We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Sports

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Latin Dancing?

By Brendan McGuigan
Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 18,535
Share

Latin dancing can refer to two distinct groups of dance, either social Latin dancing, or ballroom Latin dancing. Social, or traditional, forms of Latin dance, include things like the samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, cumbia, rumba, cha-cha-cha, bolera, and many others. Formal ballroom Latin dancing, on the other hand, includes only five styles: cha-cha-cha, jive, paso doble, rumba, and samba. It should be noted that neither jive nor the cha-cha-cha are Latin in origin, and for this reason the style of dance is sometimes referred to as Latin American dancing or International Latin dancing.

There are hundreds of styles of traditional Latin folk dancing in Latin America, and listing or describing them all would be a monumental undertaking. A few styles have become widely popular, however, and are danced frequently in clubs in the United States and Europe, as well as in Latin America. One famous style, the Argentinean Tango, is notably not a form of folk dancing, and so although it is usually included as a form of Latin dancing, it is distinct from other Argentinean forms like the gato, zamba, chacarera, and escondido.

Salsa is perhaps the most well-known Latin dance style. It originated in the Caribbean, and as a result combines European and African styles in an innovative way. Generally speaking, salsa is a partner dance, but there are solo styles and group styles as well. The salsa dance likely originated in either Cuba or Puerto Rico, and made its way to North America through the Puerto Rican immigrant community in New York City. It is a relatively new form of Latin dance, originating sometime in the 1950s, and growing out of the modern mambo style.

Contemporary salsa dancing derives its steps from the traditional Cuban son, but influence comes in from a number of other styles as well. The cha-cha-cha, mambo, rumba, comparsa, Mozambique, abakua, changui, palo monte, and guaracha all play into salsa. The basic form of salsa dancing is a three step over a four beat, with the fourth beat offering an opportunity for a kick, tap, or pause. One of the three main steps also takes a bit longer than the other two, making it a break step. A step cycle lasts for six steps over eight beats, and any number of interesting moves can be spread over a step cycle.

Mambo is another form of Latin dancing, originating in Cuba, which has been popular since its inception in the late-1940s to fit the mambo music of the 1930s. The original mambo is very different from the break-on-two dance that characterizes modern mambo in the United States. Mambo was originally brought to the United States by Perez Prado, and sometime in the 1970s the style shifted to include a break at the two step.

Tango is probably the most iconic form of Latin dancing, and there are many different forms of the dance. It originated in Argentina, in Buenos Aires, and in Uruguay, sometime in the 1890s. It quickly took control of the dance scene in Argentina, and in the early-20th century took Europe by storm, with a tango craze spreading from France to England and Germany, and eventually to the United States. There are many different tango styles, danced to a number of different musical styles, including the tango, the vals, and milonga.

Share
Sports n' Hobbies is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.sportsnhobbies.org/what-is-latin-dancing.htm
Copy this link
Sports n' Hobbies, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

Sports n' Hobbies, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.