Merengue
is the national dance of the Dominican Republic.
One story alleges that the dance originated with slaves who were
chained together and, of necessity, were forced to drag one leg
as they cut sugar to the beat of drums.
The second story alleges that a great hero was wounded in the leg
during one of the many revolutions in the Dominican Republic. A
party of villagers welcomed him home with a victory celebration
and, out of sympathy, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp and
drag one foot.
Mambo originated in Cuba where there
were substantial settlements of Haitians. In the back country of
Haiti, the "Mambo" is a voodoo priestess, who serves the villagers
as counselor, healer, exorcist, soothsayer, spiritual advisor, and
organizer of public entertainment. However, there is not a folk
dance in Haiti called the "Mambo." The fusion of Swing and Cuban
music produced this fascinating rhythm and in turn created a new
sensational dance. The Mambo could not have been conceived earlier
since up to that time, the Cuban and American Jazz were still not
wedded. The "Mambo" dance is attributed to Perez Prado who introduced
it at La Tropicana night-club in Havana in 1943. Since then other
Latin American band leaders such as Tito Rodriquez, Pupi Campo,
Tito Puente, Machito and Xavier Cugat have achieved styles of their
own and furthered the Mambo craze. Native Cubans or musicians without
any training would break on any beat. It first appeared in the United
States in New York's Park Plaza Ballroom - a favorite hangout of
enthusiastic dancers from Harlem. The Mambo gained its excitement
in 1947 at the Palladium and other renowned places such as The China
Doll, Havana Madrid and Birdland.
Cha Cha is originally known as the Cha-Cha-Cha. Became popular
about 1954. Cha Cha is an offshoot of the Mambo. In the slow Mambo
tempo, there was a distinct sound in the music that people began
dancing to, calling the step the "Triple" Mambo. Eventually it evolved
into a separate dance, known today as the Cha Cha.
Rumba influence came in the 16th century
with the black slaves imported from Africa. The native Rumba folk
dance is essentially a sex pantomime danced extremely fast with
exaggerated hip movements and with a sensually aggressive attitude
on the part of the man and a defensive attitude on the part of the
woman. The music is played with a staccato beat in keeping with
the vigorous expressive movements of the dancers. Accompanying instruments
include the maracas, the claves, the marimbola, and the drums. Rumba
is the spirit and soul of Latin American music and dance. The fascinating
rhythms and bodily expressions make the Rumba one of the most popular
ballroom dances
