- Clave
Clave: the five-stroke pattern Cuban music is built on. Son and rumba clave, 3-2 and 2-3, its Abakuá roots and what clave means for dancers.
- Cha-cha-chá
Cha-cha-chá is a Cuban dance music rhythm by violinist and composer Enrique Jorrín, who according to EcuRed created it as early as 1948; in 1953 it became a huge hit with the Orquesta América, a charanga from Havana. It became one of the most successful Cuban music exports of the 20th century, spreading rapidly through Latin America, Europe and North America.
- Pilón
Pilón is a Cuban dance rhythm from the early 1960s, created by composer Enrique Bonne and singer Pacho Alonso, both from Santiago de Cuba. The name comes from the pilón, the hollowed log in which peasants pounded coffee.
- Brikamo
Brikamo (bricamo): Afro-Cuban religious tradition from Matanzas, rooted in the Efó people of the Cross River Delta and closely related to Abakuá.
- Tumbao
Tumbao: the repeating pattern of piano, bass, tres, guitar or conga in Cuban music. The tumbao per instrument and how timba plays with it.
- Mozambique
Mozambique: Pello el Afrokán's dance rhythm (Havana, 1963), grown from the carnival comparsas, with drums, bombo, bells and trombones.
- Batanga
Batanga: Bebo Valdés's 1952 rhythm, the first to put a batá drum in a dance orchestra. Meant to rival the mambo, it lost out to the cha-cha-chá.
- Batá toques
Batá toques: the shared, foundational rhythms of Afro-Cuban batá, not tied to one Orisha, played at the start of ceremonies or as transitions.
- Cáscara
Cáscara: the pattern the timbalero plays on the metal shell of the timbales, aligned with the clave. Where you hear it and when the bell takes over.
- Bombo-ponche
Bombo and ponche: the two offbeats of the tresillo on which the bass tumbao of son and salsa rests, and why timba departs from it.
Knowing the rhythm helps you dance with more confidence and musicality. Below are the main rhythms by dance family, with a link to the page where you can read more.