How the Cuban Salsa Evolves and Transforms Over Time

Cuban salsa was born thanks to the characteristic rhythm of the 19th century called the Cuban son. The salsa dance embodies two main cultures: African and Hispano-Arabic. The music to which salsa is danced has Afro-Cuban roots.

From Spanish residents, the musical form inherited its melodic and poetic style, as well as string instruments; from Africans, it took percussion instruments: drum, congas, bongos, cowbell, timbales, maracas, guiro, Tres guitar, and the characteristic vocal style with separation of lead singer and chorus parts.

The son rhythm was originally known only in the eastern part of the island of Cuba – in the city surrounded by mountains called Sierra Maestra, in the second largest city, Santiago, and in the small town of Guantanamo.

Later, around 1892, the group "Montuno" with lead singer Nene Manfugas, who often performed at carnivals in Santiago, allowed this musical direction to spread throughout Cuba. In the 1950s, the trumpet was added to the main group of musical instruments, and Caribbean and Latin American rhythms were incorporated into the son rhythm.

The name of the dance – "salsa" – translates as "sauce." One day in a Miami club, a band was performing music in the Cuban style. The audience was so excited that they started shouting to the singers: "Salsa! Salsa!" – thereby they wanted to let the performers know that their songs were as hot and spicy as the sauce served with the dishes in that establishment.

The salsa dance absorbed the most characteristic features of the musical and dance genres of Central America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Although Cuba is considered the birthplace of salsa, throughout its development, this dance incorporated movements and elements characteristic of the dance styles of Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Panama.

Until the 1940s, salsa closely resembled the rumba, as it was performed at a slow tempo and looked very elegant. This dance was one of the favorites among the white Latin American bourgeoisie. Starting in the 1940s, salsa was heavily influenced by South Americans from New York – they added blues and jazz rhythms to traditional salsa. Now salsa got a new name – "Metropolitan Salsa," and it was this dance that in the 1970s spread beyond New York, spreading throughout the world.

In the 1990s, salsa finally reached Russia, but it took another 15 years to achieve its current popularity. Notably, in 2013, salsa was first included in the group of non-Olympic sports in Colombia. And this is no coincidence, because salsa has many acrobatic tricks that often resemble sports gymnastics and circus acts.

In the salsa dance, partners stand very close to each other and move at an incredibly fast speed, performing many turns and spins. The main role in the dance is played by the feet – basic steps accessible to beginners are layered with all sorts of complex elements, elevating what seems like a simple dance to a very high level. While the feet move at a crazy pace, the partners' hands intertwine into various knots, which then easily unravel.

Learning to dance salsa, especially its disco version, is very easy: you only need a good mood, but professional salsa performed in competitions requires years of training, flexibility, an ideal sense of rhythm, and excellent coordination. Nevertheless, when a person has a huge desire to master something, in the end, they will achieve it.