Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on Conga music, Conga troupes (comparsas) and the Conga line (dance).
This post provides an excerpt from an online article about the history of the conga dance. This pancocojams post also showcases seven YouTube videos of Cuban Conga troupes (comparsas).
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/05/three-wikipedia-article-excerpts-about.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents an excerpt from a Wikipedia articles about Santiago de Cuba. This pancocojams post also presents excerpts from a Wikipedia article about Conga music and about the annual Carnival of Santiago de Cuba.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/05/article-excerpt-about-history-of-conga.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III provides an excerpt from an online article about the history of the conga line dance and showcases five YouTube videos of Conga lines outside of Cuba.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CONGA DANCE
From https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/the-conga-dance-people/
Bringing People Together with the Conga Dance By Bernadine Racoma - June 11, 2013
“The Conga is a Latin dance of African-Cuban descent. The name conga is believed to have originated from the African region of Congo, although Latin music historian Isabelle Leymarie claims that conga may have come from a Bantu word that means both song and tumult.
Origin of the Conga
The conga is said to be a combination of slave dance forms and the dances that came from poor Europeans. Slaves are widely credited for having brought the conga to Cuba. Some believe that the dance took form when the slaves started dancing while they were chained together. Another legend says that the dance came to life when the captives from the slave ships were brought on deck to exercise. Others claim that the conga dance was never a slave dance but rather one that came from the dancing and chanting lines that followed the processions of the Virgin Mary during Easter festivities.
The conga was initially a street dance in Cuba, specifically in the city of Santiago. In Cuba, the conga is called the comparsa. Both the music and dance were originally performed in carnival processions and African slave celebrations. It played a significant role in the processional Corpus Christi and Epiphany carnival dance that was attended by the political and social elites of Cuba since the 1600s. Back then, it was done in both its forms for line and couple dancing.
The dance was also used by some politicians before the elections in order to catch the appeal of the public. During the dictatorship of Machado, residents of Havana were not allowed to dance the conga, as the opposition could manipulate them into high excitement, which would lead to street fighting. At the time of the presidency of Fulgencio Batista in the 1940s, he allowed people to dance the conga during the elections, but only with permission form the police.
Some people mistakenly believe that Lucille Ball’s husband, Desi Arnaz, is the inventor of dance. However, Arnaz merely popularized the Brazilian conga in 1939 when he moved to the U.S from Cuba and began performing the dance in clubs and television performances with his wife.
Significance of the Conga
Although the conga may look silly and fun, it was part of the Congo slaves’ religion and actually has ceremonial and ritualistic origins. The dance was a means for the slaves to celebrate victory or success, and it was also a way for them to express their grievances and frustrations without being blatant about it.
The conga has also been used to express protective unity and seriousness. On March 1965, a group of women danced the conga line all night around a gathering of civil rights demonstrators.
Music Behind the Conga
Strictly speaking, the term conga refers to a tall-single headed and narrow drum that originated in Cuba. It is widely believed that the original drums were made out of salvaged barrels, because the present-day drums are staved, like barrels. Their shape makes them distinctive from the African drum.
In its native Cuba, this drum is called tumbadora or tumba and they are usually played when Afro-Latin dances are performed. The drum only came to be called a conga drum in the 1920s when the conga dance was at the height of its popularity in the U.S and Americans began calling it the conga drum. The term “conga” in Spanish refers to a woman from Conga.
Most congas are led by a musician leader at the start of the line in charge of keeping the beat on a pair of bongos. However, traditional Cuban congas were led by a trio of drums. The smallest drum, called the quinto, was a solo instrument used to introduce new rhythms. The middle-sized conga, or also known as a tresgolpes, and the larger tumba provided the base rhythms.
Modern-day conga drums have been lessened to two, and instead of being placed on the ground, they are mounted on stands in such a way that they can be played by only one drummer. This way one musician can easily combine the rhythms of the quinto, conga, and tumba to produce sound that is fairly close to the original three-drum configuration. The drummer is also not limited to just drumming with the hands, since a polyrhythmic 6/8 pattern is sometimes included into of the conga music parts. The sound comes in the form of sticks on a hollow wooden box or a cajon, or on the side of a drum.
