Monday, September 20, 2010
The HipHop influence
"Reggaeton is a relatively new genre of dance music that has become popular around the world in the last decade. The name is derived from the reggae music of Jamaica which was then developed in Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico and Colombia. Reggaeton has been heavily influenced by the urban hip-hop music craze in the United States.
The variety of musical influences on the development of reggaeton led one observer (James Farber of the NY Daily News) to call it a "cultural polyglot".As is the case with hip-hop music in the United States, reggaeton appeals primarily to youths. In Puerto Rico, youths were inspired to create reggaeton, after hearing Panamanian artists performing raps in Spanish styled after Jamaican dance-hall raps, adding native bomba and salsa, rhythms."
The variety of musical influences on the development of reggaeton led one observer (James Farber of the NY Daily News) to call it a "cultural polyglot".As is the case with hip-hop music in the United States, reggaeton appeals primarily to youths. In Puerto Rico, youths were inspired to create reggaeton, after hearing Panamanian artists performing raps in Spanish styled after Jamaican dance-hall raps, adding native bomba and salsa, rhythms."
"History of Cuban Salsa" by Miami's Henry Herrera from SalsaRacing.com
"In Cuba during the early 20th century a rhythm known as "Son" originated from African rhythms. "Son" was the dance style preferred amongst the Cuban middle class, while others preferred a slower more refined style called "Danzón". These slower dances called "Danzon" and "Danzonete" gave Enrique Jorrin the idea of creating a more energetic dance style called "Cha-Cha-Cha", which started to allow dancers to move freely and with more flavor. The result of the Haitian influence and the rhythmic modifications on the Cuban son was a new rhythm called "Mambo" in the year 1938, created by the brothers Orestes Lopez and Ismael Lopez (Cachao). Later it was introduced by "Pérez Prado" in Tropicana, Havana, Cuba in 1943. Soon after, Mambo expanded and became well known around the world, until its popularity declined in the nineteen seventies due to the competition of other popular dance styles.
The different internal influences helped with the transformation of the music and the dances in Cuba, but also the external influences played an important role in the change due to the amount of tourists that used to visit the island. Rhythms like Swing, Fox Trot, Boogie Boogie and Rock & Roll were absorbed with such strength in Cuba, that their acrobatic techniques and turns were adopted and introduced by Cuban Dancers in their dances.
A new style called "Casino" was first introduced in the 1950's in the Casino Deportivo, and it was defined as dancing Salsa with the use of turns. The "Casino" was the origin of what we call "The Salsa Casino Rueda Style". Salsa Casino Rueda is a group dance with a minimum of two couples, but without any maximum limit. The couples stand in a circle and are constantly changing partners. Because of the loudness of the music, the caller, who chooses the name of the moves, uses hand signals to signify those moves. Starting the Rueda, the couples stand in a circle, men and woman stand opposite while the men's left hand holds the women's' right hand. Men face counter clock wise, the caller calls "Al medio" at this time, men and women are pointing in and out with their joined hands and continue until the next call. Salsa has become immensely popular all around the world with its hot rhythms enticing the body. For these reasons and more, the rhythms of Salsa are my favorite.
The different internal influences helped with the transformation of the music and the dances in Cuba, but also the external influences played an important role in the change due to the amount of tourists that used to visit the island. Rhythms like Swing, Fox Trot, Boogie Boogie and Rock & Roll were absorbed with such strength in Cuba, that their acrobatic techniques and turns were adopted and introduced by Cuban Dancers in their dances.
A new style called "Casino" was first introduced in the 1950's in the Casino Deportivo, and it was defined as dancing Salsa with the use of turns. The "Casino" was the origin of what we call "The Salsa Casino Rueda Style". Salsa Casino Rueda is a group dance with a minimum of two couples, but without any maximum limit. The couples stand in a circle and are constantly changing partners. Because of the loudness of the music, the caller, who chooses the name of the moves, uses hand signals to signify those moves. Starting the Rueda, the couples stand in a circle, men and woman stand opposite while the men's left hand holds the women's' right hand. Men face counter clock wise, the caller calls "Al medio" at this time, men and women are pointing in and out with their joined hands and continue until the next call. Salsa has become immensely popular all around the world with its hot rhythms enticing the body. For these reasons and more, the rhythms of Salsa are my favorite.
The influence of African Rhythms in Latin Dance music is unmistakable, not unlike the mixture of rhythms and warmth of the Caribbean. It's tropical beauty creates the basis for the dance known as "Casino". Salsa Racing is this: a latin explotion and the magical beauty of movement, the dance and the choreography of the "Rueda"."
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