Latin Dances

Each country and each island in Latin America separately developed their own culture, their own music and their own dances. Cuba, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico were the countries with the greatest influence on American music. This gave birth to a type of Latin-American rhythms and dances, such as the Habanera, Bolero, Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Salsa (Cuba), Samba, Bossa Nova (Brazil), Tango (Argentina) and Mariachi (Mexico), with Cuban music being the main element, that took by storm not just America but the entire world.

Salsa which is a combination of the older Cuban rhythms and dances (Son, Rumba, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Guaracha), emerged in New York during the ‘60s and ‘70s as the dance of the working classes of Latin America.

Tango, its roots found in the Cuban Habanera, appeared around the end of the 19th century in Argentina and came to be one of the most important and most popular expressions of Spanish-speaking music and dancing culture worldwide.

Although the Samba takes on many forms (Samba no pé, Samba de Gafieira, Samba Pagode, Samba Axé, Samba Reggae, Samba rock, Samba de roda), it originally evolved in Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century, and is a symbol of Brazilian culture across the world.