Latin American dances

Latin American dances is a collection of different dance styles, united in one direction, which is in constant development, allowing you to master the modern technique of performing various types of dances as much as possible. Millions of fans of Latin American dances gather in clubs and discos to enjoy the relaxed and liberated state.

Reggaeton is the dance hallmark of Puerto Rico and Latin America for the world's youth. Reggaeton is considered one of the sexiest dances in the world. What else can you dance while imitating "doggy-style"?

On the dance floors of reggaeton, it is not traditional morality that dominates, but the general attraction to pleasure, therefore, mastering it, you do not have to worry about partners: they will certainly be found. However, reggaeton is also suitable for demonstrating individual skill, especially the skill of isolation and hip movement.
The reggaeton dance vocabulary is based on the movements of reggae, bachata and hip-hop. Having an open character, Reggaeton perfectly assimilates the elements of strip latina, strip plastic and individual author's techniques. As a rule, this dance is danced to reggaeton - a mix of Jamaican reggae, dancehall and American hip-hop (Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Ivy Queen). However, although it is reggaeton and its unique beat Dem Bow that allow you to feel all the nuances of the style, you can organically dance reggaeton to Latin hip-hop (Big Pun, Fat Joe, Akwid) and even to the American mainstream (Lil Jon, 50 Cent, Usher 'and Snoop Dogg).
Hot, frank and provocative reggaeton is an excellent choice for those who seek not isolation from other dancers, but for intimacy and want to get pleasure in dancing, bordering on the pleasures of sexual play.

Salsa / Salsa

The name of the most popular dance in the USA and Europe, Salsa, is translated from Spanish as “sauce”. Indeed, without this additive, we would not have loved so much these hot Latin American rhythms, fiery songs, Latinos films and bright outfits! Vamos a bailar!

Salsa is a mixture of different musical genres and dance traditions from different countries of Central and Latin America. Therefore, its rhythms and figures combine all the flavor of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico and Cuba, which is considered the birthplace salsa... It was there, at the beginning of the 20th century, that these melodies were born.

New York South Americans - Puerto Ricans, Panamanians, Cubans, Colombians - mixed salsa with jazz and blues rhythms. A new genre called “ Salsa subway ", in the 70s was" taken out "from New York and with wild success spread across the planet, becoming the most popular dance of Latin American origin.

This direction of dancing is intended for those who want to learn how to move beautifully to Latin American music, master their body perfectly, improvise and fantasize, get a powerful positive charge, pleasure from themselves and those around them.

The dance itself is closely related to the African American ethnic culture so popular today. Only in the Latin interpretation is added melodiousness, lyricism, with a certain shade of nostalgic notes, which are so consonant with the Russian character, to the hard, abrupt beats of African tambours. However, it must be said that the whole world tasted Latin dances together with Russia. More and more perky songs in the style of "a la Latinos" appear on the world stages, and every self-respecting pop singer considers it his duty to do at least one thing in this style. An example of this is such stars of the world stage as Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and others.

Mambo / Mambo

Mambo was born in Cuba. Sensual and groovy Mambo conquered the whole world with its simplicity of performance and the fact that it can be danced alone, in pairs and as a whole group. Widely known Mambo also found thanks to cinema. Among the famous films, there are several in which this dance is used as a means of seduction. These are famous and classic paintings. "Mambo" (1954), "Mambo Kings" with Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante and, of course, “ Dirty dancing"Starring the incomparable Patrick Swayze. It was after this film that popularity Mambo in dance schools began to grow. And today millions of people around the world are taking lessons in this incredibly beautiful, fiery and sensual dance.

Rumba / Rumba

Rumba“This is the apotheosis of tango,” sings Paolo Conte. And he is right, since Tango, and Rumba descended from habanera. This Cuban dance with Spanish roots gave birth to two very different sisters, one with fair skin and the other with dark skin. In Argentina, she miraculously reborn into the sensual Argentine Tango. In Cuba, the habanera was filled with sensual and full of vitality choreography - and there was Rumba, a dance that is more African in nature.

