Rumba is a children's musical instrument. Dance Encyclopedia: Rumba

Rumba
Year of creation: 1913

Rumba is a dance of African blacks brought to Cuba at the end of the last century. The dance marks the movement of the body, not the legs. Complex, overlapping rhythms, tapped out by pots, spoons, bottles ... were more important to the dance than the melody.

Rumba appeared in Havana in the 19th century in combination with the European Contradanza. The name "Rumba" possibly derived from the name of the dance groups in 1807 - "rumboso orquestra", although in Spain the word "rumbo" means "path" (in the Russian marine analogue - "rumba", that is, direction), and "rumba" means "a bunch of small", and "rhum" is a variety of liquor popular in the Caribbean any of these words could be used to describe this dance. The original meaning of the name, in my opinion, is "the path of the soul".

The dance has two sources - Spanish and African: Spanish melodies and African rhythms. Although the basics of the dance are Cuban, many movements have appeared in other Caribbean islands and in Latin America in general. Accompanying musical instruments - maracas, claves, marimbola, and drums.

The movement of the shoulders and the contraction of the sides in the dance is the movement of slaves under a heavy load. in hand. The "Cucaracha" movement is an imitation of crushing cockroaches. Spot-turn ("Spot Turn") in the Cuban countryside danced dashingly around the wheel rim of the cart! The popular rumba melody "La Paloma" has been around in Cuba since 1866. A variation of the rumba, similar to the one that is danced today, appeared in the USA in the 1930s, as a combination of this rural rumba with Guaracha, Cuban Bolero (not related in any way to Spanish Bolero), later Son and Danzon were added. After the First World War, the "Son" dance appeared, a dance of the Cuban middle class- with a slower rhythm. Even slower - "Danzon", a dance of a wealthy, respectable Cuban society with very small steps, when partners carefully bend and unbend their legs, showing their slenderness, grace and length.

The American Rumba is a modified version of the "Son" dance. The first serious attempt to popularize rumba in the United States was in 1913 (Lew Quinn and Joan Sawyer). Ten years later, the orchestra leader Emil Coleman specially invited the rumba musicians and a couple of rumba dancers. In 1925 Benito Collada opened the El Chico Club in Greenwich. It turned out that no one in New York can dance the rumba yet!

Real interest in Latin music began around 1929. In the late 1920s, Xavier Cugat formed an orchestra that played only Latin American music at Coconut Grove in Los Angeles and played in early sound films such as In Gay Madrid. Later in the 1930s, Cugat played at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. By the end of the decade, his orchestra was voted the best Latin American orchestra of the decade.

In 1935, George Raft played the role of the suave dancer in the film "Rumba", the first film in which a hero receives a heroine as an award because of their shared love of dancing.

52 years later - the film "Dirty Dancing", when an experienced teacher seduces a beginner, then "Strictly Ballroom" with a similar plot, and two films with reverse plots, when the partners are almost beginners - "Dance with me" in 1998 and "Let" s it be me ".

In Europe, rumba emerged from the enthusiasm and brilliant interpretations of Pierre Lavelle - Leading English Latin Dance Teacher... He visited Havana in 1947, it turned out that the rumba in Cuba is performed with an emphasis on the count of "two", and not on the "one", as in American rumba... This technique, with the names of the main figures obtained from Pepe Rivera of Havana, he began to teach in England. In the 50s, he and his partner and wife Doris Lovell performed a lot with demonstrations and lessons from Latin American dancing in London. With the innovation - only the transfer of weight to the count of "one", without the actual step, the dance has acquired a very sensual and romantic character... The counting "one" is the strongest counting in rumba, without making a step on this score, we emphasize with music the active movement of the hips. Together with the slow pace of the music and the musical emphasis on hip work, the dance takes on a lyrical character. Steps are counted 2, 3, and 4. The knees are straightened and bent with each step, and turns are made between counts. The body weight is in front, all steps are taken from the toe.

Pierre Lavelle introduced the true "Cuban Rumba", which, after much controversy, was officially recognized and standardized in 1955.

Rumba is the spirit and soul of Latin American music and dance. Charming rhythms and body movements make rumba one of the most popular ballroom dances, many partners consider this dance to be their favorite.

Rumba is a dance for a couple that has African roots. The peculiarities of this dance include smooth and sensual body movements combined with wide strides. The most popular melody for rumba is considered to be the world-famous "Guantanamera", the author of which is Joseito Fernandez. This melody is still considered a classic of the rumba genre.

