kelime, Aug 28, 2012
From the [1940] RKO [United States] movie "Too Many Girls"
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases several videos of the Conga line dance and presents information and comments about the Conga dance which correct the mistaken belief that Desi Arnaz invented that dance.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the real creators of the Conga line dance. Thanks also to Desi Arnaz for his cultural legacy and thanks to the producers and publishers of these embedded videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post.
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/05/information-about-history-of-conga.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Information About The History Of The Conga Dance & Seven YouTube Video Examples Of Cuban Conga Troupes (Comparsas)". That post is Part II of a three part 2019 pancocojams series on the Conga line dance. All of the links for these posts are given in each post.
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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM VIDEO #1 (given at the top of this post)
Numbers added for referencing purposes only.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5QrGD0oUgY
1.@ayax6661, 2016
"este chico creó la conga de los carnavales cubanos"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English:
"this boy created the conga of Cuban carnivals"
**
2. @jasonhuegan7007, 2020
"Did Arnez invent the conga line?"
**
Reply
3.@phillipsmom6252, 2021
"No"
**
4.@jasonhuegan7007, 2021
@phillipsmom6252
"Who did?"
**
Reply
5. @PrincessWarsop, 2021
"He just made it popular."
**
Reply
6. @JamesAinsworth-AA, 2021
"He himself said on an interview on Johnny Carson that the
conga line was something Cubans created in their Carnival celebrations. He said
most of the country would go to Santiago for the celebrations and the best
conga lines - the implied or veiled suggestion is that the conga line was an
Afro-Cuban creation because Santiago was predominantly Black Cubans."
**
7. @holyspacemonkey, 2020, 2020
"This is from the 1940 film “Too Many Girls.” Lucy & Desi
met on the set, but her co-star and love interest was Richard Carlson, not
Desi. Desi played a supporting role. You can see Lucy & Richard at 3:30."
8. @stephaniebarkemeyer5247, 2022
"
**
9. @Tusc9969, 2022
"I like Desi - he knew relatively little about the music he
was hybridizing, compared to real, respected band leaders like Cugat, Machito,
Miguelito Valdes etc
But he had looks, charm, chutzpah and the great advantage
over most important Latin musicians of being both upper-class and white
complexion.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT DESI ARNAZ
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000789/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
"Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III was born in Santiago, Cuba on March 2, 1917. His father was the mayor of Santiago. The 1933 revolution led by Fulgencio Batista had landed his father in jail and stripped the family of its wealth, property and power. His father was released because of the intercession of U.S. officials who believed him to be neutral during the revolt. The family fled to Miami, Florida. One of Desi's first jobs in America consisted of cleaning canary cages. However, after forming his own small band of musicians, he was hired by Xavier Cugat, the "king" of Latin music.
Desi soon left Cugat, formed his own Latin band, and literally launched the conga craze in America. He was cast in the Broadway play "Too Many Girls" and then brought to Hollywood to make the film version of the play. It was on the set of Too Many Girls (1940) that he and Lucille Ball met. They soon married and approximately 10 years later formed Desilu Productions and began the I Love Lucy (1951) shows. Desi and Lucille had two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr..
At the end of the I Love Lucy (1951) run, which included The
Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957), the two divorced. Desi later wrote an
autobiography entitled "A Book." In 1986 he was diagnosed with lung
cancer. He died on December 2, 1986 at age 69."
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CUBAN CITY "SANTIAGO DE CUBA"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Cuba
….Historically Santiago de Cuba was the second-most
important city on the island after Havana, and remains the second-largest. It
is on a bay connected to the Caribbean Sea and an important sea port. In the
2022, the city of Santiago de Cuba recorded a population of 507,167 people.[4]
[…]
Santiago de Cuba is well known for its traditional music,
most notably son, from which salsa has been derived. The city celebrates
Carnival in July, although it typically precedes Lent. With the city
preoccupied with the holiday, Castro chose July 26 to enter undetected into the
city to assault the Moncada Barracks. During Carnival, traditional conga music
is played in the streets on a traditional pentatonic trumpet, called the
trompeta china.