Cha-cha-cha

Cha-cha-cha often called the "dance of coquettes", because it is very popular with women who are characterized by provocative behavior or light flirting. Cha-cha-cha- a real dance of seduction. Indeed, the movement Cha-cha-cha allow a woman to openly demonstrate her charm and dignity of the figure, since the dance itself is characterized, first of all, by expressive movements of the hips. Unlike other dances, in which the closeness of partners, as it were, allows you to flirt, Cha-cha-cha gives a woman the opportunity to flirt: she proudly walks in front of the gentleman, as if trying to conquer not only him, but also become desirable for the entire male audience.

Bachata, merenge

Bachata and merengue - two rhythms that originated in the Dominican Republic have a lot of similarities and just as many differences. Both genres are of folk origin, both have struggled to achieve public recognition, and both have transcended their small island homeland. But, unlike the energetic and carefree merengue, which is the most suitable for fun parties, bachata created for a slightly different pastime. No wonder it got the name "música de amargue" - the music of bitterness. Its pace is much slower, and the lyrics tell about the suffering of unrequited love.

Choreography Bachata simple and uncomplicated - four steps from side to side or back and forth with an emphasis on the latter, at this moment the leg is stretched slightly forward and placed on the toe or on the heel. The partners dance at a very close distance from each other, also making light circular movements with their hands locked into the lock. The main goal in the dance bachata- close contact with a partner, therefore there are very few turns, but side passages and "throwing" the lady from side to side are often used.

The traditional set of instruments for performing merengue includes a kick drum - a double-sided drum of a specific shape, called tambora, alto saxophone, diatonic accordion and guira, a cylindrical metal tool that is scraped with a stick.

Bachata - A charming musical form reminiscent of the Cuban dream has long been a part of the daily life of Dominicans, but only recently has it come to be perceived as an important and unique cultural feature. Despite the fact that ensembles performing bachata , regularly include in their repertoire merengue , the instrumentation in bachata is different. The guitar or requito is the most conspicuous instrument in bachata like an accordion in merengue. Thanks to advanced strumming technique and treble guitar bachata recognized instantly. At club Latin American parties, it is customary not to distinguish between dances. People just plunge into the atmosphere of fiery Latin rhythms, dance and have fun. You can know a little of the movements, but each time, with a different partner or partner, something unique, inimitable, with its own emotions and passions will be born to a new melody. And this is precisely where the mesmerizing Bachata.

The main task is to catch all the movements of the partner and literally become one with him. Like all Latin dances, bachata very useful for the female figure... In just a month of regular exercise, your figure will acquire a seductive shape. And bachata also has a unique effect on the gait - it becomes surprisingly feminine!

Merengue

Today, Merengue is one of the most popular Latin American dances. If you can walk, then you can dance the Merengue! It does not require space, you can dance it on any patch of free space.

Merengue originated on the island of Hispaniola, discovered by Columbus in the 15th century. This island was a kind of starting point for the entire Spanish-American Empire, which spread to most of Central and Latin America. Over the centuries, powerful streams of African slaves joined the Indian tribes and Spanish colonists.

Some believe that the origin of the characteristic Merengue The pas comes from the movements produced by slaves on the sugar cane plantations. Their legs were chained at their ankles, so when they danced to forget for a moment, they could mostly only move their hips, transferring their body weight from one leg to the other.

Former slaves of cotton plantations, having received freedom, danced and rejoiced in their fate. Imitating walking in shackles, they laughed and hugged in a dance, thereby emphasizing the main idea - freedom is the happiness of all people.

There are other versions, but, be that as it may, at the beginning of the 19th century, Merengue was already danced in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic. And unlike other Antillean dances, the success of Merengue can be explained by the fact that the partners move, embracing, which gives the dance a special intimacy, which makes it possible for more frank courtship.

Club Latin American dances are easy to learn. The main thing is to completely immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Latin American rhythms, and openly express your emotions and feelings. Club latina is attractive because it gives you complete freedom. At any party you will be simply irresistible!

Popular dances in the Latina style.