There are several varieties of rumba: ballroom, African, Cuban and gypsy rumba. All of these varieties have the same roots, but are completely different in both music and movement.

This dance appeared in Cuba in the nineteenth century in combination with European contrasted dance. The name of the dance comes, apparently, from the name of the dance groups in the early 19th century - "rumbosoorquestra", but from Spanish "rumba" is translated as a path.

In Cuba, there were three versions of this dance, but the most famous was the Guaguanco rumba, when a partner follows a lady, trying to touch her hips, and she tries in every possible way to avoid it. The name of the dance of love rumba was probably due to this somewhat daring image of the partner's courtship and the partner's restrained passion, which she does not demonstrate so vividly. When the rumba was brought to America, it underwent some changes, and the pronounced sexuality of the Cubans was replaced by the restraint and less ardent style of the Americans. It was this version of the rumba that became widespread throughout the world, finding its connoisseurs among many generations of dancers and lovers of Latin American dances in general.

The musical accompaniment of Guaguanco is expressed in the rhythm of African drums, superimposed on the clave rhythm (shifted accent known as 2/3). Sometimes this rumba is danced to the simple singing of Spanish melodies superimposed on the rhythms of the drums. The performance can be performed by one or more soloists who come up with words as the song progresses.

The rhythm of this dance is based on the rhythm of the RumbaSon.

At the beginning of the history of this dance, rumba was not much different from cha-cha-cha, so the music was practically the same and everything fell under the category of rumba. But later the dances were clearly demarcated, the rumba became much slower, acquired a minor character. And the cha-cha-cha, on the contrary, has accelerated, there is more of a major mood in it.

Therefore, the old rumba, in our modern understanding, should be interpreted as cha-cha-cha, and sometimes they cannot even be qualified either as one or as another dance, they are so unique. An example of this is "Guantanamera", better known in the form of cha-cha-cha or "Cucaracha", which was considered a rumba, but in fact is neither one nor the other.

It turns out that rumba came to us with religious rituals, developed on the basis of bright rhythms and choirs, or rumba, one might say, includes all dances created by Cubans. Today this dance is known all over the world. At first he was danced in a cabaret, then he came to television. There is also a version of the ball rumba, which is very different from the Cuban version.

The emotional content of this dance is characterized by deeper emotions. In the course of its development, rumba has been saturated with many features that are more characteristic of the blues. The opinion that rumba is a dance of love is confirmed by the pronounced erotic character of the dance and the drama of the music, which create an exceptional aesthetic effect. Rumba at the very beginning of its history was a wedding dance, demonstrating the duties of a spouse with its movements. Modern rumbas are also interesting for their style, but, alas, they do not leave such a bright impression.

One of them refers to the direction of dance and music, born in Cuba. The most famous of these is the Guaguanco rumba. Rumba Yambu and rumba Columbia are also popular. Each of these types of rumba has its own style of music and dance, but in general they are very close.

Another meaning has appeared relatively recently and refers to the dance from the ballroom dancing program, which is included in the competition program. In this sense, rumba is the slowest of the five dances of the Latin American competition program (the other four are Paso Doble, Samba, Cha-Cha-Cha and Jive). The rumba dance and music from the Latin American dance competition program derive from Cuban music styles and bolero and sleep dances.

Rumba stylistics

Rumba and cha-cha-cha

Initially, there was no clear separation of rumba dansona and cha-cha-cha dances, which is why all the music that characteristically played on the first beat (several beats from the off-beat leading to the first beat) fell into the category of rumba. Over time, the dances were clearly divided. Rumba danson music acquired a slower tempo, began to be composed, as a rule, in the minor scale, and acquired its own beating of the first beat (percussion: eighth, eighth, eighth, quarter - first beat). Cha-cha-cha music has become faster, it is composed in both major and minor scales and has its own, very pronounced and accentuated playing of the first beat (eighth, eighth, quarter - the first beat, the so-called - "cha-cha-cha" or "cha-cha-time").

In this regard, many rumba, famous in the past, from a modern point of view, should be considered rather cha-cha-cha, or even generally impossible to clearly classify as one of these dances. So, for example, the famous melody "Cucaracha", which was considered a rumba, is neither it, nor cha-cha-cha from the modern point of view. "Guantanamera" is better known as cha-cha-cha rather than rumba.

