Cuban rumba dance stirs sensational moves in China

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Rumba has been taking the dance floor in China since the country introduced the international style ballroom or partnered dancing in 1986.

Almost all cities across China have set up international style ballroom dancing associations to promote the dance and hold competitions.

Among these, rumba has captured the interest of youngsters in the country. It is a ballroom dance of Afro-Cuban folk-dance origin featuring subtle side-to-side hip movements and women dancing with a defensive attitude towards their male partners.

A pair performs the rumba at a competition in Zhangye, Gansu Province earlier this year. /IC

As a form of partnered Latin dance, rumba is characterized by a still upper body, slow-swaying hips and a three-step basic progression of footwork. The rumba is slower than some other Latin dances, giving more focus on emotional connection between partners and representing a fusion of African and Spanish dance styles.

The rumba originated in Cuba in the 16th century among Africans as a form of emotional expression. In the late 19th century, it gained prominence among Cuba’s upper and upper-middle classes and decades later won popularity in the United States.

This file photo shows two teens performing the rumba at a concert in Heihe, Heilongjiang Province. /CFP

Since the mid-1980s, ballrooms have sprung up across China, where people dance rumba, tango, and waltz, relaxing after work and making friends through dancing. These days, more and more young people, including teens and children, fall in love with rumba as a way to build self-confidence and keep fit.