Salsa- in Spanish means "sauce" - it is a mixture of different musical genres and dance traditions of different countries of Central and Latin America. Therefore, its rhythms and figures combine all the flavor of Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico and Cuba, which is considered the cradle of Salsa. It was there that at the beginning of the twentieth century these melodies were born. Salsa - slower and more elegant than the similar Rumba, in which the dancers barely touch - was in the old days held in high esteem by the local white bourgeoisie. But everything changed in the 40s of the twentieth century in New York. The Latin American community took over the west of Manhattan, and they mixed Salsa with the rhythms of jazz and blues. The new genre was called "Salsa Metro", in the 70s it was "taken out" from New York and spread across the planet with incredible success, becoming the most popular dance of Latin American origin. Salsa contains interesting combinations, liberated and passionate movements, fun and flirting, flirting with each other. This is a dance of love and freedom.

Merengue appeared on the island of Hispaniola, discovered by Columbus in the X1V century. This island became the distribution point of the entire Spanish-American Empire, which spread to most of Central and Latin America. Later, powerful streams of African slaves joined the Indian tribes and Spanish colonists. This mixing of ethnic groups, traditions and cultures has contributed to the emergence of a variety of dances and music, among which the meringue is undoubtedly one of the most ancient dance forms.

It is believed that the origin of the characteristic Merengue pas comes from the movements produced by slaves on sugarcane plantations. Their legs were chained at the ankles, and when they danced to forget for a moment, they could mostly only move their hips, transferring their body weight from one leg to the other. There are other versions, but, be that as it may, at the beginning of the 19th century, Merengue was already danced in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic.

The success of Merengue is explained by the fact that partners move hugging each other, giving the dance a special intimacy, which makes it possible for more frank courtship. Merengue music is very diverse, the rhythm accelerates a little in the last part of the dance. Merengue is easy to learn and is therefore recommended for beginners. This delightful, very colorful and plastic dance includes a unique movement that mimics a slight limp.

Mambo like Rumba, Salsa, Cha-cha-cha, appeared in Cuba. The word "mambo" probably comes from the name of the god of war, to whom a ritual dance was dedicated in Cuba in the distant past. The current form of Mambo was born in the 40s of the twentieth century as a result of the fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz. Sensual and lively Mambo captivated the world with its simplicity of performance and the fact that it can be danced alone, in pairs and as a whole group. Mambo gained wide popularity thanks to cinema. Famous films include several that use this dance as a means of seduction: Mambo (1954), Mambo Kings with Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante, and, well-known to everyone, Dirty Dancing with Patrick Swayze in the title role. After the release of this film, the popularity of Mambo in dance schools began to grow exponentially.

Rumba- "This is the apotheosis of tango", - is sung in the song by Paolo Conte. This is true as both Tango and Rumba are descended from habanera. This Cuban dance with Spanish roots gave birth to two very different sisters, one with fair skin and the other with dark skin. In Argentina, she miraculously reborn into a sensual Tango. In Cuba, the habanera was filled with sensual and full of vitality choreography - and Rumba was born, a dance that is more African in nature. Rumba has become a classic in all Latin American dances. This slow and sensual dance is an interpretation of the relationship between a man and a woman, it has characteristic hip movements and an enchanting rhythm. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were three versions of Rumba, but the most famous is guaguancho - a dance during which the gentleman follows the lady in search of hip contact, and the lady tries to avoid this. In this dance, the lady is, as it were, the object of impudent courtship and tries to restrain the passion of her partner. Perhaps because of this, Rumba got the name - "dance of love". Rumba underwent a radical evolution after its introduction in the United States. Along with the expansive and erotic Cuban, the American Rumba appeared - with more restrained movements and style. It was this version of Rumba that spread all over the world, winning the hearts of several generations of dancers and simply connoisseurs of Latin American culture.

Cha-cha-cha... The exciting Latin American cha-cha-cha dance carries a happy and slightly carefree atmosphere, its name derives from a particular repetitive basic rhythm. The birth of Cha-cha-cha is celebrated in the 19th century, when danzon, sleep, rumba and mambo were born in Cuba. All Cuban music was influenced by the music of the black settlers who arrived in America during the colonial era. Accordingly, Cha-cha-cha, along with its other relatives, has African roots. Nowadays, Cha-cha-cha, like other dances, is back in fashion. Elegant Cha-cha-cha with its own characteristic rhythm, which seems to be specially created so that a woman can demonstrate her beauty and femininity with special expressiveness. They say about cha-cha-cha that this is a dance of coquettes, because it is very popular with women who are characterized by provocative behavior or light flirting. Cha-cha-cha is a real example of seduction dance. Indeed, the Cha-cha-cha movements allow a woman to openly demonstrate her charm and dignity of the figure, since the dance itself is characterized, first of all, by expressive movements of the hips. The woman proudly walks in front of the gentleman, as if trying to conquer not only him, but also to become desirable for the entire male audience.