Dancing the Conga
The conga dance style resembles a march because of the distinctive rhythm coming from the conga drum. It is very different from other Latin dances, such as the rumba that uses more hip movements and portrays the dancer’s sensually aggressive attitude. The conga is known as a “mixer” dance, which means it mixes the crowd in parties and other functions.
The conga usually consists only of drums and shakers as the only accompanying instruments. The conga beat is a syncopated 4/4, with a step on each of the first three beats of the measure, followed by a delayed touch of the foot to either side of the direction in which the line of dancers is going.
The conga is commonly done in a long, single-file line, but it can also be performed with a partner. The dancers form a long line and dance three shuffle steps on the beat, with a kick slightly ahead of the fourth beat after. In other words, the count is a simply one-two-three-kick. When done in a line, the dancers put their hands on the waist of the person in front of them, and the line zigzags through the room. When done with a partner, the couple faces each other but moves in opposite directions. Both partners will move to their right and then reverse directions.
When dancing the conga, it is important to take small steps so the line will not break. It is also helpful to remember to always kick to the side, and not in front or backwards. It is also advisable to make movements as small as possible, which will also help in ensuring that the integrity of the conga line remains intact.
Leaders of a conga line need to have a good sense of the general layout of the room before the conga line even begins, as this will make the dance smoother and less awkward. The conga line usually doesn’t last very long, only lasting around a minute or two before dancers start breaking away from the line.
The conga is both lyrical and danceable, with music based on those of carnival troupes and comparsas. The musicians use unique instruments and play a rhythm that most foreigners have not seen nor heard before.
The Rise of the Conga
Its rise in popularity in the U.S. began when the La Conga Nightclub opened in New York City in 1929, and reached its peak in the 1930s and 1950s. Because of this beginning, many people write off the conga as simply a novelty dance or a fad.
There was a period in history when the conga could be seen literally everywhere. The conga’s swift rise in popularity can be attributed to the simplicity of the dance. In the 1930s, Americans found the dance interesting and easy to dance to, with its repetitive step-step-step-kick to the right then repeated to the left.
The conga also appealed to Americans because it was a welcoming and celebratory kind of dance, unlike other Latin dances that Americans are a lot more hesitant to try. Conga lines were generally perceived to be light-hearted celebrations that large groups of people could enjoy together by participating in mass dancing.
The conga’s popularity led to numerous references in popular culture. Plenty of cartoons made by Warner Bros. in the 1940s contained a reference to the conga. Nowadays, knowledge of the dance and its popularity has waned but one may still encounter the occasional conga line at a wedding or party."
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: La Conga Santiaguera Part 1
DJOMARITO, Published on Jun 23, 2009
Video grabado el 14 de Junio del 2004. Calle Juela % Julian del Casal y Perez Andres, Los Hoyos, Santiago de Cuba. La famosa Conga de Los Hoyos.
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Video recorded on the 14th of June, 2004 in the neighborhood of Los Hoyos in Santiago de Cuba."
****
Video #2: Congas : Encuentro San Agustín / Los Hoyos
D Ritmacuba, Published on Oct 5, 2009
Les rencontres de congas qui précèdent l'Invasion de Los Hoyos et la compétition du carnaval. Ici la conga de San Agustín accompagnée par son quartier vient rencontrer (défier?) la conga de Los Hoyos sur ses terres. juillet 2009 http://www.ritmacuba.com
-snip-
Google translate from French to English
"The congas meetings that precede the Los Hoyos Invasion and the carnival competition. Here the conga of San Agustín accompanied by its neighborhood comes to meet (defy?) The conga of Los Hoyos on its lands."
