Originally, the word Rumba (Room-Bah) was a generic term used to describe a music style rather than a dance style. The Rumba that is danced today is not really the "Rumba of Cuba." The Ballroom Rhumba of today is really the "Son" (slower) or" Danzon" (even slower)" done in Cuba, a much slower and polite version of the true sexually "frantic" (FAST) Rumba. The "Son" was a popular middle class Cuban dance which is a modified version of the Rumba and the danzon' is even a slower version than the Son.

    Originally it is said that the real Rumba came to Cuba throught the African Slaves imported from Spain into that country over two hundred years ago. Cuba eventually banned the dance as being to wild to dance in public. Eventually the law was forgotten about and some people started dancing it which helped people become more aware of the dance during the 1920s and by 1925 President Machado put the ban back into effect, his decree stated: "this class of music (referring to african music) and the 'rumba' are contrary to the good custom and public order of Cuba". However it was reported that the upper class Cubans did not dance the Rumba aanyway as it was to wild and frantic.

   The Son is played in two parts (chorus and verse) while the Son dancers only dance to the chorus. The claves (instrument) create the mood of the dance. However, it may have been originally a Pantomimic dance of Africa that found its way to Cuba (Afro-Cuban.) The son as a music began to take shape in the latter half of the 19th century in Cuba's Oriente province, and gave birth to several hybrids including the afro-son, guajira-son, son-pregón and son-montuno. The son is perhaps the most important form at the root of today's popular salsa music. After a period of change and development here in the States, the Son evolved into a popular sensual couples dance known today as the "Rumba".

   Lew Quinn and Joan Sawyer is said to have tried the first real attempt at introducing the Rumba to Americans as far back as 1913, followed by Emil Coleman in 1923 and by Benito Collada in 1925 at a club called "El Chico" in Greenwich Village. In 1929 a small interest was growing in Latin-American music and in 1930 a Nuevos Ritmo (new rhythm) song called "The Peanut Vendor" by Don Azpiazu's Havana Casino Orchestra was released which became a hit as a new DANCE to America dance form.

   By the 1930's all of America had became knowledgeable of Latin music and the Rumba. The "American Rumba" of today is a version of the son that Quinn and Sawyer tried to introduce years ago. Today it is known as a "Latin-Ballroom" couples dance, also known as the "Dance Of Romance."
   Many of the erotic movements stem from the original dancers doing the tasks of the day such as "shoeing the mare", "climbing a rope" or the "courtship of barnyard fowls." The costumes that many performers wear, represent this in the woman's long ruffled train of her skirt (hens feathers) or the mans ruffled shirt sleeves and or chest which represents the cocks hackle feathers. The Rumba is a nice dance for dancers to showcase their technique ability on a dance floor.

   The Rumba is erroneously spelled Rhumba at times. The Jamaican Mento dance closely resembles the Rumba. The Rumba was replaced in popularity by the Mambo, and later the Cha-Cha.
   Also a new dance (c.1975) called the Night Club-Two Step was originally known as "Disco Two Step" (Buddy Schwimmer) is a modern semi-version of the Rumba, (a few say samba), it is done to modern slow music by pop artists such as Madonna etc. NC-2 is mainly done in the West Coast Swing community.

Want to learn to Rumba ... $ Click Here! (vhs)

Films

Television

Ballets / Stage

1930 - Fifth Avenue Girl (Tropicana # Ginger Rogers)

1946 - Let's Rhumba

1930 - Artists and Models (Paris-Riviera Ed)

1931 - The Cuban Love Song

1933 - When Yuba Plays the Rumba on the Tuba

1930 - Third Little Show

1937 - Universal Newsreel (Ronrico dance)

1937 - Pins & Needles

1939 - Rumba

1939 - Rumba Land

1941 - Cuban Rhythm

1942 - Harlem Rhumba

1945 - Rhythm of the Rumba

Other Videos, DVD's

16mm - Shoeing the Mare (Varios & Vida)

$ Son Sabroson 1 - History

1946 - Let's Rhumba

$ Son Sabroson 2 - History

1946 - Viewmaster reel #572 - cuban rumba dancers

$ 1949 - Barkley's Of Broadway

1949 - D.O.A.

