The Conga is a Latin dance of African-Cuban descent. The name conga is believed to have originated from the African region of Congo, although Latin music historian Isabelle Leymarie claims that conga may have come from a Bantu word that means both song and tumult. This Conga Line dance got very famous in the Western population only because it is very easy to learn. It seems more like a march but differs based on the Conga music.
2. Doing The Congo
Are you interested in grabbing on some new dancing
skills? If so, what type of dance do you prefer? By any
chance, if you’re a beginner then this guide is
completely for your help.
This article is detailing all about the conga dance and
answers all the questions that you might ask
regarding this dance. So, let’s begin without any
further delay!
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3. Brief Description of
the Conga Dance
The Conga is a Latin dance of African-Cuban descent. The name conga is believed to have
originated from the African region of Congo, although Latin music historian Isabelle Leymarie
claims that conga may have come from a Bantu word that means both song and tumult. This
Conga Line dance got very famous in the Western population only because it is very easy to
learn. It seems more like a march but differs based on the Conga music.
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4. HOW IT IS PERFORMED?
This dance is performed with a distinctive rhythm played
by a drum. Most commonly, a whole band consisting of
many dancers takes the opportunity to perform the conga
dance. One of the band members takes the job of playing
the drum by wearing it and circles around the whole
group throughout the performance. Dancers would start
joining up behind the drummer, forming a line that moved
like a slithering snake in an open circle. The line (or the
circular chain) would grow longer and the drumming
more intense until it finally stopped. The dance has two
styles, which are a single line form and partners. The
single line is more popular in Cuba.
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5. Significance of the
Conga
Although the Conga line dance seems very easy and fun to do, it is a part of the Congo slave’s
religion and has a ceremonial and ritualistic origin. The main reason why this dance is very
significant is that it is very easy for even foreign audiences to learn its basic steps. This thing
makes it extremely properly all around the world. Further, the dance was more like a way for
the slaves to celebrate their victory and success. People also performed this dance to express
their frustrations and grievances without making other mistakes.
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6. THE CONGA MUSIC
The term conga itself refers to a narrow-headed drum
that originated in Cuba. It is widely believed that the
original drums were made out of salvaged barrels,
because the present-day drums are staved, like barrels.
Their shape differentiates them from the African drum.
Mostly, the performances of this conga dance are led by a
musician leader who stands at the start of the line to keep
the beat in sync. However, traditional Cuban congas were
led by a trio of three drums.
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