The origin of the Cuban ballroom dancing can be traced firstly in dancing rooms, which were extended afterwards, along the entire country, having urban and sub-urban characteristics during the XIX and XX centuries. Recreation Societies together with Dancing Academies, salons of private residencies and other places used for recreation and spare time, critically influenced in Cuban people`s preference for dancing in diverse epochs.

The antecedents of the Cuban dancing ballrooms are present in the Contradanza, musical genre categorized within the so-called Piezas de Cuadro, originally from England and Normandy. Its name comes from the English words country and dance, that is to say, dance in the countryside.

Contradanza is introduced in Cuba through Spain, which imposed its customs and habits in the island; also through England when Havana was invaded by this country and through France, as consequence of the successive Franco-Haitian migrations to the oriental part of the country when the Haitian Revolution burst in 1791.

In Cuba, Contradanza was born in XVIII but it was not until the XIX century when it achieves notable rising, assimilating very special features to become the Contradanza Criolla. The earlier piece is San Pascual Bailón which is anonymous and saw the light in 1803. Among its main features, we can highlight the Tango rhythm, figure coming from the African music that Contradanza, first echelon in the large chain of Cuban dancing, assimilated together with certain body movements.

The most substantial element provided by Cuban Contradanza was its basic step. It consists on forward and backward steps, alternating feet during four musical times. Essentially, this basic step was present in Danza, Danzón, Son and Casino, although it changed during certain periods regarding to corporal accents and rhythms plus some other variations or ornament in the feet, above all during performing new figures.

… The Contradanza was performed as a kind of social open dance. This sort of link allows relative freedom and independence in the execution of movements regarding to the dancing couple's relation. The relation suffered a transformation process when dance appeared at the early years of XIX century. This dancing shared the space with other couple dances which displaced them gradually, mainly due to the appearance and quick spread of Vals, in which the couple remain hugged all the time, making circular movements around the room. Although Danza possesses a musical form similar to Contradanza, it has distinctive features from the choreographic point of view. However, Danza and Contradanza were considered as synonyms during a certain period of time.

Sungambelo is the most ancient Cuban danza, it saw the light in 1813 and its authoris unknown. As ballroom dance, it was performed by individual couples and its basic step is essentially, the same as Contradanza, executed in four musical times. Danza has as special feature that, for the first time, the man takes the woman in close social position. This disposition of couples was later on used in Danzón, Danzonete, Cha Cha Chá, Son and finally in Casino.

By Bárbara Balbuena. Courtesy of Cubadisco Newspaper