Salsa, Rumba & Reggaetón

In Cuba, Salsa is officially called Timba — and it is more aggressive, complex, and rhythmically wilder than the "polished" New York or Colombian Salsa. Bands like Los Van Van, NG La Banda, and Charanga Habanera are the stars. Timba combines Son, Jazz, Funk, and African percussion into an explosive sound that you can't sit still to.

Rumba

The Rumba is the most African of Cuban music styles — pure percussion (Congas, Cajones) and vocals, originating in the slums of Havana and Matanzas among the descendants of slaves. There are three forms:

• Yambú: Slow, elegant, for older dancers
• Guaguancó: Faster, with the famous "vacunao" — a symbolic erotic gesture by the man that the woman tries to fend off
• Columbia: Solo dance of the men, virtuosic and acrobatic

The best Rumba can be experienced on Sundays at Callejón de Hamel (Centro Habana) — an alley painted with Santería art, where Rumba groups play from 12 noon and the neighborhood dances.

Reggaetón

The Cuban youth listens to Reggaetón — the bass-heavy Latin-Urban sound that came from Puerto Rico and conquered Cuba. Although viewed critically by the older generation and partly by the government, Reggaetón is omnipresent in clubs and on the streets. Cuba's biggest star: Gente de Zona (known for "Bailando" with Enrique Iglesias).