Internationally recognized for their musical skills, Colombians have created and developed several dance styles throughout history. While there are dozens of regional traditional dances, some in particular are extremely popular across the country and are highlights at public festivities or parties. Salsa and Colombia are as inseparable as coffee and mornings.
Although salsa originated with Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants in New York City, Colombia has left an indelible mark on this music and dance style. In fact, Colombia has made salsa its own. Two regions have contributed to the development of Colombian salsa: the Caribbean Coast, with artists like Joe Arroyo, and the city of Cali. It is primarily a partner dance. Champeta is a relatively recent dance that quickly captivated dancers along the Caribbean Coast and across Colombia. This dance is the latest result of centuries of cultural exchanges between Africa and the Caribbean.
Directly derived from Congolese rumba, Champeta originated in Cartagena de Indias during the s. Blending African and Caribbean melodies, Champeta is a highly rhythmic dance, characterized by its rapid hopping and movements.
Champeta is both a solo and partner dance. One of the most recent and famous examples is Salsa Choke. It is characterized by significant drum beats borrowed from Reggaeton, while maintaining the fast rhythm of Cali-style Salsa.
Like Champeta, Salsa Choke values individual dancing performance. The most emblematic Colombian music genre is Vallenato. Declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, Vallenato originates from the Colombian Caribbean Coast and might be the most representative genre of the cultural blending that occurred in the country.
