Latin dance has seen a massive surge in global popularity, becoming a vibrant and engaging activity enjoyed worldwide. Originating from the rich cultural landscapes of South America and the Caribbean, Latin dances have transcended geographical boundaries, captivating enthusiasts across the globe and even surpassing the popularity of traditional American and European partner dances like Swing and Waltz in many regions.
For newcomers to the world of dance, the sheer variety of Latin dance styles can be both exciting and a little daunting. With over a dozen distinct forms, understanding where to begin can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive guide to various Latin Dance Kinds, complete with detailed descriptions to help you navigate this exhilarating dance landscape.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid understanding of the diverse world of Latin dance, empowering you to discover the style that perfectly resonates with your rhythm and personality!
Popular Latin Dance Styles
Social Latin Dances: These styles are typically enjoyed in social settings, from dance clubs to parties, emphasizing partner interaction and fun:
Salsa
Bachata
Argentine Tango
Merengue
Cumbia
Quebradita
Mambo
Zouk
Kizomba
Pachanga
Latin Hustle
Baile Folklorico
Bomba
Plena
Son
Danzón
Latin Ballroom Dances: These are the competitive styles recognized in the world of dancesport, emphasizing technique and performance:
Cha Cha Cha
Samba
Rumba
Paso Doble
Jive
Latin Dance FAQs – Answers to common questions about Latin dances.
Social Latin Dance Styles
Salsa
Salsa stands out as the most globally recognized latin dance kind and is celebrated as the most popular partner dance worldwide. You’ll find vibrant salsa scenes in dance schools and clubs in almost every major city across continents.
Born in the United States in the 1960s, salsa’s origins are deeply rooted in the Puerto Rican and Cuban communities of New York City. It’s a dynamic fusion of earlier Latin dances like mambo, cha cha, son, and Latin hustle.
Salsa is known for its playful, flirtatious, and high-energy character, though it also encompasses slower, more romantic rhythms. The dance boasts various styles, each offering unique flavors within the salsa spectrum.
Key salsa styles include:
- LA Style Salsa (On1): Characterized by linear movements and sharp, showy styling.
- NY Style Salsa (On2): Emphasizes musicality, smooth transitions, and intricate footwork.
- Cuban Style Salsa (Casino): Circular movements, partner interaction, and playful turns define this style.
- Colombian Salsa (Cali Style): Rapid footwork and a distinctive hopping step are hallmarks.
Salsa is primarily a social dance, with countless clubs and studios hosting salsa nights. Performance is also a significant aspect, with numerous salsa festivals globally showcasing choreographed routines. International salsa competitions further highlight the dance’s competitive edge, celebrating exceptional talent and innovation.
Bachata
Bachata is another incredibly popular latin dance kind, experiencing phenomenal growth, particularly among younger dancers.
Originating in the Dominican Republic, bachata is often described as more intimate and sensual than salsa (explore the differences between salsa and bachata).
Similar to salsa, bachata features diverse styles, primarily:
- Dominican Bachata (Traditional): Focuses on intricate footwork and simpler turns.
- Sensual Bachata: Emphasizes body waves, isolations, and close partner connection.
- Urban Bachata (Bachata Fusion): Blends bachata with hip hop and contemporary dance influences.
Bachata dancing is commonly found in venues that host salsa, and its rising popularity has led to dedicated bachata festivals and events worldwide.
Argentine Tango
Argentine Tango is a sophisticated and passionate latin dance kind originating from Buenos Aires, Argentina, with roots in Spanish and Cuban dance traditions.
Heavily influenced by European ballroom dances, Argentine Tango is characterized by an upright posture, close embrace, and minimal hip movement compared to other latin dance kinds. It’s known for its intensity, dramatic flair, and passionate expression, evident in its iconic poses and holds.
While generally slower than salsa, Argentine Tango incorporates rapid flicks and kicks, adding dynamic contrast.
Tango is enjoyed socially at “milongas” (tango dance events) and is also a captivating performance art.
Merengue
Merengue, like bachata, is a lively social latin dance kind from the Dominican Republic – in fact, it’s the national dance of the country!
Sharing similarities with bachata, merengue features side-to-side movements and hip action. However, merengue music is typically faster and the dance is known for its fun, energetic vibe rather than the sensuality of bachata.
Merengue is a favorite within the Latin American community, especially among Mexicans and Dominicans, and is often danced in Latin clubs, though less frequently at salsa socials or festivals.
