Rumba
Rumba in the Caribbean is the name of the collective, secular celebration; rumbero is used to describe a party-loving person and rumbear to describe intense festive activity. But it is also the popular Cuban dance that, together with Son, later gave rise to modern salsa. In the Almasabrosa Cuban salsa courses, the basics of rumba are taught from the very first levels. We then explore the study of body movement and the gestures typical of this traditional dance, which is an integral part of the way salsa is danced not only in Cuba but by now all over the world. Many salsa dancers of every style love to enrich their individual movements with the virtuosity and characteristic gestures of rumba.
As the level rises, the three styles are studied, namely: the Guaguancó, the most important style of rumba, which stands out for a play of attraction and repulsion between the couple. The man tries to surprise and “vaccinate” (vacunar) the woman with movements that mime penetration, while she covers herself to avoid the “vaccination” (vacunao). If she responds with a gesture of acceptance, the dance ends. The Yambú, a slow rumba in which the dancers make gestures typical of old age, or the woman mimes domestic virtues and the man is revitalised by such movements, but no possessive pelvic movements of the vacunao are made; the sung phrase “in the yambú there is no vacuna” is interspersed to distinguish the way in which it should be danced. The Columbia, a fast rumba danced by a single man with movements that show agility and physical skill.
Son
Son is, without a doubt, the Cuban musical genre that has most influenced salsa. It was one of the dances of the poorer classes that, after the 1920s, became the national genre of Cuba, surpassing the Danzón. In the Cuban salsa course we gradually introduce some elements typical of son that have become part of the academic Cuban style and that have influenced the way salsa is danced. In the pre-advanced and advanced levels we explore the study of the body movements typical of son, also taking care of the rhythm of the Clave of the tumbadoras and the bongó, with the study of dancing on the musical 2.