Do that conga?

[pygmalion]

You know that Gloria Estefan song -- come on baby, do that conga? It never occured to me until last night that it's probably a dance. Hmm. I'm guessing a street dance of Cuban origin. Does anybody here know something about it? what is t? Are there video clips out there?

[dancing_moogle]

You mean a "conga line"? I would think that's Cuban.

[Sagitta]

Here's a link...http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3conga.htm :D

[pygmalion]

Conga line? That, I've seen plenty, and have even done, when I couldn't get out of it. Usually lots of inebriated folks, and lots of silliness, so I avoid them like plague. I was thinking that there was a partner dance.

[pygmalion]

More on conga, from latinsheetmusic.com Apparently, the conga rhythm isis in 4/4, with a heavily accented 4. 1-2-3-4 So the conga line, with its 1-2-3-kick! is a natural. Hmm.

Conga Drum A major instrument in the salsa rhythm section, the conga is literally the "Congolese drum," and it began life in the Afro-Cuban cults. Arsenio Rodriguez is said to have introduced it to the conjuntos on a regular basis, and Machito's Afro-Cubans were the first to use it on New York bandstands. There are several types of conga, including the small quinto, a solo improvising the instrument; the mid sized conga; and the large tumbadora. Played by an expert, the conga is capable of a great variety of sound and tone, not only from the different ways of striking or rubbing the head, but through raising the instrument from the ground when it is played held between the knees. A conga-player is called a conguero or congacero,

Conga Rhythm The Cuban conga was originally a carnival dance-march from Santiago de Cuba, with a heavy fourth beat, but the rhythm is common to carnival music in many parts of the New World. The conga rhythm is more easily simplified than most Cuban rhythms and was a natural for nightclub floor shows. It never became permanent in mainstream Latin music, though Eddie Palmiere introduced a modified version called the mozambique in the late 1960's.