Guaguancó

Danzón

Danzón was the first national dance of Cuba — the form that unified the island's popular music identity in the late 19th and early 20th century, and the ancestor of mambo, cha-cha-chá, and ultimately timba.

Cuban rumba

Cuban rumba is an Afro-Cuban music and dance genre characterized by complex rhythms, call-and-response vocals, and expressive, often flirtatious movements, rooted in African and Spanish traditions.

Havana

Cuban Dances Originating in Havana

Havana, the cultural heartbeat of Cuba, played a central role in the creation and evolution of several iconic Cuban dances. Some were born directly in the capital, while others were transformed there into the forms we know today.

Yuka

Yuka is considered the oldest surviving Kongo-derived dance form in Cuba and the most direct ancestor of Rumba. Preserved by Congo-descent communities from the era of slavery onward, Yuka contains the movement vocabulary, the drum format, and the social dynamic that would eventually transform into one of Cuba's defining popular dance traditions.

Makuta

Makuta is a secular Kongo-derived dance of the Congo-descent communities of Cuba — vigorous, grounded, and celebratory. It belongs to the oldest layer of African-Cuban cultural expression and represents a direct continuation of Central African movement and musical traditions preserved across centuries of slavery and colonial life.

New York

In the 20th century New York was the second home of Cuban music. Here Afro-Cuban jazz and the mambo craze of the Palladium Ballroom were born, and later salsa.

Percussion Instruments

Cuban music is built on percussion. The extraordinary density and variety of Cuban rhythmic culture reflects the meeting of West and Central African drumming traditions with Spanish, Haitian, and creole musical practices over four centuries. The instruments below form the core percussive vocabulary heard across Son, Rumba, Timba, Danzón, and their descendants.

Conga

The conga (also called tumbadora) is the primary hand drum of Cuban music and the rhythmic backbone of timba, son, rumba, and salsa.

Conga

The conga (also called tumbadora) is the primary hand drum of Cuban music and the rhythmic backbone of timba, son, rumba, and salsa.

Clave

The claves are two round sticks of hardwood. Struck together, they give a high, sharp click that cuts through the whole band. On the claves you play the clave rhythm, the pattern that Cuban music is built on.

Cáscara

In timba (and also in salsa and son), cáscara refers to a rhythmic pattern played on the side (shell) of the timbales with the stick.

Tres

The tres is a Cuban guitar-like instrument with three pairs (courses) of strings. It is the defining melodic-rhythmic instrument of son cubano and its ancestor genres.

Piano

The piano is the harmonic and rhythmic heart of Cuban popular music. In timba, it is one of the most demanding and expressive instruments in the ensemble.

La diana

A vocal improvisation or melodic gesture, sometimes used to transition between sections, often marking the move into the montuno or to reintroduce energy.

Cuerpo (verse)

The cuerpo, also called canto, largo or verse, is where the lead vocalist sings the main lyrical content of the song. In Timba, the canto often contains a narrative or thematic element and is supported by the rhythm section and background vocals.

Introducción / Diana

This is the opening section of the song, which sets the mood and introduces the musical motifs. It often features a horn section and can include elements from the song's main themes.