1949 - Marakatumba... ma non è una rumba

1952 - Rhumba Caliente

1954 - Que Bravas Son Las Costenas

Newspaper / Magazine Publications

1956 - Rumba Caliente

1966 - Crazy Quilt

1982 - Rumba

1987 - La Rumba

1/1924 - Dance Lovers Magazine

1989 - Last Rumba in Paris

1990 - Rumba

$ 1997 - You Can Dance Rhumba!

10/27/1930 - Dunkirk Evening Observer (Cuba says Real Rumba to Frantic for US)

5/1952 - Pix Magazine

8/1960 - Ballroom Dance Mag

Other Related Dances of the time...

Bambuco

Flamenco/ Spanish

Maxixe

Ronrico (new Rhumba 1937)

Bolero

Guagira

Mento dance

Salsa (aka: mambo)

Bossa Nova

Guaracha

Merengue

Samba

Carioca

La Conga (Conga)

Mex Hat Dance

Spanish Dance

Cha-Cha

La Cucaracha

Naningo

Tango

Chorro

La Rhumba

Night Club (or disco) Two-Step

Danzon

Little Boat Dance

Pachanga

The Son

Jamaican Mento

Mambo

Paso Doble

Waltz

Dancers, Choreographers etc.

Political

Al Toneatti & Marion

Laure Haile & Andre

Marge & Gower Champion

Carole Lombard

Mrs. Nora Osorio

Clifton Webb

Ramon & Rosita

D' Avalos and Aleida (Let's Rumba)

Ramon Navarro

Ramon and Renita (the Ronrico)

Fred Astaire

Renee & Stella

George Raft

The De Marcos

Ginger Rogers 

Veloz and Yolanda

Gluck Sandor (Pins & Needles)

Varios & Vida

Gomez & Winona

Gerardo Rumba Dancers (1941)

Irene Castle

Books, Magazine Articles on the Dance...

Title

Author

Date Published

Publisher

Down Memory Lane

Murray, Arthur

1954

Greenberg

Let's Dance (The Champions)

Thomas, Bob

1954

Grossett & Dunlap

$ Rumba: Dance and Social Change in Cuba

Daniel, Yvonne

1995

Indiana University Press

Musicians

Singers

Poets / Writers

Arthur Benjamin

Edyie Gorme

Caney

Mel Torme

Edmund Ross Rumba Band

Igna Zio Cervantes

Jon Bock

Machito

Perez Prado

Ralph Rainger

Rumboso Orquetra (1807)?

Tito Puente

Xavier Cugat

Misc. Research Words that may be related ... to help your searches

Apache Dance (A-posh)

Flamenca

Mambo

Timba Rigurosa

Cajon

Guaguaguancó

Oya

Yambu

Columbia

Latin

Rhythm

Zoot

The Clave - A five-note, bi-measure pattern which serves as the foundation for all of the rhythmic styles in salsa music. The clave consists of a "strong" measure containing three notes (also called the tresillo), and a "weak" measure containing two notes, resulting in patterns beginning with either measure, referrred to as "three-two" or two-three." There are two types of clave patterns associated with popular (secular) music: son clave and rumba clave. Another type of clave - 6/8 clave - originated in several styles of West African sacred music. (from: Salsa Guidebook for Piano and Ensemble, Mauleon, R. (1993)

Other...

Basic Step:
(Leader starts Left foot, Follower starts Right foot,
Face Partner, Ballroom Hold)
Quick---Quick........S l o w (= 3 STEPS or 4 BEATS)
---1,------2, ---------3----4 (then repeat other foot).
(3 steps then 3 steps = 8 Counts of music, 4+4).

note:
Can also be done "Side to Side" or in a "Box Step"
(see waltz) pattern.
Exaggerate hip movements, Leads are very smooth. Dance is done slow and romantic (ORIGINAL VERSION WAS DONE FASTER).

Can be done S l o w.... Quick-Quick