Posadobl... If the partner dominates in cha-cha-cha and rumba, then posadobl is a typical male dance. A partner is a bullfighter, a partner, following him, personifies his cloak or bull. Posadobl is a catchy and expressively emotional dance.

Sambu often referred to as the "South American waltz", its rhythms are very popular and can be easily modified to form new dances.

Jive very different in character and technique from other Latin American dances, it is very fast and requires a lot of energy.

Latin American dances is the general name for ballroom and folk dances that developed in Latin America. Just as Latin America itself emerged as a result of Spanish-Portuguese colonization, Latin American dances were based primarily on Spanish influences.

The habanera and rumba dances appeared on the basis of the country dance introduced in the 18th century, and the bachata - on the basis of the bolero. In Brazilian samba, Colombian cumbia, Cuban mamba and rumba, in addition to European traditions, African traditions can also be traced, and Indian ones in diablade. Tango is recognized as a unique Latin American dance.

The characteristic features of Latin American dances include energetic, passionate incendiary movements and swaying of the hips.

Ladies' dresses are usually short, very open and tight. The suits of the gentlemen are also very tight-fitting, often (but not always) black. The meaning of such suits is to show the work of athletes' muscles.

The 20th century saw the flourishing of Latin American dances. New types such as salsa, cha-cha-cha and reggaeton appear.

Currently, the Latin American ballroom dance program includes 5 elements:

2. Cha-cha-cha

4. Paso Doble

Sammba (port. Samba) is a Brazilian dance, a symbol of the national identity of the Brazilians.

The dance gained worldwide fame thanks to the Brazilian carnivals. One of the varieties of samba entered the mandatory five of the Latin American ballroom dancing program. Performed at a tempo of 50-52 beats per minute, in the size of 2/4 or 4/4.

In Russian, the word samba is feminine, and in Portuguese it is masculine.

Samba is a Brazilian dance that has its roots in the state of Bahia. Over time, the first samba and blockos schools appeared, in numbers of up to fifty people, who paraded through the streets. The first Brazilian carnivals appeared in the twenties and thirties. Today they have become traditional not only for Rio de Janeiro, but also for other large cities. Carnival has long turned into a competition in which different samba schools compete for the title of "Best samba school".

“Brazilians loved samba so much that it became their national music. And Rio is the center of a wide variety of samba styles. There are many samba schools operating here, its folk version lives here - the samba of the Brazilian slums ”(c) Gilbert Gilles.

Samba nu pe (Samba no pй - samba on legs) - the movements of this dance are used by dancers (passistas), who ride a special colorful van when passing samba schools at carnivals. In this case, this is one of the types of carnival samba - a solo dance performed by women. Can be performed on the dance floor as a pair dance without support, that is, partners keep their distance.

Samba de Gafieira (Samba de Gafieira) is a pair social dance that combines elements of mashishe, previously known as "Brazilian tango", Argentine tango, waltz. In demonstration shows, the dance is performed with acrobatic movements borrowed from rock and roll.

The name of the style comes from the Brazilian word gafieira, meaning dance floor. In Brazil, samba de gafieira is considered a ballroom or, more precisely, a salon dance (danza de salgo), but it is completely different from an international sports samba. The striking difference between the two options is due to the fact that samba de gafieira descended directly from mashisha. Ballroom dance samba (international standard) was formed in Europe and the USA on the basis of the ennobled and devoid of provocative eroticism mashish. Such a dance was presented in 1909 in Paris by a pair of Brazilian dancers Duque (Brazilian pronunciation: Duque - Antonio Lopes de Amorim Diniz, 1884-1853) and Maria Lina. Duquet created his own mashishe choreography, which he taught from 1914 at the dance school he opened in Paris. Steps are currently being taken to standardize the de gafieira samba with a view to its acceptance into the compulsory International Latin ballroom dance program. The standard figures of the samba de gafieira are given by the Brazilian researcher of salon dances, Marco Antonio Perna.

