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Styles of Rumba

Rumba is a dance term with several quite different meanings.

The first meaning for “Rumba” is used as the short name for Afro-Cuban rumba. Afro- Cuban Rumba is a collection of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most well-known and popular Afro-Cuban rumba is the Guaguancó. The other Afro-Cuban rumbas are Yambu and Colombia.

The other meaning of “Rumba” is in reference to the Rumba style of ballroom dancing. Rumba is the slowest of the five competitive International Latin dances: the Paso Doble, the Samba, the Cha-Cha and the Jive being the other styles. The Ballroom Rumba was derived from a Cuban rhythm and dance called the Bolero-Son.

The Afro-Cuban rumba is entirely different from the ballroom rumba, both in rhythm and dance. See guaguanco.

The Ballroom Rumba gets its movements and music from the son, just like the Salsa and Mambo.