Rumba (Cuban)
Secular Afro-Cuban drumming, song and dance: yambú, guaguancó, columbia.
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Overview
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Etymology and naming
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Origins
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Musical anatomy
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Technique
Afro-Cuban Body Isolation
The independent articulation of the torso in rumba and Cuban social dance
4 min read
Columbia Solo Footwork
A named rumba style of Havana, from street practice to national emblem and folkloric performance
3 min read
Guaguancó Vacunao and Partnering within the Cuban Rumba Tradition
Technique, Historical Context, and Contemporary Reception
5 min read
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Variants
Columbia
The fastest, most acrobatic male solo of the Afro-Cuban rumba complex, rooted in the sugar country of Matanzas.
4 min read
Guaguancó
The narrative rumba of Havana and Matanzas
5 min read
The Three Rumbas: Yambú, Guaguancó, and Columbia
Cuba's rumba complex, from the slow elder dance to the fast acrobatic solo
2 min read
Yambú
The slow Matanzas form within the Cuban rumba complex
5 min read
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Pioneers
Chano Pozo
Havana percussionist who carried Afro-Cuban rumba and ritual drumming into modern Latin jazz
4 min read
Clave y Guaguancó
Pioneers of Cuban Rumba
4 min read
Los Muñequitos de Matanzas
A guardian ensemble of Cuban rumba from its Matanzas heartland
5 min read
Yoruba Andabo
A Havana rumba ensemble and the consolidation of the guarapachangueo style
4 min read
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Cultural context
Rumba and Afro‑Cuban Identity
Cultural Context within Cuban Society and Global Reception
4 min read
Rumba as UNESCO Intangible Heritage
The 2016 inscription of a marginal Afro-Cuban street form onto an international register of safeguarded culture
5 min read
The 2016 UNESCO Inscription of Cuban Rumba as Intangible Cultural Heritage
How an Afro-Cuban tradition of the solares passed from the streets of Havana and Matanzas onto the world's heritage register
5 min read
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Performers
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Influence
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Common misconceptions
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Glossary
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