Performing Arts Assignment Dance History Of Salsa

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Dance History: Salsa
While modern salsa owes its origins to Cuba, the dance represents a combination of different styles and techniques from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Salsa originated from a blend of a number of European and African dances that were fused into the colonial context in the Americas at the beginning of the 18th century (Schneider 35). Therefore, the development of the dance was influenced to a great extent by the exploitation of Africans and slave trade that characterized the colonial Americas. As informed by Schneider, there are several forerunners for salsa including danzon and son, both of which are a fusion of African and European music and dance styles that developed in Cuba in the 19th century (35). The emergence of salsa was also influenced in the 20th century by cha-cha-chá, mambo, as well as some elements of rock ‘n’ roll. As seen, right from its beginning, salsa was transnational. The dance was influenced by African, European, and Cuban cultures. Without the slave trade, it is deducible that salsa would not have developed.
Schneider points out that the first use of the term salsa is usually contested (35). While some say that the term came into use after the release of Llego la Salsa by Federico Y Su Combo in 1964, the mingling of diverse music and styles in New York coupled with the Puerto Rican diaspora in the city had key influences in the creation of salsa. The development of contemporary salsa was influenced to a great extent by two events: the 1917 Jones Act and the 1959 Cuban Revolution (Schneider 36). The 1917 Jones Act gave US citizenship to Puerto Ricans, and as a result, many of them migrated to New York, bringing with them the already blended forms of Caribbean music and dance. The 1959 Cuban Revolution isolated communist Cuba that had dominated the production of music, furthering the development of salsa. As informed by Schneider, the Puerto Rican population that had migrated to the US provided the creative space that led to the birth of salsa (36).
The arrival of salsa in the US in the 1960s was not just based on cultural contract; salsa had political aims as it was used to fight racism as well as advocate for self-awareness and cultural consciousness (Pietrobruno 54). Schneider points out that salsa had strong political messages that covered topics such as inequality, street violence, American imperialism, and ghetto life (36). The music and dance brought togethe...