****
Video #3: san juan camagueyano carnavales cuba part 1
Channel Hernandez, Published on Jul 15, 2011
****
Video #4: La Conga de Los Hoyos en El Cobre - 2
D Ritmacuba, Published on Feb 10, 2012
2e partie. La célèbre Conga de Los Hoyos de Santiago de Cuba accomplit la promesse de son directeur de venir célébrer la vierge d'El Cobre. En bas des marches du sanctuaire elle commence à défiler en conga au son des cornetas chinas, à la surprise et contentement de la population de la petite ville.
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"2nd part. The famous Conga de Los Hoyos of Santiago de Cuba fulfills the promise of its director to come and celebrate the Virgin of El Cobre. At the bottom of the steps of the sanctuary she begins to parade in conga to the sound of cornetas chinas, to the surprise and satisfaction of the population of the small town."
****
Video #5: CONGA CASTILO DEL MORO - SANTIAGO DE CUBA
salsaEleggua, Published on Jan 14, 2013
pendant le festival del Carïbe, défilé d'une conga improvisée par les danseur d'une communauté haïtienne.
-snip-
Google translation from French to English:
"During the festival of Caribe, parade of a conga improvised by the dancer of a Haitian community."
-snip-
According to this summary, this dance troupe is made up of people of Haitian descent who live in Cuba.
****
Video #6: Conga Santiaguera
Germán López, Published on Oct 12, 2013
Desfile de una conga en Santiago de Cuba, en las semanas previas al carnaval
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Parade of a conga in Santiago de Cuba, in the weeks leading up to the carnival"
****
Video #7: Au coeur de la Conga de Los Hoyos - Santiago de Cuba
salsaEleggua, Published on Oct 24, 2015
ballade au cœur de la conga de los hoyos dans les rues de Santiago de Cuba.
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
In the heart of Los Hoyos Conga (In the heart of the Conga de Los Hoyos)
walk in the heart [the midst] of the conga de los hoyos in the streets of Santiago de Cuba.
****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series on Conga music, Conga troupes (comparsas) and the Conga line (dance).
This post provides an excerpt from an online article about the history of the conga dance. This pancocojams post also showcases seven YouTube videos of Cuban Conga troupes (comparsas).
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/05/three-wikipedia-article-excerpts-about.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. Part I presents an excerpt from a Wikipedia articles about Santiago de Cuba. This pancocojams post also presents excerpts from a Wikipedia article about Conga music and about the annual Carnival of Santiago de Cuba.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/05/article-excerpt-about-history-of-conga.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. Part III provides an excerpt from an online article about the history of the conga line dance and showcases five YouTube videos of Conga lines outside of Cuba.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
ARTICLE EXCERPT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE CONGA DANCE
From https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/the-conga-dance-people/
Bringing People Together with the Conga Dance By Bernadine Racoma - June 11, 2013
“The Conga is a Latin dance of African-Cuban descent. The name conga is believed to have originated from the African region of Congo, although Latin music historian Isabelle Leymarie claims that conga may have come from a Bantu word that means both song and tumult.
Origin of the Conga
The conga is said to be a combination of slave dance forms and the dances that came from poor Europeans. Slaves are widely credited for having brought the conga to Cuba. Some believe that the dance took form when the slaves started dancing while they were chained together. Another legend says that the dance came to life when the captives from the slave ships were brought on deck to exercise. Others claim that the conga dance was never a slave dance but rather one that came from the dancing and chanting lines that followed the processions of the Virgin Mary during Easter festivities.
The conga was initially a street dance in Cuba, specifically in the city of Santiago. In Cuba, the conga is called the comparsa. Both the music and dance were originally performed in carnival processions and African slave celebrations. It played a significant role in the processional Corpus Christi and Epiphany carnival dance that was attended by the political and social elites of Cuba since the 1600s. Back then, it was done in both its forms for line and couple dancing.
The dance was also used by some politicians before the elections in order to catch the appeal of the public. During the dictatorship of Machado, residents of Havana were not allowed to dance the conga, as the opposition could manipulate them into high excitement, which would lead to street fighting. At the time of the presidency of Fulgencio Batista in the 1940s, he allowed people to dance the conga during the elections, but only with permission form the police.
