The History of the Conga Dance
Some claim that Desi Arnaz, the husband of Lucille Ball, invented the conga dance, but that's not true. He merely popularized it when he moved to the United States from Cuba and began performing in clubs and later during his television performances with his wife.
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The Conga Becomes Popular
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The conga is an Afro-Cuban dance, which was brought to Cuba by slaves. Its popularity filtered into the United State when The Conga Nightclub opened in New York City in 1929. During the 1930s, this dance became all the rage. Arnaz further popularized the Brazilian conga beginning in 1939.
Single File or With a Partner
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The conga is generally done in a single file line, but it can done alone or with a partner. When doing it in a line, you put your hands on the waist of the person in front of you. The count is 1-2-3 kick. The line zigzags through the room. If a couple does the conga, the partners face each other and move in opposite directions. The woman will move to her right as the man moves to his right and then they reverse directions.
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Fusion of Dance Forms
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According to Amoredance.com, Latin dances, of which the conga is one, are a fusion of slave dance forms as well as the dances that originated among poor Europeans. Native dances were often condemned by authorities because they were considered sinful.
Upbeat Afro-Caribbean Dance
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The conga dance was introduced to the Panamanians when Caribbean immigrants moved to Panama to work on the construction of the Panama Canal. Along with their muscle, they brought the dance of their native islands.
Conga is the Drum
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Technically, the term conga refers to a tall, single-headed Cuban drum that is narrow and which originated with Afro-Cubans. The Cuban drum differs from the African drum because it is staved, much like a barrel. The drums were thought to originally be created out of salvaged barrels.
Americans Change the Name of the Drum
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Takeourword.com explains that the conga drum, which is played when Afro-Latin dancesare performed, is called the tumbadora or tumba in Cuba. The drum didn't come to be called a conga drum until the 1920s when the conga dance craze swept through the United States. Americans had never seen or heard this type of drum before and began referring to it as a conga drum. The term "conga" actually means "a Congolese woman" in Spanish.
Expressing Themselves
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Dance was, and still is, a way for the disenfranchised to express social discontent, concerns and injustices without obviously defying the powers that be. Dances, such as the conga, can be ceremonial and ritualistic although it may appear that the participants are simply having fun. The various forms of dance were a way for slaves, for example, to express victory or success as well as a vehicle for expressing grievances and frustrations. Dance was a good way to make fun of someone or something without being blatant about it. At times, these social dances were part of an initiation into a secret society, according to Encylcopedia2.thefreedictionary.com.
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