The National Salon Dance Association (Associaço Nacional de Dança de Salgo, ANDANZAS) was founded in Brazil in 2003.

Pagode resembles samba de gafieira, but does not contain acrobatic movements, it is performed in pairs with partners close to each other.

Samba Ashe is a dance performed solo or in large groups. The samba form, which mixes elements of samba well pe and aerobics, plays on humorous lyrics.

Samba Reggae originated in the Brazilian state of Bahia. A very common version of samba, which is performed with reggae music.

Samba de roda (Samba de roda - circular samba or samba in a circle) is an impromptu Afro-Brazilian dance from the state of Bahia. The most ancient and authentic type of samba, from which the city samba carioca originated. In Bahia, as a rule, men perform musical accompaniment, while women sing and clap their hands. According to tradition, these performers form a circle in which usually only one or less often two women dance. Men rarely enter the circle to perform the dance. Capoeiristas also play capoeira in a circle (port. Roda - roda), which often ends with a samba de roda dance, in which the capoeiristas themselves take part.

Ballroom dance samba (port. Samba internacional, English International Ballroom Samba) currently refers to pair sports ballroom dancing (SBT) and is mandatory for performance in the Latin American program.

Ballroom samba dance is characterized by frequent changes in positions of partners, hip mobility and general expressive character. Dance movements are characterized by rapid movement of body weight through flexion and extension of the knees. The basic clock scheme of choreography: "a-slow, slow, a-slow, slow". Some typical dance steps are bota fogo (from the name of the Rio de Janeiro area Botafogo), corta jaca, volta, whisk and cruzado.

Ballroom samba dance arose as a result of the mutual influence of two cultural traditions: African ritual dances of black slaves who arrived in Brazil from Congo, Angola and Mozambique, and European dances (waltz, polka) introduced by the Portuguese. Samba also experienced the influence of the Brazilian dance shote (port. Xote, xoutis), which developed from the Scottish polka in its German version. Brazilian Shot should not be confused with Ecossaise. Before contact with European culture, Africans did not have pair dances.

The Encyclopedia Britannica notes that this style of pair dance is of Brazilian origin. This type of samba became popular in the United States and Western Europe in the late 40s of the XX century. Many of the dancers' movements were borrowed from mashishe ("Brazilian tango"), which was in great vogue in Brazil from 1870-1914. The partners can break the pair and perform some dance moves at a considerable distance from each other.

In Europe, until 1914, the ballroom dance samba was not known, since the Brazilian dance mashishe was in fashion, and in Brazil until the early 30s of the XX century in the urban environment samba existed in symbiosis with mashish: samba-mashishe (samba-maxixe) ... Mashisha was banned because of the erotic movements of the dancers. It should be noted that sexual frankness and expression of mashishe are also characteristic of the Angolan tarraxinha dance, which originated from the slow Angolan Semba and is considered a kind of kizomba, and in all these dances there is a characteristic ancient ritual movement - umbigada. Such a clear parallel provides undeniable grounds for the assumption of a single origin for the Angolan Semba and the Brazilian samba.

Despite the fact that this ballroom dance is called samba and comes from Brazilian dances, in Brazil it is called "international samba" (port o samba internacional), is not considered typically Brazilian and is little known in the country. The costumes of the dancers, the musical accompaniment and the style of international samba performance have little to do with the samba de gafieira, which is a popular ballroom dance in Brazil. Modern ballroom samba dance movements are mainly based on pas borrowed from mashish and are not always performed in samba rhythm, as they are often accompanied by flamenco, cha-cha-cha and salsa music.

Compared to other Latin American ballroom dances, the paired sports samba in its evolution was most distant from the origins that gave it its name, and outside Brazil it can be called the "Brazilian Waltz".

A distinctive feature of samba, like other types of African American music and dance, is the syncopated rhythm. The use of polyrhythmia and cross-rhythms is characteristic. Rhythmic polyphony is produced by a wide variety of percussion instruments.

