Cumbia?

[pygmalion]

I just got a flyer from some local salsa teachers, who are doing a workshop next month on cumbia, about which I know nothing. Can anybody here help? What is cumbia? Where is it from? Music? Artists? Recommended CD's? Books? Input, anyone?

[Spitfire]

I understand that the Cumbia originates in Columbia. I'm not familar with the dance, but I believe the music is like a slower form for that of Salsa. Can't think of any artists, but there's one played at the studio a lot where the words "Cumbia, Cumbia" are recited continuously.

[HothouseSalsero]

Don't we have a cumbia thread somewhere else around here?

It's a Colombian form. It spread from Colombia to some other Latin American countries, but in a somewhat smoothed out form.

I took a workshop in folkloric cumbia a couple years back, and it was enjoyable, if not very useful for club dancing. To me the music sounds vaguely similar to reggae. Some of the movements, in the folkloric version I learned anyway, remind me of certain types of African dance* (which makes sense since it has African roots, but I think even if for some reason I didn't know that I would still notice a similarity).

One of these days I'm going to buy the Rough Guide to Cumbia CD to get more familiar.


*I took an African dance class in college and a few more after that. I can't answer the question "what types of African dance?" I don't know.

[HothouseSalsero]

I wasn't being sarcastic. There's that cumbia and salsa thread two doors down, but maybe that doesn't answer your question. I will have to re-read it.

[SDsalsaguy]

I wasn't being sarcastic. There's that cumbia and salsa thread two doors down, but maybe that doesn't answer your question.
Here's the thread HHS means (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2227)... althought I thought there was another one somewhere about as well... hmmm... :?

[Hank]

This article explains the differences between the various styles of salsa, including cumbia.


http://www.tosalsa.com/forum/articles/article010204salsaStyles.html

Where I live, both cumbia and L.A. styles are common, and I switch between them so frequently during the same song that I don't even think of them as being separate.

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Hi Guys,

Sorry for my ignorance. Is "El Meneito" by El General a cumbia? :oops:

Don´t know much about cumbia. :( Does it show? :oops:

[pelao]

el meneito was a very old form of reggeton (actually, in this time, i dont remember if they had started calling it reggeton yet). But, also keep in mind, a lot of reggeton has mixed in cumbia sounds with it.

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

el meneito was a very old form of reggeton (actually, in this time, i dont remember if they had started calling it reggeton yet). But, also keep in mind, a lot of reggeton has mixed in cumbia sounds with it.

Thanks Pelao. So it´s not a cumbia. Have to search the web for some cumbia songs. :)

[pelao]

el meneito was a very old form of reggeton (actually, in this time, i dont remember if they had started calling it reggeton yet). But, also keep in mind, a lot of reggeton has mixed in cumbia sounds with it.

Thanks Pelao. So it´s not a cumbia. Have to search the web for some cumbia songs. :)

Check this out. One of the biggest, if not the biggest, and oldest labels in colombia:

www.discosfuentes.com

Almost all colombian (cumbia specifically) music my family has ever gotten (even old stuff from my grandmas collection), was released by this label

p.s. - when you click on the 'genres' link, it directs you to a page with a bunch of links. Cumbia would be under the genre/link of 'tropicales y bailables'

[HothouseSalsero]

Yeah, Disco Fuentes has been around forever. They must have the rights to a huge chunk of Colombian music.

[looyenyeo]

One of the definitive Cumbia groups must be La Sonora Dinamita, their albums are readily available.

Many Colombian and Mexican groups offer at least one cumbia in their album repetoire. If you press me I might check up my track database at home for a few songs, but my favourite is still "piel morena" by Thalia (I hear some people gasping "Sacrilege!")

Loo

[Spitfire]

It seems to me that there's a lot of Cumbia rhythm in what is commonly referred to as Tex-Mex or Tejano music which also features a lot of Polka style.

[TAE-CUMBIA]

:!:
EVER SINCE I STARTED DANCING SALSA, MERENGUE, BACHATA, CHA-CHA, TANGO, ETC., I WAS VERY ANXIOUS TO LEARN THE CUMBIA DANCE. I WAS BORN IN CHICAGO, BUT I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD YEARS IN MEXICO, DURING THOSE YEARS, I ONLY KNEW LIKE THREE SONG IN THE 70'S SUCH AS "EL SIRENITO", "NEGRO JOSE", AND "TIBURON". IT GOT STUCK ON MY MIND. I HAVE TO DANCE MORE CUMBIA AND HAVE THE COMPLETE PENTAGON OF TROPICAL MUSIC. WE HAVE TO CONVINCE ALL LATIN DANCE INSTRUCTORS TO TEACH THE CUMBIA DANCE. A FEW HAVE STEPPED UP BUT THEY HAVE TO BE MORE. FURTHERMORE, I LIKE TO KNOW ANY WEBSITE THAT HAS CUMBIA DANCING VIDEOS AS WELL. I ALREADY HAVE THE BASIC STEP, BUT I LIKE TO LEARN MORE. :idea:

[Shamby]

I'm at a loss to explain the difference pygmalion, except that when you see it and dance it it's very different from, say, LA style salsa. It's more "grindier" if that's a word and more of a shuffle. I like it, but it takes some getting used to if you're used to dancing LA style.

The music is also different, it's a lot harder to dance mambo-style salsa to it...

[Sagitta]

Description fits. I can totally visualize cumbia Shamby!! :)

[Shamby]

Why thank you kindly sir. I do try!!!! ha ha :lol: