The Origin of Rumba: From Cuban Plantations to Global Dance Floors

Originally, this dance was considered a wedding dance performed by slaves on plantations (it mimicked sexual movements between future in-laws, hence the wedding association).

Everyday motifs were also enacted, such as the 'cucaracha' movement that imitated a crushed cockroach, or a movement resembling a cockfight. In general, Rumba encompassed ritual dances based on loud shouts and pronounced beats.

The dance was street-born, for the poorest layers of society.

These people were forbidden from making music; if the police saw gatherings of musicians, instruments were confiscated. The main themes of the songs were protest against the government and, of course, love for black women. It was impossible to force the people to live without music; they continued to play their favorite rhythms by producing sounds with their mouths ('on the lips').

In the 1950s, music could only be heard in taverns, where sugar factory workers gathered to relax. In such places, people knew each other well and easily gave themselves over to music and dance.

Ten years later, the Ministry of Culture began actively promoting the style at various events. There is a theory that this served as a push to change public racial prejudices.

After all, the history of Rumba is primarily the past of black Cubans. Once, the blending of sounds and contrasting rhythms into a single rhythmic pattern was rejected by European listeners as something completely unrelated to music.

In the 19th century, there were three versions of Rumba in Cuba:

— Guaguancó (a couple dance with sharp, passionate movements, resembling a game where the partner courts the girl, trying to touch her with his hips, while she entices him and then pushes him away);

— Yambú (a calm couple dance, mostly performed by older people, without erotic movements, possibly with brief embraces);

— Columbia (performed by a man to demonstrate his acrobatic skills).

Rumba became more restrained in the USA when Cuban musicians began adapting their culture for American audiences - thus American Rumba was born.

The dance appeared in Europe thanks to dancer Pierre Lavelle, who, while traveling in Cuba, was so amazed and delighted by the dance that he couldn't ignore it and brought it to London.

There are several theories about how Rumba got its name. The first says that the word was based on 'rumboso orquestra'. In the early 19th century, this was the name for artists performing dance melodies. The second says that from Spanish, 'Rumbo' means direction. Another option is 'rumba' - 'party, binge, heap' from obsolete Cuban Spanish, or 'rhum' - a type of liqueur.

Modern Rumba is danced in pairs. It is a combination of fiery African rhythms, Spanish love melodies, and graceful Cuban movements. Rumba is the slowest and most emotional of all Latin American dances. The melodies for Rumba are the slowest among Latin music. Time signature is 4/4. The modern sensual character of Rumba came from the absence of steps on the strong beat 'one', which is danced with the hips due to the controlled transfer of weight from one foot to the other. The dance rhythm significantly slowed down, making Rumba the slowest dance in the Latin program, giving the dance its own breathing.

In Rumba, partners must show their relationship, a love story. But most often, the love story is sad. The ending is improvisation, as the dancers wish. The rhythm in Rumba is trickier than it seems: on count 4-1, one slow step is performed; on 2,3, two faster steps. That is, it is counted: 4-1,2,3. And that's just the basic rhythm. Dancing Rumba is very enjoyable. The slow tempo allows for careful execution of each step, full use of arm plasticity. The dance turns out very romantic.

The most famous classic Rumba melody is considered Guantanamera by Joseíto Fernández.

Today, three types of Rumba are distinguished:

— American-style Rumba;
— American-style Bolero;
— International-style Rumba.

The most popular instruments for playing music are tumbadoras, claves, and cajón. The cajón is a wooden box that the musician sits on. Sometimes there were no cajóns, so musicians used large crates in which fish were transported from Spain to Cuba. As soon as the crates were emptied, local music lovers took them over - thus, peculiar Rumba boxes appeared. Other means were used less often, such as wooden chairs, doors, boards, bottles, clay vases, or any other objects that could create sound with a 6x8 rhythm. That's how Rumba made its way to the present day.