Mambo And Salsa Dance

Two well-known dances associated with Puerto Rico and Cuban culture are Mambo and Salsa. These dances are known for their rhythmic music, intricate timing, and both made it to the United States’ culture. Although the two dances share some similar characteristics, there are prominent differences as well. Mambo was a popular dance found in the Palladium Ballroom in New York City during the 1950s. The dance incorporated African influences such as the use of polyrhythm in the hips and pelvis contrast to the upper body and maintaining aesthetic of the cool. It broke on the second beat in the music, which is a challenging aspect of the dance. Mambo also introduced solo parts known as shines. This allowed the partnership between the dancers to separate and improvise their own movement. Salsa came about when Salsa music became popular. Some traits iconic to Salsa are fast spins and complex turn patterns. There are two different kinds of Salsa music: Salsa Dura and Salsa Romatnica. Salsa Dura represented the people and incorporated sounds that were common in the street of …show more content…
This means that they break on the two rather than break right away on count one. To execute this, the partnership must hold for a beat and then break on the two. You can see this by watching the leader. When they start he holds for a beat before proceeding to break on count 2. Salsa on two has constant movement with no rest or pause; on count 4 instead of holding that position, the foot travels either forward or back and then is ready to step on count 5. In the video, the couple’s feet are constantly in motion, rhythmic, and dance through the music.
Even though Mambo and Salsa come from a similar root, they are two different dances. Performing these dances is a way to delve into the history and the culture of Puerto Rico and Cuba, and that enriching experience can be accomplished no matter which dance a person chooses to