In Cuba, a popular dance known as Casino was marketed abroad as Cuban-style salsa or Salsa Cubana to distinguish it from other salsa styles when the name was popularized in the 1970s. Dancing Casino is an expression of popular social culture in Cuba and many Cubans consider casino a part of their social and cultural activities centering on their popular music.
Rueda de Casino is a style of Cuban Salsa where several couples dance in a circle guided by a single leader calls out the moves while the pairs in the circle execute them. There are dozens of spins, each one has a name and many have hand signals. The caller will call out different Cuban salsa patterns that might involve switching partners, clapping, yelling, stomping, or just about any movement your creative mind can think of.
Afro-Cubans are Cubans who are of West African and largely Yoruba ancestry. The term Afro-Cuban can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural elements found in Cuban society such as race, religion, music, language, the arts, and class culture.[2]
Son Cubano is a genre of music and dance that originated in the highlands of eastern Cuba during the late 19th century. It is a syncretic genre that blends elements of Spanish and African origin. Among its fundamental Hispanic components are the vocal style, lyrical metre and the primacy of the tres, derived from the Spanish guitar. On the other hand, its characteristic clave rhythm, call, and response structure and percussion section (bongo, maracas, etc.) are all rooted in traditions of Bantu origin.
Timba is a Cuban genre of music based on Cuban son with salsa, American funk/R&B and the strong influence of Afro-Cuban folkloric music. … Associated with timba is a radically sexual and provocative dance style known as despelote (literally meaning chaos or frenzy). Timba is a dynamic evolution of Cuban Salsa, full of improvisation and Afro Cuban heritage, based on son, Rumba, and mambo, taking inspiration from Latin jazz and is highly percussive with complex sections.[1] Timba is more flexible and innovative than salsa and includes a more diverse range of styles.
Originating in the 1960s in the Dominican Republic, Bachata is a genre of Latin American Music that was born as a fusion between Merengue, Bolero, and Son Cubano. Bachata, in the beginning, didn’t mean anything other than “party” or “celebration” and became a style of music. Over time new skills and complexities were added to its original form and from this, the dance “Bachata” was born. This is one of the most popular styles of Latin American music and dance all around the world.
Merengue is a type of music and lively dance originating in the Dominican Republic, which combines African and Spanish elements. The Merengue has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America, and also in several major cities in the United States with Latino communities.
The Mambo was created when American vacationers began coming to Havana in droves. It’s a combination of Danzon rhythms and the newly popular American Jazz, first envisioned by Orestes Lopez and Israel “Cachao” Lopez. The Mambo can be danced singularly or in pairs to varying tempos. The rhythm is very upbeat, similar to swing dance. This dance was eventually transported to New York where it underwent further evolution. The word “Mambo” comes from the warriors’ song of the Congo (one of the most important African groups brought to Cuba as slaves during the colonial times) There are two forms of dancing Mambo: single and double tempo
In the 1950s, the Danzon and Mambo combined to create the Cha Cha Cha (also known as the Cha Cha It was later adopted and commercialized by ballroom dancers who for teaching purposes (for those unable to identify the beat)..). Its name comes from the staccato footsteps of the dancers. Unlike most dances, the Cha Cha Cha is danced offbeat and has a simple procession of foot movements– three quick steps, two slow steps, pause. Like the Mambo and the Rumba, the Cha Cha Cha is a very fluid dance with a lot of pelvic motion
Bolero is a musical genre and dance that has been a part of Hispanic American culture for more than 100 years. The songs are sentimental and romantic. The dance is intimate and sensual. This dance is perhaps the Hispanic American tradition that is most associated with romance and love. To dance to this slow rhythm, the couple embraces in a romantic way.
The pilón is a Cuban instrumental, singable and danceable genre. With the movement of the arms, simulate when coffee is piled. At the sound of the drumsticks in the pan, one foot is dropped back, and the performance is resumed.
The musical beat is 4/4.
It is based on Afro-Cuban roots with elements of rumba and conga, batá, and abakuá drums. According to Omar Terencio Izquierdo, grandson of Pello El Afrokán and continuator of Mozambique, this is a hymn to Africa and its culture, hence its name.
From the dance point of view, it resembles the gait of people, with wiggles of the foot, which begin with the toe, and which is followed by the support of the heel with a step and slight flexion of the leg. The movements are repeated over and over again and sometimes it is turned slowly without losing the beat of the toe, heel, and flexion. These steps are accompanied by other movements of the hips and rotations of the hands. Women perform it voluptuously, emphasizing the agility of the waist and waist.
Buena Vista Dance Cuban Academy 