Merengue is considered easier to learn than many latin dance kinds, with many dancers picking it up informally by observation and practice.
Cumbia
Cumbia is a captivating South American latin dance kind originating in Colombia, gaining popularity throughout Latin America, especially in Mexico and Peru.
Danced in a circular pattern, cumbia’s basic step involves a short kick followed by a rock step, reminiscent of East Coast Swing.
Cumbia shares some influences with Colombian salsa, which was significantly shaped by cumbia, though cumbia is danced at a slower tempo.
Similar to merengue, cumbia is rarely formally taught in dance schools, often learned informally in nightclubs or through observation.
Quebradita
Quebradita is a high-energy partner latin dance kind originating from Mexico. It’s known for its incredibly dynamic movements, featuring acrobatic lifts and tricks.
Popular in Los Angeles in the 1990s, quebradita remains a niche dance primarily within the Mexican community.
Due to its demanding athleticism, quebradita is rarely danced socially. Competitions showcase couples’ impressive lifts and tricks, and it’s occasionally incorporated into dance performances.
Mambo
Mambo is a term that can refer to several latin dance kinds (explore mambo vs salsa).
Originally developed in Cuba in the 1940s and popularized in New York’s legendary Palladium Ballroom, mambo drew from earlier styles like son and danzón, evolving within NYC’s vibrant dance scene.
Traditional mambo is now rarely danced, but it directly influenced salsa, inheriting many of its movements and elements. In fact, New York-style salsa is sometimes called “mambo” due to its break step on the second beat, a mambo characteristic.
There’s a growing trend of incorporating traditional mambo styling into salsa, honoring salsa’s roots, with dancers like Eddie Torres, Adolfo Indacochea, and Benny & Brandon Ayala reviving the mambo style.
The term “mambo” is also used in Ballroom Dance, confusingly referring to Salsa On1.
Zouk
Brazilian Zouk is a contemporary latin dance kind originating in Brazil in the 1990s, evolving from Lambada.
Zouk is characterized by its emphasis on connection, fluidity, and off-axis turns. It’s danced to zouk music and contemporary genres like hip hop and pop.
Zouk’s popularity has grown, with many salsa and bachata festivals including zouk in their programs and dedicated zouk events emerging.
Zouk is enjoyed socially, in performances, and in competitions. Jack & Jill competitions, pairing random partners, are especially popular within the zouk community.
Kizomba
Kizomba, while technically originating in Angola, Africa, has become integrated into many Latin dance scenes. It’s often found at Latin dance socials and festivals.
Kizomba is a slow, sensual latin dance kind with some similarities to tango, stemming from the Angolan dance semba.
Its slow tempo makes kizomba primarily a social dance, with performances being rare.
Urban Kiz, a variation, has gained popularity, sharing kizomba’s core characteristics but incorporating hip hop and other dance elements.
Pachanga
Pachanga is a Cuban latin dance kind and music genre from the 1950s.
Pachanga is defined by a bouncing motion from bending and straightening knees, along with gliding and sliding steps.
Popular in the 1950s, it spread to New York with mambo and was danced at the Palladium Ballroom. Revived by Eddie Torres, pachanga is now a staple in salsa dance shines (solo steps).
Latin Hustle
Latin Hustle (New York Hustle) is a New York-born dance sharing traits with West Coast Swing and salsa.
Created by Puerto Rican teenagers in the 1970s, it influenced and was influenced by salsa.
While less common in many Latin dance scenes, Latin Hustle is still taught in some ballroom studios. Competitions like the World Salsa Summit have recently included Latin Hustle categories.
Baile Folklorico
Baile Folklórico is an umbrella term for folkloric dances from Latin America. Many remain localized to their origin.
Some predate Spanish colonization, rooted in indigenous dances. Others blend native American and Spanish cultures.
Mexican folklorico dances are perhaps the most well-known, performed in Mexico and the US.
Mexican folklorico is known for vibrant colors, flowing dresses for women, and sombreros for men. Dances often depict courtship narratives, with solo and partner elements and tap-like footwork.
Mexican Baile Folklórico styles include:
- Jarabe Tapatío (Jalisco)
- Danza de los Viejitos (Michoacán)
- Danza del Venado (Sonora)
- La Bamba (Veracruz)
- Danza de los concheros
Explore traditional Mexican folk dances for more.
Many South American countries have unique folkloric dances, including Brazil, Panama, Argentina, Honduras, and Colombia.
Colombia boasts widely spread traditional dances like Champeta, Cumbia, Joropo, Mapale, and Vallenato.
