So why are Lani and I teaching MAMBO for IBDI this first term? For one thing, "It's the mother of nearly all Latin dances" said by one of the professional dancers on the TV's Dancing With The Stars; two: it's a fun and spicy partner dance with a lot of "move your body to the music" action; and three: it's my main squeeze's favorite dance. With all that said, here's a bit of history of Mambo by the author of "Touch Dancing".
"During the 1940s, when Americans vacationed in Havana, (Cuba), they danced in the casinos and nightclubs to music created by Cuban and American bands. Inevitably the musicians from both countries jammed together and Afro-Cuban rumba rhythms were mixed with the big band jazz beat, creating what was called Mambo rhythm. The Cuban most responsible for creating the Mambo sound was Perez Prado, with his recording in the early forties of the Latin hit "Mambo Jumbo". An off-beat dance evolved to synchronize with the new music. The Mambo is still the most popular dance done to Salsa music, so it is well worth your effort to learn it."
