This dance performance is an example of traditional Cuban son. After seeing this example I don't really see much of a connection between this form of dance and music with Salsa music. Some of the steps seem similar, but the overall pace/tempo and rhythm of the music is completely different. Like we discussed in the class the beat is what conducts the dancer on when to step. As you can see in this performance the dancers move much slower, and move to a different count than Salsa dancers would. The most important similarities that I picked up on between Cuban son and Salsa are the quick hip movements and the type of instruments used. The percussion instruments seem to carry the beat of the song, as well as the movement of the dancers.
Thanks for the post! This is the type of music that I did my research project on, and I agree when I heard this for the first time I found it hard to see a resemblance between this music and Salsa music. But it kind of falls between mambo and salsa - I found more similarities in the movements and beat in mambo style than the salsa style. Thats one thing I noticed about the instruments, they stayed somewhat consistent through the evolution from salsa and mambo and son styles.
ReplyDelete