

According to its tempo, Rumba had three types: the Rumba Yambu, Rumba Guaguanaco, and Rumba Columbia. Yambu has a generally slower beat and does not feature the visceral hip thrusts usually seen in other forms; Guaguanaco has a faster beat and more complex rhythms than Yambu as well as is more sexually suggestive; while the Columbia is very fast and involves steps that display the strength and agility of the dancer (Romero). It is very interesting that Yambu is usually danced by females while Columbia is usually danced by males; this, if anything, reinforces the role-assigning function of Rumba: women are coy, graceful, and passive; while men are supposed to be aggressive, strong and active. These dynamics, one will observe, come together in Guaguanaco.

During the World War II, a couple of milder versions of Rumba developed in Cuba – the Son among the middle class, which is characterized with small steps and subtle instead of exaggerated hip movements and the Danzon, which is even slower, among the wealthy class (Romero, "Rumba"). These may be a result of an earlier banning of Rumba by the government of Cuba for its sexual suggestiveness. However, even with a minimization of the movements, the artistic essence of and passion in Rumba is preserved.

Rumba, particularly Son, was introduced into America in 1913 (Romero, "Rumba"). The meeting of the two cultures produced much change in the form of the dance. To cite a few, it had become twice as slow, additional steps were included, hip movements were reduced, and the steps had become technical and followed exact counting (Romero). However, the tension and intensity of the dance were still there. But it was only in 1930 that the Rumba would really reach the mainstream with the help of bands, clubs, orchestras and movies that introduced and popularized it (Ong). Rumba has since then belonged to the group of dances taught in special schools and even studied as an art. From being guided by traditions and governed by intuitive improvisation, it has reached a form that allows only expertise.

Works Cited

• Romero, Robert. "The Rumba Dancing: Roots and Realities of the Rumba Dance." SalsaCrazy, Inc. 2007. 1 august 2008. <http://rumbacrazy.com/history.htm>
• "Rumba History." Latin Dance Forever. 2000. 1 August 2008. <http://www.latindanceforever.com/English/rumbahstry.htm>
• Ong, Kace. "Dance Steps: Rumba." Gotta Dance. [n.d.] 2 August 2008. <http://web.singnet.com.sg/~telemati/dance/latin/rumba.txt>
• "Rumba." StreetSwing.com. 8 August 2006. 1 August 2008. <http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3rumba.htm>