Guaguanco is one of the most popular styles of rumba that is still danced today. Rumba developed among the different African ethnic groups, primarily from Central and West Africa, who were brought to Cuba as slaves. Guaguanco, like the other rumba styles yambu and columbia, developed in the middle 1800’s. Guaguanco is played in 2/4 or 4/4 tempo giving it a moderate to fast tempo. Guaguanco is danced by a male-female couple and consists of a flirtatious, sexual game with a distinctive body movement called the vacunao (“pelvic thrust) performed by the male dancer. Dance historians have noted that the vacunao is found in other African based dances in Latin America and the guaguanco maybe derived from the “yuka”, a secular dance of the Bantu people.
“The couple begins to dance…the male dancer is more active as he circles around her without touching her. The dance climaxes as the male attempts to give the vacuano when the female is unprepared to avoid it. Much of her dancing expertise resides in her ability to entice the male while skillfully avoiding being touched by his vacunao.” (Boggs 1992)
By the turn of the century, rumba had migrated to the black working class neighborhoods of Cuban cities. The music consisted mainly of percussive instruments including drums, wooden boxes (cajones), tables and chairs, spoons and jars. During the first half of the 20th century rumba bands were comprised of singers, one or more large drums (tumbadoa-conga and tumbadora-salidor), a small conga drum (quinto) and a pair of wooden sticks (palaitos) that were beaten against the side of one of the drums. Claves( two hardwood sticks that are struck together) and the cajones were often added to the ensemble. You can still see remnants of guaguanco in the hip and pelvic motions of of today’s salsa dancers when the couple separates and each person dances “freestyle”.
Sources:
Rebecca Mauleon, The Salsa Guidebook
F.Figueroa, Encyclopedia of Latin American Music Vernon Boggs, Salsiology
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GUAGUANCO; Afro Cuban Rumba
The Guaguanco is an Afro Cuban rhythm which forms part of the rumba family that also comprises Yambu and Columbia. There are several styles found throughout Cuba with the most influential being the “Havana” (featured in this article) and “Matanzas” styles. The “Matanzas” style differs in the interpretation of the supporting drums; the tumbadora and segundo make use of variations in which they “converse”.
The rhythm is usually performed with three drums; tumbadora, segundo and quinto, a pair of hardwood sticks that mark the 3/2 rumba clave rhythm known as claves and a hollowed piece of bamboo played with two sticks called catá. The names of the drums and stick parts vary throughout Cuba. The role of the drums calls for the tumbadora and segundo to carry the rhythm while the quinto interacts between the lead singer, supporting drums and backing singers utilising short phrases and at times “two or four bar patterns”. At a specified point in the arrangement the quinto is given a “solo feature”…..read more:
Vacunao
Symbolic gesture of possession of the female dancer’s gentials by the male, in the form of an aggressive hand movement, a kick, movement of handkerchief, or pelvic thrust.
Found on http://www.salsa-merengue.co.uk/4bohemia
In Cuba, Yoruba speakers became known by the collective term Lucumí, after a Yoruba phrase, oloku mi, meaning my friend. As a result of slavery, the lineages and kin groups that had supported worship of the various orisha were disrupted. A new religion called santería arose….read more: http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/history.htm
English
Guaguanco
Guaguanco is one of the most popular styles of rumba that is still danced today. Rumba developed among the different African ethnic groups, primarily from Central and West Africa, who were brought to Cuba as slaves. Guaguanco, like the other rumba styles yambu and columbia, developed in the middle 1800’s. Guaguanco is played in 2/4 or 4/4 tempo giving it a moderate to fast tempo. Guaguanco is danced by a male-female couple and consists of a flirtatious, sexual game with a distinctive body movement called the vacunao (“pelvic thrust) performed by the male dancer. Dance historians have noted that the vacunao is found in other African based dances in Latin America and the guaguanco maybe derived from the “yuka”, a secular dance of the Bantu people.
“The couple begins to dance…the male dancer is more active as he circles around her without touching her. The dance climaxes as the male attempts to give the vacuano when the female is unprepared to avoid it. Much of her dancing expertise resides in her ability to entice the male while skillfully avoiding being touched by his vacunao.” (Boggs 1992)
By the turn of the century, rumba had migrated to the black working class neighborhoods of Cuban cities. The music consisted mainly of percussive instruments including drums, wooden boxes (cajones), tables and chairs, spoons and jars. During the first half of the 20th century rumba bands were comprised of singers, one or more large drums (tumbadoa-conga and tumbadora-salidor), a small conga drum (quinto) and a pair of wooden sticks (palaitos) that were beaten against the side of one of the drums. Claves( two hardwood sticks that are struck together) and the cajones were often added to the ensemble. You can still see remnants of guaguanco in the hip and pelvic motions of of today’s salsa dancers when the couple separates and each person dances “freestyle”.
Sources:
Rebecca Mauleon, The Salsa Guidebook
F.Figueroa, Encyclopedia of Latin American Music Vernon Boggs, Salsiology
************
GUAGUANCO; Afro Cuban Rumba
The Guaguanco is an Afro Cuban rhythm which forms part of the rumba family that also comprises Yambu and Columbia. There are several styles found throughout Cuba with the most influential being the “Havana” (featured in this article) and “Matanzas” styles. The “Matanzas” style differs in the interpretation of the supporting drums; the tumbadora and segundo make use of variations in which they “converse”.
The rhythm is usually performed with three drums; tumbadora, segundo and quinto, a pair of hardwood sticks that mark the 3/2 rumba clave rhythm known as claves and a hollowed piece of bamboo played with two sticks called catá. The names of the drums and stick parts vary throughout Cuba. The role of the drums calls for the tumbadora and segundo to carry the rhythm while the quinto interacts between the lead singer, supporting drums and backing singers utilising short phrases and at times “two or four bar patterns”. At a specified point in the arrangement the quinto is given a “solo feature”…..read more:
http://pertout.customer.netspace.net.au/lguaguanco.htm
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Vacunao
Symbolic gesture of possession of the female dancer’s gentials by the male, in the form of an aggressive hand movement, a kick, movement of handkerchief, or pelvic thrust.
Found on http://www.salsa-merengue.co.uk/4bohemia
In Cuba, Yoruba speakers became known by the collective term Lucumí, after a Yoruba phrase, oloku mi, meaning my friend. As a result of slavery, the lineages and kin groups that had supported worship of the various orisha were disrupted. A new religion called santería arose….read more: http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/history.htm