Give credits to whom they are due. Give credits to the Afro-Caribbean and Latin people who embraced Salsa and gave it something of their own culture. Whether you are talking about the Puerto Ricans, the Dominicans, the Haitians, the Cubans and many other parts of Central and South Americas, Salsa has been to many cultures. It reflects the contribution of each of these cultures.
What can we say about the origins of Salsa? For sure, it has been spread to the United States with all the migrations from the Latin America and the Caribbean region. Just like baseball, Salsa also came with the migrants.
“It is not only Cuban; nevertheless we must give credit to Cuba for the origin and ancestry of creation. It is here where Contra-Danze (Country Dance) of England/France, later called Danzón, which was brought by the French who fled from Haiti, begins to mix itself with Rhumbas of African origin (Guaguanco, Colombia, Yambú). Add Són of the Cuban people, which was a mixture of the Spanish troubadour (sonero) and the African drumbeats and flavora and a partner dance flowered to the beat of the clave.
This syncretism also occurred in smaller degrees and with variations in other countries like the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, among others. Bands of these countries took their music to Mexico City in the era of the famous films of that country (Perez Prado, most famous...). Shortly after, a similar movement to New York occurred. In these two cities, more promotion and syncretism occurred and more commercial music was generated because there was more investment. New York created the term "Salsa", but it did not create the dance. The term became popular as nickname to refer to a variety of different music, from several countries of Hispanic influence: Rhumba, Són Montuno, Guaracha, Mambo, Cha cha cha, Danzón, Són, Guguanco, Cubop, Guajira, Charanga, Cumbia, Plena, Bomba, Festejo, Merengue, among others. Many of these have maintained their individuality and many were mixed creating "Salsa" (Jaime Andres Pretell, centralhome.com)
Mr. Pretell goes on to say that Salsa is like a tree. It has many roots and branches. To say that it originates from one country would be a wrong statement. It grows, evolves thanks to the support, development and influences of all the Latin and Caribbean countries that dance Salsa.
Viva Salsa! You too can learn how to dance Salsa. Find the secrets to happiness found in dancing Salsa. Dance Salsa to connect and meet other people. Dance Salsa to join the new wave of Salsa dancers. Salsa music videos have made it easy to learn the style. From Columbia to Europe, from Jaimaca to San Francisco, search for salsa videos. With the advent of the Internet, Salsa videos are even easier to find.
