Iconic Latin American Dance Music: Origins, Styles, and Genres

The word “Latin American” refers to the Americas south of the United States, as well as the whole Caribbean. The Latin American dance music of this wide region is arguably best analyzed in terms of ethnic components—European (particularly Iberian), American, African, and mestizo (“mixed” or acculturated).

Amerindian Origins

Many Amerindian people were killed during the colonial period in Latin America (16th–19th century), and much of the indigenous Amerindian musical culture was eliminated or merged with Iberian. Vertical flutes and panpipes are still widely used by modern Andean Indians, as are European instruments such as bass drums, harps, and various sizes of guitars.

Influences from Iberia

Few Iberian genres were preserved in their original forms; the Iberian origins of numerous song and dance styles are seen in the usage of harps and fiddles, instruments, and a variety of song forms based on Spanish verse structures such as the copla and decimal. In addition to the Iberian-derived dances, pan-European ballroom dances such as the polka, mazurka, and waltz evolved into several regional varieties.

The Indigenous Heritage

Several Europeans wrote about the trends of music follow and dancing traditions they witnessed among the indigenous natives during religious festivities. Disease, forced labor, and conflict wiped out indigenous communities. Although few indigenous people remained in the Caribbean, a sizable number of them on the mainland have preserved their cultures.

Some early dance history has been deduced from the archives and what appears to be ongoing practices. Natural forces (i.e., gods and goddesses) and animal spirits were venerated or depicted as dramatic players in dance ceremonies, frequently intended to prevent or explain cataclysmic catastrophes.

The vast Aztec and Inca civilizations (like their conquerors’ Roman Catholic Church) arranged time according to intricate ceremonial calendars, and dancing was fundamental in their community ritual life. The Aztec dances were planned meticulously and performed. In the Danza de Los Voladores (“dance of the flyers”), one of Mesoamerica’s few remaining preconquest dances, four fliers (dancers) dangling upside down from the top of a tall pole make 13 rotations for a total of 52. The 52 years constitute a “year-binding,” or xiuhmolpilli, in the Nahuatl religious system of the Aztec and Toltec people.

The Common Latin American Dance Music Style

Rumba

The rumba developed in the slums of eastern Cuba in the nineteenth century. It was popular among Afro-Cubans because it combined African and Spanish rhythms. The name “Rumba” literally translates to “party,” which explains why it’s such a vibrant dance.

Samba

The surdo is a dance connected with Brazilian carnivals. The big drum, called a surdo, performs the pulse of the beat, with layers of repetitive syncopated rhythms, played on smaller drums, shakers, and agogo bells. The surdo has a 2/4 time signature.

Perreo

El perreo, also known as Sandunguero, is a prominent reggaeton Spanish music dancing style. It began in Panama and spread to Puerto Rico in the 1990s. You can dance Perrero in many ways, including face-to-face or with the guy behind the girl.

Salsa

This dance, which originated in Cuba, has a time signature of 4/4. Based on a repetitive beat known as clave rhythm and a repeated chord pattern. The piano takes center stage, playing syncopated broken chords.

Written by mersed