Latin American (Antillean) dances or simply latina took shape in a separate type of ballroom program in the middle of the 19th century. They owe their wide distribution to the free North America, in which cultures, including dance ones, of several races are bizarrely mixed. Thus, the Spanish folk dance, elements of which were performed by bullfighters during the bullfight, became known throughout the world as the Paso Doble. Samba was brought to Brazil, and then to Europe, African slaves, rumba and cha-cha-cha in Cuba and Haiti.

The traditional ballroom dance program adopted by the Ballroom Sports Federation since 1930 includes five dances in the Latin American section. These are jive, samba, rumba, cha-cha-cha and paso doble. All of them are performed in pairs, and, moreover, the peculiarity of Latin, in contrast to European dances, is that during the performance partners can both disconnect the contact and cuddle together very closely. All Latin American dances are rhythmic and emotional, and some of them are particularly sensual.

As a rule, at competitions and festivals, Latin dancers perform in bright, tight-fitting outfits with a lot of sequins. For ladies, a short skirt and the most open back are allowed, for a partner - a tight-fitting suit.

Not only professionals dance Latin American dances. The so-called "club" Latin has long become one of the most popular directions of mass dance, both in Latin America and in the USA, Europe and Russia. Salsa and bachata, merengue and mambo - these dances do not require honed skill, it is more important to open up in them completely, turning movements into a story filled with meaning and passion. It is no coincidence that the same half-jokingly, half-seriously is called "sex on the floor."

For many years, the film "Dirty Dancing" with Patrick Swayze, which shows the most popular of amateur dances in all its glory, has been a cult film for all Latin dancers.

Sources:

• Latina: everyone is dancing!

Tip 2: Which branches are modern Latin American dances divided into?

Each of the Latin American countries has several dances of its own. However, they have a lot in common - they all appeared on the same continent, becoming a kind of fusion of several cultures - Spanish, Indian and African. They were originally considered dances for the poor and were performed at parties and folk festivals. It wasn't until 1930 that Latin American dances began to spread in the United States and Europe. But since then they have enjoyed unchanged popularity.

Instructions

Samba is a rhythmic, fiery dance of passion. It originated in Brazil as a result of the fusion of African dances with Spanish and Portuguese dances.

Rumba and cha-cha-cha are dances that originated in Cuba. Rumba is a beautiful dance of love, which is considered the main one in the Latin American program. Cha-cha-cha is a playful "dance of coquette", with typical Cuban swaying of the hips.

The Paso Doble is a dance of Spanish origin, its plot is a reflection of the traditional bullfighting. In this case, the partner plays the role of a fearless bullfighter, and the partner - his bright red cloak. Many of the movements are borrowed by the Paso Doble from the famous Spanish flamenco dance.

Jive is a very energetic, fast and fun dance. It is located in the southeastern United States in the 19th century, according to various versions, it is believed to be Indians or Africans. Some elements of jive are borrowed by him from rock and roll.

Salsa is considered the queen of the Latin American dance club. She appeared in Cuba at the beginning of the twentieth century. Translated from Spanish, its name is "sauce". Salsa combines choreographic traditions from different countries of Latin America. The dance is somewhat reminiscent of rumba, but in a slower and more elegant version.

Determined to broaden the spectrum of their skills with fiery ones, many enthusiasts simply start scrutinizing advertisements for recruiting related interest groups. And there the first problems already begin, after all, not everything is so simple, and the category of these same dances includes a dozen different types. Therefore, you should first decide on the main names and what distinguishes, for example, Paso Doble from Rumba.

What are they?

First of all, you need to list all types of Latin American dances that are still popular today, these include:

• Mambo;

Test the patience of the bull

Interestingly, the Paso Doble is nothing more than the Spanish dance of a heroic bullfighter in front of an angry bull, and the notorious red rag in this case is personified by the partner. Although there is no killer animal here, it is necessary to steadfastly keep the chest high, the shoulders low, and the head fixed. Jive, in turn, is the most energetic and fastest of the ballroom cohort. It originated in the southeastern United States, has a certain connection with classical rock and roll, from where at one time it even took a number of movements. During Latin American dance competitions, Jive is usually the last to go, being the traditional culmination of the program.