Thus, rumba owes its birth to religious rituals, it developed on the basis of pronounced rhythms and choral voices. You can also say that the rumba is to some extent all those dances that were created by the Cubans.

Currently, this dance is known on all continents. First he came to cabaret, and then to television. There is a ballroom rumba, but it differs significantly from the authentic Cuban version.

Types of rumba

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were three variants of rumba in Cuba, but the Guaguanco rumba became widely known, 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, the name “dance of love” was stuck behind the rumba.

Also in Cuba, there were various types of rumba, which were danced at holidays and just gatherings of people on the street. A prominent representative is Rumba Mimetica, which depicts various scenes from the life of ordinary people (Papilote, Mama "buela, Gavilan)

The rumba underwent a radical evolution when it was exported to the USA. Along with the expansive, erotic Cuban, the American Rumba appeared - with more restrained movements and style. It was this version of the rumba that spread throughout the world, conquering the hearts of several generations of dancers and simply connoisseurs of Latin American culture. Guaguanco mainly consists of African drum beats that are superimposed on the clave rhythm, which is a shifted accent known as 3-2. Singing without musical accompaniment is reminiscent of old Spanish melodies that are superimposed on the rhythms of African drums. Guaguanco is performed by one or more soloists, the theme and words are thought up as the song is performed. The structure of the Guaguanco rhythm is most often based on the Rumba Son rhythm.

Rumba in academic music

Rumba was used in some works by 20th century composers, for example, in D. Millau's ballet The Creation of the World (1923) and in the finale of his Second Piano Concerto.

The emotional content of the dance

Among all ballroom dances, rumba has the deepest emotional content. In the course of its evolution, rumba has acquired many of the characteristics of the blues. There is a common cliche that "rumba is the dance of love." The contrast between the pronounced erotic character of the dance and the dramatic content of the music creates a unique aesthetic effect. Contrary to the general opinion that the movements in the rumba are the dance embodiment of erotic feelings, the rumba was originally a wedding dance, and its movements meant nothing more than the family responsibilities of the spouses. The few modern rumbas written in major have their own flavor, but do not leave such a deep impression.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rumba and cha-cha-cha

Initially, there was no clear separation of rumba dansona and cha-cha-cha dances, which is why all the music that characteristically played on the first beat (several beats from the off-beat leading to the first beat) fell into the category of rumba. Over time, the dances were clearly divided. Rumba danson music acquired a slower tempo, began to be composed, as a rule, in the minor scale, and acquired its own beating of the first beat (percussion: eighth, eighth, eighth, quarter - first beat). Cha-cha-cha music has become faster, it is composed in both major and minor scales and has its own, very pronounced and accentuated playing of the first beat (eighth, eighth, quarter - the first beat, the so-called - "cha-cha-cha" or "cha-cha-time").

In this regard, many rumba, famous in the past, from a modern point of view, should be considered rather cha-cha-cha, or even generally impossible to clearly classify as one of these dances. So, for example, the famous melody "Cucaracha", which was considered a rumba, is neither it, nor cha-cha-cha from the modern point of view. "Guantanamera" is better known as cha-cha-cha rather than rumba.

Thus, rumba owes its birth to religious rituals, it developed on the basis of pronounced rhythms and choral voices. You can also say that the rumba is to some extent all those dances that were created by the Cubans.

Currently, this dance is known on all continents. First he came to cabaret, and then to television. There is a ballroom rumba, but it differs significantly from the authentic Cuban version.

Types of rumba

At the beginning of the 19th century, there were three variants of rumba in Cuba, but the Guaguanco rumba became widely known, 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, the name “dance of love” was stuck behind the rumba.

Also in Cuba, there were various types of rumba, which were danced at holidays and just gatherings of people on the street. A prominent representative is Rumba Mimetica, which depicts various scenes from the life of ordinary people (Papilote, Mama "buela, Gavilan)

The rumba underwent a radical evolution when it was exported to the USA. Along with the expansive, erotic Cuban, the American Rumba appeared - with more restrained movements and style. It was this version of the rumba that spread throughout the world, conquering the hearts of several generations of dancers and simply connoisseurs of Latin American culture. Guaguanco mainly consists of African drum beats that are superimposed on the clave rhythm, which is a shifted accent known as 3-2. Singing without musical accompaniment is reminiscent of old Spanish melodies that are superimposed on the rhythms of African drums. Guaguanco is performed by one or more soloists, the theme and words are thought up as the song is performed. The structure of the Guaguanco rhythm is most often based on the Rumba Son rhythm.

