Have you heard about the Danzón?

It is necessary to travel to Cuba to understand how important the Danzón is in the cultural dynamics of the island.

The sun, the gastronomy, the party, the good humor, its people and the dance, are some of the main attractions, which each year lead more people to choose this country to spend wonderful holidays.

Cuban national dance danzón

Declared a beautiful and elegant art form: the danzón originates from the city of Matanzas, Cuba. This typical Cuban dance has the contradanza as antecedent, due to the Spanish colonization already entrenched on the island.

However, the Danzón, due to its rhythmic style, began to adorn halls and large parties in 1879, the time when Miguel Fail, its creator, combined sounds and rhythms, thus creating the first typical Cuban dance.

It is worth noting that this Cuban dance was able for the first time to highlight the presence of the mestizo race in these halls, this brought with it the enjoyment of a totally Creole sound.

Therefore, the Danzón was initially recognized as Cuban habanera or Creole dance, becoming the first Cuban musical genre. Therefore, its rhythm is still an obligatory reference for all variants of Cuban popular music.

Do you want to know more about typical Cuban dances?

Music and dance have always had a great influence on the Cuban island and although the Danzón is the emblem of the country, there are other typical Cuban dances that you should know.

Salsa

Without a doubt, Cuba is one of the favorite destinations for salsa lovers. Recent studies confirm that this Latin genre today is one of the most practiced in the world.

Its birth dates from the 60s from the mixture of different Caribbean and European styles that later evolved as a trend and this mixture of expressions was called Salsa.

The popularity and extension of the genre is due to the dynamism of its movements, freshness and the different representative figures, which capture the attention of any dancer on the dance floor.

In this lively dance the couple stays very close to each other and the Cuban style is defined by constant turns at a common point.

Bolero

The Bolero arises between the 20s and 30s of the 19th century. The typical Cuban bolero as a musical style emerged in Santiago de Cuba by the hand of its creator Pepe Sánchez, who titled the first bolero in the history of Cuban music as “Sadness”.

The rhythmic sound of their instruments and the sensuality shown by the embraced couple when executing this style of dance, impacted the society of that time, which is why it spread throughout Latin America.

By dancing as a couple and following the cadence of the romantic lyrics of their songs. It is recognized that the Bolero is an easy to learn, romantic and intimate dance. This is the traditional typical dance, where the positions when dancing, have the greatest intimate approach between its dancers.

Mambo

This musical style was created by Arsenio Rodríguez and popularized by Enrique Pérez Prado, excellent musicians from the musical island. The fusion of unique combinations and sounds that made it immediately become the number one dance in nightclubs and radio stations.

However, it is not until the end of the 40s that the Mambo shows its maximum splendor.

And what does MAMBO mean? Well, it is understood that this word, of Bantu origin, has its significance in the Congo, so its meaning refers to happiness, celebration and joy.

This dance style has its foundations in the Cuban son, the rumba and Spanish currents as well. Their fusion brings to the salons this new innovative style, which was then called MAMBO. 

This type of dance is represented with forward and backward movements following the 4/4 time signature, which means that the fast and slow steps will vary according to the musical cadence.

Chachacha

This is another rhythm, it was created in Cuba by the composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in the 1950s.

Its beginnings are closely related to the Danzón, since this musical style developed from the influence of the danzón mambo.

Certainly, this masterful dance is called Cha Cha Cha, because it is the result of the sounds produced by the dancer’s feet when marking the steps of this dance.

Have you heard the tune of The Deceiver?. Well, this jewel of Cuban music is one of the first songs that revolutionized the musical scene of those times. would make the Cha Cha Cha the fashionable dance.

Once again, Cuban music was back in the news.

Just 5 years after the creation of this typical Cuban dance, it was already popular in Latin America, the United States, Western Europe and to this day.