History of Cumbia Dancing

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is Christina Haggerty and I'm teaching here at Silhouette in Burbank. Today you're going to learn how to do cumbia. First, I want to talk about the history and the music a little bit. Cumbia is a dance that's danced all over Mexico, but it's roots are actually in Columbia and south America. It is said that the sideways movement of the couples mirrors the ocean and the wave of the ocean, how the ocean comes in and out. The music of cumbia. The historical instruments are the African drums, the maracas, and the flute. Then later they added the accordion and some other instruments that you'll be able to hear. Today you're going to learn some footwork. You're also going to learn some partnering for cumbia and we're going to review all the steps with cumbia music so you can see how it all goes together when the music is being played."