HISPANIC DANCE MOVES

MUSICA ANDINA PERU

2007-06-04T09:49:00.001-07:00

Andean music comes from the approximate area inhabited by the Incas prior to European contact. It includes the countries Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia.
Wind and percussion instruments are known to have existed even prior to the Incas, but musical evolution peaked with the Incan empire. The arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century brought string instruments and new forms, spurring the invention of the distinctive charango, a stringed instrument similar to a lute.
Panpipes (Aymara: siku; Quechua: antara; Spanish: zampoña) are an ancient indigenous instrument that comes in multiple varieties. Some modern panpipes are capable of playing a full scale, and are used as solo instruments, while traditional panpipes were played in pairs; this is still commonplace with two performers sharing a melody. Quenas (notched-end flutes) remain popular, and are traditionally made out of bamboo, though PVC piping has become popular. Quenas are generally only played during the dry season, while vertical flutes called tarkas taking over in the wet. Marching bands dominated by drums and panpipes are commonplace, and are used to celebrate weddings and other holidays.

RANCHERAS

2007-06-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

The ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico. Although closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco in the post-revolutionary period, rancheras are also played today by norteño (or Conjunto), banda (or Duranguense), groups. Drawing on rural traditional folklore, the ranchera was conceived as a symbol of a new national consciousness in reaction to the aristocratic tastes of the era. Probably the greatest living exponent of the ranchera is the Mexican singer-songwriter Vicente Fernández.
Traditional rancheras are about love, patriotism or nature. Rhythms can be in 3/4, 2/4 or 4/4, reflecting the tempo of, respectively, the waltz, the polka, and the bolero. Songs are usually in the major key, and consist of an instrumental introduction, verse and refrain, instrumental section and another verse and refrain, with a tag ending. Instrumentation may include guitars, horns, trumpets, or accordions, depending on the type of band that plays it.
The musical pattern of rancheras is a/b/a/b. Rancheras usually begin with an instrumental introduction (a). The first lyrical portion then begins (b), with instrumental adornos interrupting the lines in between. The instruments then repeat the theme again, and then the lyrics may either be repeated or have new words.

BACHATA

2007-06-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

Bachata, a form of music and dance that originated in the countryside and rural marginal neighborhoods of Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was "amargue" ("bitterness," or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular.
Bachata was created and primarily used by servants, who used to play it when they got off of work. They made the music out of ordinary objects like those commonly found in a backyard (Trashcans, Fences,etc). In some rural areas of the Dominican Republic, bachata means trash, but most citizens agree that it means a party. Others say that bachata is derived from the Italian Ballata, which was a popular form of music in Italy centuries ago.

SON CUBANO

2007-06-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

With roots on the island of Cuba, Son Cubano is a style of music that became popular in the second half of the 19th century in the eastern province of Oriente. The earliest known son dates from the late 1500s (the oldest known son is "Son de la Má Teodora", from about the 1570s in Santiago de Cuba). It combines the structure and elements of Spanish canción and the Spanish guitar with African rhythms and percussion instruments of Bantu and Arara origin.
While originally a Cuban music style Son has also become a word used for rural traditional musical styles of Spanish speaking countries and apart from the Cuban variant called Son Cubano other son traditions exist in Mexico where for example the Son Jarocho of Veracruz and the Son Huasteca of the Sierra Huasteca constitute distinct popular musical styles where the concept has been fusioned with indigenous musical styles.

FLAMWENCO

2007-06-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre. Flamenco embodies a complex musical and cultural tradition. Although considered part of the culture of Spain in general, flamenco actually originates from one region —Andalusia. However, other areas, mainly Extremadura and Murcia, have contributed to the development of several flamenco musical forms, and a great number of renowned flamenco artists have been born in other territories of the state. The roots of flamenco are not precisely known, but it is generally acknowledged that flamenco grew out of the unique interplay of native Andalusian, Islamic, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures that existed in Andalusia prior to and after the Reconquest. Latin American and especially Cuban influences have also been important to shape several flamenco musical forms.

TANGO

2007-06-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

Tango is a social dance originating in Buenos Aires Argentina. The musical styles that evolved together with the dance are also known as "tango".
Early tango was known as tango criollo, or simply tango. Today, there are many tango dance styles, including Argentine Tango, Uruguayan Tango, Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango, Chinese tango, and vintage tangos. The Argentine tango is often regarded as the "authentic" tango since it is closest to that originally danced in Argentina and Uruguay, though other types of tango have developed into mature dances in their own right.
Music and dance elements of tango are popular in activities related to dancing, such as figure skating, synchronized swimming, etc., because of its dramatic feeling and its cultural associations with romance and love.

REGGAETON

2007-06-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

Reggaeton (spelled also with the acute diacritic in English and known as Reguetón and Reggaetón in Spanish) is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (or Latino) youth during the early 1990s and spread to North American, European, Asian, and Australian audiences during the first few years of the 21st century. Reggaeton blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as bomba and plena, as well as that of hip hop. The music is also combined with rapping in Spanish, English or 'Spanglish'. Reggaeton has given the Hispanic youth, starting with those from Panama, a musical genre that they can consider their own. The influence of this genre has spread to the wider Latino communities in the United States, as well as the Latin American audience.

Salsa

2007-06-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Salsa refers to a fusion of informal dance styles having roots in the Caribbean (especially Cuba), Latin America and North America. Salsa is danced to Salsa music. There is a strong African influence in the music and the dance.
Salsa is usually a partner dance, although there are recognized solo steps and some forms are danced in groups of couples, with frequent exchanges of partner. Improvisation and social dancing are important elements of Salsa but it appears as a performance dance too.