A relatively high number of residents of the city adhere to
Afro-Cuban religions, most notably santería. The city hosts an important
community of descendants of immigrants from the early 19th century from what is
now Haiti. Some aspects of the religious "vodún" heritage of the city
can be traced back to this community.”…
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONGA LINE DANCE
https://www.britannica.com/art/Latin-American-dance/The-Caribbean
...."Conga is an upbeat
walking dance that accents the fourth beat of the measure as the dancers (solo
or in groups) wind through the streets. In formal parade units, simple conga
choreographies give form and shape to the dance, but the essence of the dance
is most evident in the spontaneous crowd dancing along with the musicians
through the streets."...
****
Excerpt #2
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga_line
"The conga line is a novelty line dance that was derived from
the Cuban carnival dance of the same name and became popular in the US and UK
during the first half of the 20th century. In order to perform the dance,
dancers form a long, processing line, which would usually turn into a circle.
It has three shuffle steps on the beat, followed by a kick that is slightly
ahead of the fourth beat. The conga, a term sometimes mistakenly believed to be
derived from the African region of Congo, is both a lyrical and danceable
genre, rooted in the music of carnival troupes or comparsas.[1]
Origin
The conga dance was believed to have been brought over from
Africa by enslaved people in the West Indies,[2] and became a popular street
dance in Cuba. The style was appropriated by politicians during the early years
of republic in an attempt to appeal to the masses before election. During
Gerardo Machado's dictatorship in Cuba, Havana citizens were forbidden to dance
the conga since rival groups would work themselves to high excitement and start
street fights. This was not the case when Fulgencio Batista became president in
the 1940s - he permitted people to dance congas during elections, but a police
permit was required.[3]
Description
The conga dance style is more of a march, which is
characterized by its distinctive conga drum rhythm. It differs from the Cuban
rumba, which uses movements considered "hip" and shows the sensually
aggressive attitude of each dancer. Conga music is played with a staccato beat
as its base, which gives rhythm to the movements of the dancers. Conga dancers
lift their legs in time with the rhythm of the music, marking each beat with
the strong motion of their body.
The basic dance steps start from left leg 1-2-3 kick then
repeat, opposite. Originally, a band member wearing a drum would venture onto
the dance floor and begin zig-zagging around while drumming out the rhythm.
Dancers would start joining up behind the drummer, forming a line that moves
like a snake in an open circle. The line (or the circular chain) would grow
longer and the drumming more intense until it finally stopped. The dance has
two styles, which is a single line form and partners. The single line is more
popular in Cuba.[2]"...
****
Excerpt #3
From https://www.loc.gov/item/2021669774/
"Title - Conga Dancers.
Summary
This photograph from Cuba shows dancers and drummers
similarly adorned in costumes of balloon-like trousers, long coats, and head
wraps made of the same shiny fabric, moving in a long conga line. The conga is
a dance that originated in Cuba, and in which the participants form a winding
line, take three steps forwards or backwards, and then kick. The photograph is
from the collection of the Columbus Memorial Library of the Organization of
American States (OAS), which includes 45,000 photographs illustrative of life
and culture in the Americas. Many of the photographs were taken by prominent
photographers on OAS missions to member countries. The OAS was established in
April 1948 when 21 countries of the western hemisphere adopted the OAS Charter,
in which they reaffirmed their commitment to the pursuit of common goals and
respect for each other's sovereignty”…
Created / Published
Cuba : Organization of American States, 1956.
[…]
-snip-
All of the people in this photograph are Afro-Cubans."
ADDITIONAL SHOWCASE VIDEOS
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Conga line! 😊
@partyexcitementdj, Feb 16, 2025
-snip-
August 3, 2026- This video replaces one that is no longer available.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - Kids Conga Song | Best Dance Songs for Kids | Come On and
Conga | Best Kids Dance Songs | PBS Kids
The Kidsongs Channel, Apr 22, 2016
the Conga !The Best Dance Songs for Kids ! Here's Come On and Conga from Kidsongs: I Can Dance! Join the Kids Conga line and join in the dancing fun! Sing and dance along fun with this all time favorite classic kids dance song!
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