Some people mistakenly believe that Lucille Ball’s husband, Desi Arnaz, is the inventor of dance. However, Arnaz merely popularized the Brazilian conga in 1939 when he moved to the U.S from Cuba and began performing the dance in clubs and television performances with his wife.
Significance of the Conga
Although the conga may look silly and fun, it was part of the Congo slaves’ religion and actually has ceremonial and ritualistic origins. The dance was a means for the slaves to celebrate victory or success, and it was also a way for them to express their grievances and frustrations without being blatant about it.
The conga has also been used to express protective unity and seriousness. On March 1965, a group of women danced the conga line all night around a gathering of civil rights demonstrators.
Music Behind the Conga
Strictly speaking, the term conga refers to a tall-single headed and narrow drum that originated in Cuba. It is widely believed that the original drums were made out of salvaged barrels, because the present-day drums are staved, like barrels. Their shape makes them distinctive from the African drum.
In its native Cuba, this drum is called tumbadora or tumba and they are usually played when Afro-Latin dances are performed. The drum only came to be called a conga drum in the 1920s when the conga dance was at the height of its popularity in the U.S and Americans began calling it the conga drum. The term “conga” in Spanish refers to a woman from Conga.
Most congas are led by a musician leader at the start of the line in charge of keeping the beat on a pair of bongos. However, traditional Cuban congas were led by a trio of drums. The smallest drum, called the quinto, was a solo instrument used to introduce new rhythms. The middle-sized conga, or also known as a tresgolpes, and the larger tumba provided the base rhythms.
Modern-day conga drums have been lessened to two, and instead of being placed on the ground, they are mounted on stands in such a way that they can be played by only one drummer. This way one musician can easily combine the rhythms of the quinto, conga, and tumba to produce sound that is fairly close to the original three-drum configuration. The drummer is also not limited to just drumming with the hands, since a polyrhythmic 6/8 pattern is sometimes included into of the conga music parts. The sound comes in the form of sticks on a hollow wooden box or a cajon, or on the side of a drum.
Dancing the Conga
The conga dance style resembles a march because of the distinctive rhythm coming from the conga drum. It is very different from other Latin dances, such as the rumba that uses more hip movements and portrays the dancer’s sensually aggressive attitude. The conga is known as a “mixer” dance, which means it mixes the crowd in parties and other functions.
The conga usually consists only of drums and shakers as the only accompanying instruments. The conga beat is a syncopated 4/4, with a step on each of the first three beats of the measure, followed by a delayed touch of the foot to either side of the direction in which the line of dancers is going.
The conga is commonly done in a long, single-file line, but it can also be performed with a partner. The dancers form a long line and dance three shuffle steps on the beat, with a kick slightly ahead of the fourth beat after. In other words, the count is a simply one-two-three-kick. When done in a line, the dancers put their hands on the waist of the person in front of them, and the line zigzags through the room. When done with a partner, the couple faces each other but moves in opposite directions. Both partners will move to their right and then reverse directions.
When dancing the conga, it is important to take small steps so the line will not break. It is also helpful to remember to always kick to the side, and not in front or backwards. It is also advisable to make movements as small as possible, which will also help in ensuring that the integrity of the conga line remains intact.
Leaders of a conga line need to have a good sense of the general layout of the room before the conga line even begins, as this will make the dance smoother and less awkward. The conga line usually doesn’t last very long, only lasting around a minute or two before dancers start breaking away from the line.
The conga is both lyrical and danceable, with music based on those of carnival troupes and comparsas. The musicians use unique instruments and play a rhythm that most foreigners have not seen nor heard before.
The Rise of the Conga
Its rise in popularity in the U.S. began when the La Conga Nightclub opened in New York City in 1929, and reached its peak in the 1930s and 1950s. Because of this beginning, many people write off the conga as simply a novelty dance or a fad.
