Born in Cuba with traces of Haitian culture and influenced by American jazz, the mambo became a Latin ballroom dance craze that swept the globe and became exceedingly popular in Latin countries as well as the United States. The name of the dance is rooted in African culture, with connections to voodoo religion in Haiti. A precursor and alleged inspiration to the cha-cha dance, the mambo blended American jazz and swing with Cuban music and revived interest in the rumba.
Before the Mambo
With the excitement and novelty of the rumba dance winding down, the mambo reinvigorated interest in ballroom music, rather than the jive music that had been gaining interest. The mambo was similar to the rumba in both rhythm and hip movements; however, the mambo added a jazz element. Known for its jagged rhythm--within every bar of music is a pause for the dancer to rest--the mambo punctuated the holds with kicks and body movements. The dance is done in 4/4 time but accentuates counts two and four.
The Beginning
The mambo dance as we know it today was created in 1943 by Cuban bandleader Perez Prado, who was influenced by the American jazz movement while still maintaining a distinctly Cuban rhythm. The new dance style debuted in 1943 at La Tropicana nightclub in Havana. However, Orestes Lopez composed the first mambo music, entitled "Mambo," in 1938.
Introduction to the USA
The dance was introduced to the United States in New York City's Park Plaza Hotel, but in 1947, the "temple of the mambo" was found in New York City's Palladium Ballroom. Other popular New York City mambo clubs were the China Doll, Birdland, Tropicana and Caborojena. The mambo celebrities of the time included "Killer Joe" Piro, Augie and Margo Rodriguez and Pedro "Killer Pete" Machito. "Mambomania" occurred in the 1950s, when the mambo reached the height of its popularity in the U.S.
Precursor to the Cha-Cha
Springing from the mambo, the cha-cha gained popularity following the mambo, much as the mambo eclipsed the rumba. Also from Cuba, the cha-cha eliminated the pause that gives the mambo its jagged rhythm and replaced it with a quick triple step. The steps of the rumba, mambo and the cha-cha are similar in rhythm, all consisting of a quick-quick-slow pattern.
Mambo Today
Eddie Torres, professional ballroom dancer, instructor and mambo expert and enthusiast, is often credited with the resurgent popularity of the mambo. Torres, who was first introduced to the dance in the 1960s and 1970s, was taught by professional ballroom dancer June Laberta, and later performed with mambo music legend and "King of Mambo" Tito Puente. Along with his wife Maria, Torres teaches mambo technique and dancing. Shows such as Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, where various Latin ballroom styles, including the mambo, are highlighted can also be credited with its current popularity.
