Rumba

Rumba is the spirit and soul of Latin American music and dance. The word "rumba" comes from the verb "rumbear" which means going to parties, dancing, and having a good time. It is also a general term, covering a variety of names (i.e., Son, Danzon, Guagira, Guaracha, Naningo), for a type of West Indian music or dancing. The exact meaning varies from island to island.

The "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. The Rumba style of ballroom dancing is also known as the Latin Waltz. The American Rumba is a variation of a slow-rhythmed Cuban dance called the Son that was brought to the United States in the 1920s. There are two different Rumbas – the American Styles Rumba, which is quicker – and the International Style, which is slower. Accompanying instruments include the maracas, the claves, the marimbola, and the drums. The fascinating rhythms and bodily expressions make the Rumba one of the most popular ballroom dances.

Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings. First, it means Cuban event of African style, organically related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. Second, it refers to one of the ballroom dances which occurs in social dance and in international competitions. In this sense, rumba is the slowest of the five competitive International Latin dances: the paso doble, the samba, the cha-cha-cha and the jive being the others.