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Dance and Music of the Hispanic World
El flamenco
Un baile típico de España:
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The most important instrument in the flamenco is “la guitarra”
The dance incorporates a lot of foot work, clapping and
sometimes “las castañuelas”
The Flamenco is “gitana” (gypsy) music and tells a story through
music and dance.
El tango
Un Baile típico de Argentina es: El Tango
 The tango is a very popular dance in Argentina.
 It is a very romantic dance.
 El Bandoneón (acordeón grande) is used
in most Tango music.
 Unlike the flamenco that can be either danced alone or with a
partner, the tango is strictly a partner dance.
El
merengue
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The merengue is a typical dance of the Dominican Republic.
It has many African “ritmos” in the music.
It is a fast-paced dance that consists of 2 steps with many move
variations.
Some popular instruments you will hear in most merengue
arrangements are “trompetas y guiros”
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La Salsa
 In
Puerto Rico and Cuba, “la salsa” is a very
popular genre of music and dance.
 Salsa rhythm has also become popular in American
music.
 As you learned earlier this month for Hispanic
Heritage, Cuban singer Celia Cruz was considered the
“Queen of Salsa”
Conga and Mambo
 Conga
and Mambo are popular dances originating
in Cuba in the 20th century.
 In the 1980’s Cuban-American music group Gloria
Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine brought the
Conga to international attention through their
blockbuster hit “The Conga.”
 The song has inspired long conga lines all over the
world, including the Guinness World Record breaker, in
little Havana, Miami, Florida in 1998, with over 14,000
people!
La
Cumbia
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The Cumbia is the most famous dance in Colombia.
Cumbia began as an African courtship dance among the slave
population.
It was later mixed with European and native instruments.
When you listen to it, listen to the beat and to the instruments.
What do you hear?
el tambor, la tambora
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When you watch a Latin band perform, look for the
following instruments.
And when you listen to the music, listen for the sounds of each
instrument. Can you identify the sounds?
las maracas
el güiro
las claves
la caba(s)sa
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Other instruments that are traditionally found in Latin
music are:
la conga
el clarinete
las
castañuelas
el tambor,
la tambora
la trompeta
Flamenco
Merengue
Mambo
Salsa
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Victor Cruz salsa
Cumbia
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Merengue bailado por ninos