Bomba
Bomba is a Puerto Rican latin dance kind and musical genre, developed mainly by enslaved Africans.
Bomba, like many latin dance kinds, merges African, Spanish, and indigenous influences. It resembles Afro-Cuban dances like guaguanco in style and attire.
Though rarely danced outside Puerto Rico, bomba elements are present in salsa, as salsa music was pioneered by Puerto Ricans in New York.
Plena
Plena is another Puerto Rican latin dance kind.
Strongly influenced by bomba, plena shares similarities with it and Afro-Cuban dances. It’s also a folkloric dance with resemblances to baile folklorico.
Like most folkloric dances, Plena is mainly performed, rarely danced socially outside Puerto Rico.
Son
Son, or “Cuban Son,” is a Cuban latin dance kind and music genre from the early 1900s. It influenced later Afro-Cuban dances, including Cuban salsa.
The son basic step breaks back on the second beat, similar to Salsa On2.
Son Cubano is now seldom danced outside Cuban cultural performances, but salsa dancers incorporate son steps and styling.
Danzón
Danzón is another Cuban latin dance kind and musical genre.
Danzón is a slow partner dance similar to the foxtrot. Rarely danced outside Cuba today, it influenced early Cuban partner dances like cha cha cha and mambo.
Latin Ballroom Dance Styles
Ballroom dance includes a category called “International Latin American Dance.” Competitors in this category perform five dances: cha cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, and jive.
Cha Cha Cha
Cha-cha-cha, or simply cha cha, is a Cuban latin dance kind and music style from the 1950s Havana, popularized in the US and globally around 1955 during the “cha cha cha craze.”
The dance’s name comes from the shuffling sound of dancers’ shoes during three quick steps.
Cha cha is one of the five International Latin ballroom dances.
Cha cha is also danced socially at Latin socials. Many salsa socials include cha cha songs. Many cha cha steps and patterns are similar to salsa but slower, with the cha-cha-cha step inserted between measures.
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian latin dance kind and music genre from the early 20th century. Known for fast footwork and hip movement, it’s central to Brazil’s Carnaval. Some Colombian salsa dancers incorporate samba elements.
Ballroom samba, inspired by Brazilian samba, is a stylized ballroom dance. Ballroom samba is partnered, while Brazilian samba is often solo.
Both samba styles are mainly for performance or competition, not social dancing.
Rumba
Rumba can refer to several latin dance kinds.
Rumba means “party” and is an umbrella term for Afro-Caribbean Cuban dances like guaguanco, yambú, and columbia, often called “Afro-Cuban rumba,” with strong African influences.
Ballroom rumba is also an International Latin category. It bears little resemblance to Afro-Cuban rumba, and is like a slow-motion salsa (evolving from “bolero-son”). There are American (On1) and International (On2) ballroom rumba styles.
Paso Doble
Paso doble or pasodoble means “double step” in Spanish and is a fast-paced latin dance kind in the International Latin ballroom category. Its origins are debated, but it’s likely French, inspired by Spanish bullfights.
Paso doble is almost exclusively for ballroom dancesport competitions, not social dancing. It’s known for its fast tempo and dramatic flair, similar to flamenco.
Jive
Jive, while in the International Latin category, isn’t truly a latin dance kind. It originated in the US, influenced by swing and American folk dances.
Jive is characterized by its fast tempo and bouncy steps, similar to lindy hop.
Jive is now mainly a competitive ballroom dance.
Latin Dance FAQs
What are the top 5 Latin dances?
The top 5 latin dance kinds by popularity are: salsa, bachata, cha cha, merengue, and cumbia.
What are the five Latin dances in dance sport?
The five latin dance kinds in ballroom dancesport are cha cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, and jive.
What are the hardest Latin dances?
The most challenging latin dance kinds are the fastest: salsa (especially Colombian salsa), Brazilian samba, and Jive. Technically intricate slower dances include Argentine tango and Latin hustle.
What are the modern Latin dances?
Modern latin dance kinds include salsa, bachata (especially sensual bachata), kizomba, zouk, and reggaeton.
What is the most sensual Latin dance?
The most sensual latin dance kinds are generally considered sensual bachata, kizomba, zouk, and Argentine tango.
That concludes our exploration of popular latin dance kinds! From salsa and bachata to paso doble and plena, we hope you now have a better understanding of the diverse styles and can find the perfect ones for you! Share your favorites or questions in the comments!