Rumba in academic music

Rumba was used in some works by 20th century composers, for example, in D. Millau's ballet The Creation of the World (1923) and in the finale of his Second Piano Concerto.

The emotional content of the dance

Among all ballroom dances, rumba has the deepest emotional content. In the course of its evolution, rumba has acquired many of the characteristics of the blues. There is a common cliche that "rumba is the dance of love." The contrast between the pronounced erotic character of the dance and the dramatic content of the music creates a unique aesthetic effect. Contrary to the general opinion that the movements in the rumba are the dance embodiment of erotic feelings, the rumba was originally a wedding dance, and its movements meant nothing more than the family responsibilities of the spouses. The few modern rumbas written in major have their own flavor, but do not leave such a deep impression.

Rumba is a dance of emotions, a combination of passion, rhythm, sensitivity. A wide range of various shades of this dance allows you to convey in smooth movements all the passionate feelings of the two partners.

The history of the emergence of dance

Rumba was danced for the first time in 1913. Initially, this dance was a ritual dance of African blacks. It was brought to Cuba in the 19th century. According to many sources, the dance got its name "Rumba" in 1807, as a derivative of the name "Rumboso Orguesta" - ensembles that performed music in the style of modern rumba.

From Spanish “rumba” is translated as “way”. The name truly conveys the whole meaning of the choreography. The path of the soul - what can better characterize this dance? In the early 1930s, rumba was a mixture of basic rumba with guaracha, Cuban ballero and son. The full-fledged version of the rumba was developed after the Second World War by Pierre Lavelle, the master of one of the most famous dance schools in London at the time.

Today rumba is included in the competition program of Latin American ballroom dancing.

What is rumba?

Rumba has the deepest emotional content among all ballroom dances. Also, in the course of its improvement, this dance acquired many of the characteristics of the blues. The unique aesthetic effect of the dance creates a pronounced emotional character and a rather dramatic content of the music. Rumba rightfully takes the place of one of the brightest dances of love. but this love is not tender and happy, but passionate and unhappy.

It should be noted that for a long time this dance was the wedding dance of Cuban newlyweds. His movements expressed nothing more than an irrepressible passionate feeling of two hearts in love.

A striking feature of the Cuban rumba is a clear rhythm and smooth, but at the same time strict movements. Modern rumbas, written in major, do not evoke a storm of emotions, although they also have their own flavor. It should be noted that Rumba is the name of a whole dance class, namely: Afro-Kuban, Son, Son-Montuno, Konga, Gwajira, Danzon, Mambo and many others.

Views

In Cuba, there were three types of rumba dance, but the most popular, which received quite wide popularity and love, was the Guanguanco rumba. In this type of dance, a passionate gentleman follows his lady in search of rapprochement, contact with the hips, and the lady at the same time teases him and tries to avoid contact.

Also, the hearts of many generations of dancers and connoisseurs of Latin American culture have won the American Rumba. In the American version of this dance, there is a more restrained style, without erotic movements. It was this performance that subsequently spread throughout the world.

Rumba features

This dance is quite characteristic in its manner and technique of performing the basic steps. The dance performance scheme cannot be called easy. Steps, when performing a rumba, are made on counts 2, 3 and 4. At each step, the knees are bent and straightened, turns are made between the counts. All steps are taken from the toe with the body weight in front.

The time signature of the dance is 4/4, with a rather pronounced emphasis on the 4th beat of each bar. The tempo of the performance is 25-27 beats per minute.

The basic steps of a rumba are:

1. Move forward

Moving the left leg forward, sliding the toe on the floor, and then applying the ball of the foot to the floor. At the end of the step, straighten the left leg and lower the heel.

2. Backward travel

Move the left foot back, without changing the body, first with the pad, then with the toe of the foot with low pressure on the floor. The knee of the left leg is slightly bent, the heel is lowered, the leg is straightened.

All the gestures and movements of the rumba are filled with love, passion and drama. The rumba is dominated by the Latin style of hip movement. Rumba is not a dance that can be mastered after one or two lessons. First of all, for a spectacular performance of rumba, you need to put feelings of love, emotional experiences, real attraction to your partner in every movement, in every gesture, in every look, only in this case you can convey all the charm and drama of the dance. And only in this case, the performers will be able to feel the incredible pleasure of performing the rumba, and the audience will be able to observe a real storm of emotions.