A brief  

History & Origins

of Dance Styles

Dance Latin © 2022

Argentine Tango - The antique Argentine Tango was influenced by the Tango Habanera, which bears no resemblance to the Argentine Tango we know today.
 
Bachata- is a social dance from the Dominican Republic which is now danced all over the world.


Cha-Cha-Cha - Cha Cha is an off shoot of the Mambo.
 
Mambo - The Mambo dance originated in Cuba where there were substantial settlements of Haitians.

Merengue - Merengue has existed since the early years of the Dominican Republic (in Haiti, a similar dance is called the Meringue or Mereng)
 
Rumba - There are two sources of the dances: one Spanish and the other African. Although the main growth was in Cuba, there were similar dance developments which took place in other Caribbean islands and in Latin America generally.

Salsa - Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.

Samba - The Samba originated in Brazil. It was and is danced as a festival dance during the street festivals and celebrations.

Swing - The history of swing dates back to the 1920's, where the black community while dancing to contemporary Jazz music, discovered the Charleston and the Lindy Hop.