Manu Mambo & Nadège Dora - social dancing @ Sal'Sounds 70's

Well, to be honest, the name of the song in the vinyl jacket is Rito de Cumbia, and I thought it was a mistake.
But listening to it actually the singer is saying Rito, not Ritmo.
 
Hey,
The song is Ritmo de Cumbia, by Orquesta Ecue.
You can find it in my youtube channel:

Cheers,
DJ RSILVA (PT)

Nice tune. The first 25 seconds (0.4 - 0.29, and also the last few seconds of the song) are pure cumbia. Which prompts the question: when this is played at a salsa event, do many dancers actually dance cumbia to the intro (or wait until it turns into salsa before they start dancing)? I suspect the answer is no. Does it matter? Not really I suppose, but for anyone who wants to see musicality on the salsa scene: actually doing the right dance must rank as pretty basic musicality.
 
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Nice tune. The first 25 seconds (0.4 - 0.29, and also the last few seconds of the song) are pure cumbia. Which prompts the question: when this is played at a salsa event, do many dancers actually dance cumbia to the intro (or wait until it turns into salsa before they start dancing)? I suspect the answer is no. Does it matter? Not really I suppose, but for anyone who wants to see musicality on the salsa scene: actually doing the right dance must rank as pretty basic musicality.
How would they know how to dance cumbia if they don't know what cumbia is?
 
Maybe recognising a cumbia and being able to do at least a very basic attempt at it, or just avoiding dancing to it, should be considered necessary salsa skills?

On the other hand, tracks like the above really aren't that common, so one could learn the appropriate skills then not have the opportunity to use them very often. Even in the above tune, anyone hitting the floor after the first 25 seconds are over would miss the opportunity to utilise their knowledge.

Still, to me dancing salsa to a cumbia is no different to, for example, dancing salsa to a bachata.
 
Maybe recognising a cumbia and being able to do at least a very basic attempt at it, or just avoiding dancing to it, should be considered necessary salsa skills?

On the other hand, tracks like the above really aren't that common, so one could learn the appropriate skills then not have the opportunity to use them very often. Even in the above tune, anyone hitting the floor after the first 25 seconds are over would miss the opportunity to utilise their knowledge.

Still, to me dancing salsa to a cumbia is no different to, for example, dancing salsa to a bachata.
Which type of cumbia should they dance? E.g., the folklor style, the one taught in academies, porro, mexican sonidera style, the one danced at family parties etc? I have danced to a lot of cumbia since I was 13 or so, and nobody showed us how to do it. I think everybody just developed their own steps.
 
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As we're talking about brief passages of cumbia, rather than an entire song, I think any style that involves dancing to the music would make sense.

If someone dances salsa to a bachata song then the world doesn't end, nor does it make them a bad person. Nonetheless, other dancers would consider it incorrect and showing a serious lack of knowledge. To me dancing salsa, particularly linear which is so steeped in NY/US tradition or Cuban, to cumbia is the same thing.
 
As we're talking about brief passages of cumbia, rather than an entire song, I think any style that involves dancing to the music would make sense.

If someone dances salsa to a bachata song then the world doesn't end, nor does it make them a bad person. Nonetheless, other dancers would consider it incorrect and showing a serious lack of knowledge. To me dancing salsa, particularly linear which is so steeped in NY/US tradition or Cuban, to cumbia is the same thing.
I think people who know how to dance traditional Colombian Cumbia would consider any other type of Cumbia dancing that is mainstream across Latin America to be incorrect.
 
The way I see people dancing cumbia here in Mexico doesn't look that different to what I saw in Cali. Although to be fair I rarely saw people dancing cumbia in Cali.

In the house parties I've been to in Mexico, cumbia seems to be by far the most popular music (despite my best attempts to convert them to salseros). The cumbia I've heard played has all been of the Mexican variety (unfortunately - I much prefer Colombian ).
 
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The way I see people dancing cumbia here in Mexico doesn't look that different to what I saw in Cali. Although to be fair I rarely saw people dancing cumbia in Cali.

In the house parties I've been to in Mexico, cumbia seems to be by far the most popular music (despite my best attempts to convert them to salseros). The cumbia I've heard played has all been of the Mexican variety (unfortunately - I much prefer Colombian ).
Traditional Cumbia is probably not what they dance at parties.

However south americans tend to move side to side, a bit similar to son step but more hips and more a 2/2 rhythm. In my experience Central Americans and Mexicans bounce more, and make more use of the back rock.
 
Sounds correct. S Americans use that back step in salsa but I'm not sure if I've seen them using it in cumbia (i.e. partner cumbia not traditional).
 
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