Music & Dance — The Soul of Cuba

Music in Cuba is not culture — it is a way of life. Music is played, sung, and danced to on every corner. Cuba has given the world more music genres than almost any other country: Son, Salsa, Rumba, Cha-Cha-Chá, Mambo, Bolero, Timba, Reggaeton — all have their roots here.

Son Cubano

The Son is the root of all Cuban music — emerging at the end of the 19th century in eastern Cuba, a fusion of Spanish guitar music and African rhythms. The Son is the precursor of Salsa and became world-famous through the Buena Vista Social Club project (1997) — Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Omara Portuondo all played Son.

Salsa

Salsa, as we know it, originated in the 1960s in New York — but the basic ingredients are Cuban: Son, Mambo, Guaracha. In Havana, Salsa is danced everywhere — in clubs, on the street, at the Malecón. Cubans dance differently than in dance schools: earthier, faster, more spontaneous. Casino is the Cuban Salsa style — in a circle (Rueda de Casino) or as a partner dance.

Rumba

Afro-Cuban drums, singing, and dance — the Rumba is the most direct connection to Cuba's African roots. Best experienced on Sundays in the Callejón de Hamel (Centro Habana) — where Bata drums, singing, and dance create a spiritual experience together.

Reggaeton & Timba

The youth dance to Reggaeton (Cuban Reggaeton is rougher than Puerto Rican) and Timba — an aggressive, jazzy evolution of Salsa that exists only in Cuba. Bands like Los Van Van and Havana D'Primera fill every club.