They were coming and then they were postponed. They were back again, but without a first issue city. Now it finally looks like the entire waiting period, complete with finger crossing, wondering, and waiting is over. The USPS issued Let’s Dance over the weekend, showcasing four popular dances: the Salsa, Cha-cha-cha, Mambo and Meringue in celebration of Latino pop and tropical salsa traditions. For those of you wondering what the word Bailemos on the selvage means, it translates to “Let Us Dance”.
Where did the Salsa come from? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances, each playing a large part in its evolution. 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. Salsa varies from location to location and each comes with it’s own blend of many old and new rhythms. The United States got its first taste of “Salsa” in New York.
For the Cha-cha-cha, popularity began around 1954. Later it became known as the Cha-cha. Roots of this dance actually come from the Mambo, another featured dance in Lets Dance. In the slow Mambo tempo, there was a distinct sound in the music that people began dancing to. They called the step the “Triple” Mambo, consisting of three quick steps (triple step or cha-cha-cha) and two slower steps on the one beat and two beat. . Eventually it evolved into a separate dance, known today as the Cha-Cha.
In Cuba, 1943, Perez Prado introduced the Mambo at the La Tropicana nightclub. Originally the Mambo was played as a Rumba with a riff ending. Since then the Mambo craze has been kept alive by other Latin American bandleaders such as Tito Rodriquez, Pupi Campo, Tito Puente, Machito, and Xavier Cugat. The United States got its first taste in New York’s Park Plaza Ballroom. The original dance had to be toned down some, as it had violent arobatics. Dance studios, resort hotels, and at nightclubs in New York and Miami were all doing the Mambo. But the craze did not last long and is now mainly seen in advanced dancers. Teachers agreed that this is one of the most difficult of dances.
When we are talking about Meringue, we are not referring to the white fluffy stuff on top of your lemon pie. The Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic and popular throughout the Caribbean and South America. There are actually two popular stories as to this dance’s origin. One story alleges the dance came from the slaves who were chained together. They were forced to drag one leg as they cut sugar to the beat of drums. The second story alleges that a great hero was wounded in the leg during one of the revolutions in the Dominican Republic. Villagers welcomed him home with a victory celebration and, feeling bad for the hero, everyone dancing felt obliged to limp and drag one foot. Again, New York was the area of introduction here in the United States.