There was a period in history when the conga could be seen literally everywhere. The conga’s swift rise in popularity can be attributed to the simplicity of the dance. In the 1930s, Americans found the dance interesting and easy to dance to, with its repetitive step-step-step-kick to the right then repeated to the left.
The conga also appealed to Americans because it was a welcoming and celebratory kind of dance, unlike other Latin dances that Americans are a lot more hesitant to try. Conga lines were generally perceived to be light-hearted celebrations that large groups of people could enjoy together by participating in mass dancing.
The conga’s popularity led to numerous references in popular culture. Plenty of cartoons made by Warner Bros. in the 1940s contained a reference to the conga. Nowadays, knowledge of the dance and its popularity has waned but one may still encounter the occasional conga line at a wedding or party."
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Video #1: La Conga Santiaguera Part 1
DJOMARITO, Published on Jun 23, 2009
Video grabado el 14 de Junio del 2004. Calle Juela % Julian del Casal y Perez Andres, Los Hoyos, Santiago de Cuba. La famosa Conga de Los Hoyos.
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Video recorded on the 14th of June, 2004 in the neighborhood of Los Hoyos in Santiago de Cuba."
****
Video #2: Congas : Encuentro San Agustín / Los Hoyos
D Ritmacuba, Published on Oct 5, 2009
Les rencontres de congas qui précèdent l'Invasion de Los Hoyos et la compétition du carnaval. Ici la conga de San Agustín accompagnée par son quartier vient rencontrer (défier?) la conga de Los Hoyos sur ses terres. juillet 2009 http://www.ritmacuba.com
-snip-
Google translate from French to English
"The congas meetings that precede the Los Hoyos Invasion and the carnival competition. Here the conga of San Agustín accompanied by its neighborhood comes to meet (defy?) The conga of Los Hoyos on its lands."
****
Video #3: san juan camagueyano carnavales cuba part 1
Channel Hernandez, Published on Jul 15, 2011
****
Video #4: La Conga de Los Hoyos en El Cobre - 2
D Ritmacuba, Published on Feb 10, 2012
2e partie. La célèbre Conga de Los Hoyos de Santiago de Cuba accomplit la promesse de son directeur de venir célébrer la vierge d'El Cobre. En bas des marches du sanctuaire elle commence à défiler en conga au son des cornetas chinas, à la surprise et contentement de la population de la petite ville.
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"2nd part. The famous Conga de Los Hoyos of Santiago de Cuba fulfills the promise of its director to come and celebrate the Virgin of El Cobre. At the bottom of the steps of the sanctuary she begins to parade in conga to the sound of cornetas chinas, to the surprise and satisfaction of the population of the small town."
****
Video #5: CONGA CASTILO DEL MORO - SANTIAGO DE CUBA
salsaEleggua, Published on Jan 14, 2013
pendant le festival del Carïbe, défilé d'une conga improvisée par les danseur d'une communauté haïtienne.
-snip-
Google translation from French to English:
"During the festival of Caribe, parade of a conga improvised by the dancer of a Haitian community."
-snip-
According to this summary, this dance troupe is made up of people of Haitian descent who live in Cuba.
****
Video #6: Conga Santiaguera
Germán López, Published on Oct 12, 2013
Desfile de una conga en Santiago de Cuba, en las semanas previas al carnaval
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"Parade of a conga in Santiago de Cuba, in the weeks leading up to the carnival"
****
Video #7: Au coeur de la Conga de Los Hoyos - Santiago de Cuba
salsaEleggua, Published on Oct 24, 2015
ballade au cœur de la conga de los hoyos dans les rues de Santiago de Cuba.
-snip-
Google translate from French to English:
In the heart of Los Hoyos Conga (In the heart of the Conga de Los Hoyos)
walk in the heart [the midst] of the conga de los hoyos in the streets of Santiago de Cuba.
****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is very informative article about a very traditional dance. I liked reading every sentence and enjoyed the rhythm of the congaaa :D
ReplyDeleteTranslation agency, I appreciate your comment.
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