Salsa:
the Contribution of Latin America, the Factors Behind the "Latino
Craze"
and Its Drive for Cultural Integration.
Speech presented by Jacira Castro, President
of SalsaPower.com
at the Conference during the
2nd Annual International Salsa Congress of Luxembourg,
SalsaLux, March 17, 2007 |
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What is
it that has brought all of us together here in Luxembourg? Is it the
desire to see hot Latin dancers in sexy outfits working up a sweat on
stage? Or perhaps it was the desire to learn from some of the best instructors
around the world who came here to teach. Or maybe it was sheer curiosity
for you salsa newbies? I’ll bet it was a little bit of all of
these things!
But where
does Salsa come from?
Roots
Salsa came to Cuba by way of the African slaves who brought their sacred
rhythms (such as Batá) and religious
beliefs (known today as "Santería")
with them. The traditional dances were later influenced by the French
salon dancing, and from there they derived the Danzón
and the Cuban Son. In the last hundred years or so
there have been many completely Cuban rhythms and dances that have caused
a furor among fans around the world, such as the mambo,
the cha-cha-chá, and of course "casino",
as it is called in Cuba, known in the rest of the world as "Salsa".
Over
the decades, it spread to the Caribbean islands and then with modern
day travel and immigration, it spread to other parts of America, Europe,
Asia and some of the most far-flung parts of the globe. Who would have
thought that you could find salsa clubs and schools in places like Kazakhstan,
South Africa, Vietnam
or Minneapolis, Minnesota in
the USA?
But what
attracts non-Latinos to a rhythm that is outside of their culture?
Sociology
of Dance
Many generations
ago, people lived in small villages where there were regular gatherings
that gave everyone the chance to socialize: Births, baptisms, weddings,
etc. They could come together, commune and dance. But busy, modern day
life in the city has none of this. In the city you are much more anonymous.
The more
modern we became, the more we are alienated, the more we are detached
from our environment …and the greater the necessity to dance as
a way of forming part of a community.
In the
past we were born into communities, now we create, select and join them.
The global salsa community is just such an entity. It is an intentionally
manufactured community.
The best
part is that this new community is not about ideology or politics! Right-wingers,
anarchists, communists, republicans or democrats, etc., can all dance
together without debate! The experience cuts across numerous other social
divides: race, class, and religious identity.
For those
cultures that repress open sensuality, Salsa is a socially acceptable
way to express it.
However,
this does not explain why Salsa …
…And
not Belly dancing, or the sacred dance-drama of Kerala from India, or
any other sensual dance form like Argentine Tango or Brazilian Samba?
Hypothesis - La Clave Secreta!
I had a
hypothesis: it has to do with "la clave" – the 3/2 or
2/3 beat that is the secret key to Cuban Son, the roots
of salsa, and its relationship to ancient sacred rhythms that induce
trance. So, I hopped on the internet and did a search but I couldn’t
find anything that confirmed this hypothesis.
I then
decided to use the many contacts I have made over the years of managing
SalsaPower.com, so I wrote to several distinguished
musicians and asked their opinions.
Adalberto
Alvarez said that he had asked several master percussionists
and they were unable to give him a technical explanation as to how to
induce a spirit to “mount” a person.
Geraldo
Piloto (Klimax) said that although he had been present at many
sacred religious ceremonies known as "toques", he
was unable to say for certain if the trance was induced rhythmically
or sociologically because the rhythm changes, sometimes it’s repetitive,
sometimes constantly changing.
But John
Santos, one of the most innovative Afro-Latin musicians
today, affirmed my hypothesis! He said, and I quote: "There
most certainly is (a relation between the clave and trance-inducing
rhythms)! Aside from being an ostinato pattern itself
(which most trance music depends on), it comes to the Caribbean by way
of West and Central African traditions of spiritual possession and ancestor
worship. Both of these great traditions employ trance music."
For those
of us who are not professional musicians, an ostinato
rhythm is a short pattern that is constantly repeated, usually in the
same part, at the same pitch.
This in
turn, induces a trance-like state, opening the individual dancer to
being "mounted" by a spirit or "losing themselves"
in the rhythm.
Well, in
my opinion, that certainly explains why there are all the non-Latino
salsa aficionados!
And an
inadvertent result of that is a gathering that spans all cultural, sociological,
or age groups!
